This video demonstrates installation of a basic electronic hose timer for irrigation control of a Garden Tower 2 featuring our high quality Watering System. Basic timers like this automatically water the Garden Tower 2 a predetermined amount of water on a set schedule. These controllers will need adjustment through the growing seasons to maintain healthy moisture levels in your Garden Tower through changes in temperature, plant mass, growth rates, sunlight, wind, and rain.
This basic hose timer connects to our Garden Tower 2 Watering System, a highly durable, calibrated irrigation system that distributes 0.5 GPM (gallons per minute) of water through the Garden Tower off household water pressure. The Watering System is hand-built using only 100% drinking water materials (potable, non-toxic) for healthy organic gardening.
The Garden Tower 2 Watering System can be connected to any standard hose timer or irrigation controller for operation (such as the unit in this video); however, we highly recommend the Intelligent Moisture Sensing Irrigation Controller which automatically maintains healthy moisture levels in the tower as conditions change (such as changes in plant growth rates, temperature, wind, rain, and sun exposure).
Most Garden Towers need to be watered with 4-8 gallons of water 2-4 times per week (depending on conditions). An example basic watering program on a digital hose timer (such as the unit featured in this video) would be 3 minutes of activation (watering) every 12 hours (morning and evening): 3(minutes) x 0.5(gallons per minute) x 2(times per day) = 3 gallons per day flowing into the Garden Tower. This will need adjustment through the season as conditions change.
Our Soil Moisture Indicators will help to visually let you know when adjustment is necessary. The Soil Moisture Indicators turn white when the soil is too dry for plants to extract water from (known as the “wilting point”). For example, if the upper level Soil Moisture Indicator turns from blue (wet) to white (dry) before the lower indicator, we recommend increasing the frequency of watering. If the lower level Soil Moisture Indicator turns from blue (wet) to white (dry) before the upper indicator, you need to increase the quantity of water or minutes of active watering per cycle (E.g. 4 gallons per day instead of 3 GPD). These adjustments help keep your Garden Tower in balance for maximum productivity on all levels!
All irrigation controllers can be damaged by freezing water in the their valve assembly. REMOVE the irrigation controller from the tower for winter before exposure to freezing temperatures and bring it inside! Record your settings and remove the batteries until the next growing season!
Our drinking water hoses are not included in the kit (required lengths will vary by your setup), but are available to order on the website if desired.