Automatic Irrigation: Choose the Right System for Your Needs!

A ready-made automatic irrigation kit is the quickest way to ensure your plants are cared for while you’re away, while also saving up to 70% water compared with traditional hose watering.

To choose the right kit without wasting money, you first need to understand how the system works and identify the specific needs of your space.

Automatic Irrigation: Choose the Right System for Your Needs!

Anatomy of a Set: How It Works and What It Includes

1. The system’s “brain”

Battery-Powered Tap Timer: The number-one choice for balconies and small gardens. It screws directly onto the tap and operates independently using standard alkaline batteries. Simply set the start time, duration (e.g. 10 minutes) and frequency (e.g. every day or every 2 days).
Mains-Powered Timer & Solenoid Valves: Used in medium and large gardens. The main timer is usually installed in a sheltered area (e.g. a garage or shed) and plugged into a power outlet. It then sends an electrical signal to the solenoid valves (usually hidden in underground valve boxes), which automatically open one at a time for each watering zone.

2. Pipes & Protective Components

Main Irrigation Pipe (16 mm): The main black pipe that runs from the tap past all the pots or flower beds.
Auxiliary Tubing (6 mm “spaghetti” tubing): Thin, flexible tubing that carries water from the main pipe into each pot.
Pressure Reducer (Regulator): Installed immediately after the timer. It reduces the high mains pressure (which can reach 4–6 bar) to a safe level (around 1.2–1.5 bar), preventing the tubing and drippers from popping off.
Inline Filter: Traps soil, limescale and debris in the water supply to prevent the nozzles from clogging.
Punch Tool: The special pointed tool used to make small, clean holes in the 16 mm main pipe, where the connectors for the thin tubing are fitted.
End Cap (figure-eight or screw-on type): Fitted at the end of the main pipe to seal the line.

3. Water Outlets: How plants are watered

Drippers: Ideal for pots, planters and trees. They deliver water drop by drop directly to the soil without wetting the leaves:

Adjustable drippers: Turn the head to provide more water to large pots and less to small ones.
Pressure-compensating drippers: Deliver exactly the same consistent amount of water (e.g. 2 or 4 litres per hour), regardless of whether the pot is at the beginning or the end of the balcony.

Sprinklers / Pop-ups: Used exclusively for lawns and turf. They are buried in the ground and rise under water pressure, spraying evenly like artificial rain.

Find the Ideal Watering System for Your Plants:

Type of Space	Which Kit to Choose	Key Detail
Indoor/Outdoor	Self-Watering Cones & Globes • Cones or special spouts for plastic bottles	They are inserted into the soil and gradually release water. Ideal for getaways of up to 10 days, with no plumbing required.
Balcony WITHOUT a Tap (Permanent / Self-Contained)	Solar Kit or Battery-Powered Pump Kit • Small pump, panel/battery, 6 mm tubing & drippers	Place the intake tube in a bucket or water container. The solar panel or battery provides weeks of operation without mains power.
Small Balcony (up to 15 pots)	Micro-Irrigation Starter Kit • 6 mm tubing (or thin 16 mm tubing) & a basic battery-powered timer	Installs in 20 minutes. A pressure reducer must be fitted to the tap to prevent the tubes from bursting.
Medium/Large Balcony (15–40+ pots)	Complete Drip Kit • 16 mm main tube, 6 mm branch tubing, adjustable drippers & digital timer	Installation steps: 1. Screw a 2-way splitter onto the tap. 2. Connect the timer and pressure reducer with filter. 3. Lay out the 16 mm tube, punch holes with a punch tool, and connect the 6 mm tubing and dripper. 4. Secure with stakes and cap the end of the 16 mm tube.
Flower Beds & Vegetable Garden	Dripline Kit • 16 mm tube with built-in drippers every 20–33 cm	Water continuous rows evenly, with no need to punch holes or use separate tubing.
Lawn Garden	Pop-Up Sprinkler System • Retractable sprinklers, underground pipes (20–32 mm) & timer with 2+ outlets	#SkroutzTip: Never run the lawn and pots together! The lawn needs high pressure for a few minutes, while pots need low pressure (1.5 bar) for 30–45 minutes. Use a 2-outlet timer: Line 1 for the lawn and Line 2 for the pots (with a pressure reducer).

Smart Features & Timer Automation

Mechanical (with analog dials):

Set the frequency (e.g. every 12 hours) and duration (e.g. 5 minutes).
Extremely simple and reliable—ideal if you don’t want complicated settings.

Digital (with LCD screen):

Offers second- or minute-level precision, the option to select specific days of the week, and multiple cycles per day.

Smart / Wi-Fi / Bluetooth:

Controlled via a mobile app. They let you check, start, or adjust watering from anywhere, with ease, using your phone, or monitor water consumption.

Golden Rules for a “Pro” Result

Best time to water: Set the system to water early in the morning (5:00–7:00 a.m.). The water won’t evaporate in the heat, it will soak deep into the roots, and the leaves won’t be at risk of fungal diseases encouraged by evening watering.
Replace the battery every spring: Fit the timer with a new, high-quality alkaline battery at the start of each season, even if the old one still appears to have power. That way, you can relax while you’re away on your summer vacation.
Don’t connect endless pots to a single thin tube: Don’t try to connect 15 pots in a row using only thin 6 mm tubing, as the last ones won’t get a drop. Always use a 16 mm mainline and run a separate branch to each plant.

Frost protection: Before the first severe winter frosts, turn off the water supply, unscrew the timer from the tap, remove the battery, and store it indoors. When water freezes, it expands, which is the main reason the timer’s internal components break.