Anyone with an underground sprinkler system would benefit from owning a Rachio smart sprinkler controller. It’s a major upgrade from a timer controlled system. The setup is straight-forward and the freedom and advanced functionality will solve your watering woes. Learn about some of this smart device’s great features then enter for a chance to win one.

Inch by inch your garden will grow better with Rachio

There is a classic song appropriately called “Garden song.” Not the one by Phoebe Bridgers; the one written by David Mallett and made famous (for me at least) on the Muppet show with guest John Denver. “Inch by inch, row by row, Gonna make this garden grow,” it begins. That song makes it sound so easy.

Growing a garden is not easy. I wish it was. Every year it’s something different. This year the arugula went to seed after less than two weeks. My onions got smothered by poppies and Burdock. And don’t get me started on the tent caterpillar infestation. The biggest challenge every year is water. The beginning of the season was wet. Last year it was too dry and hot for anything to survive. For two years before that the growing season was very long and very consistently warm. We need to respond differently each year, sometimes each day to the challenges of keeping the garden moist, but not soaking wet.

What is a smart garden

My dream garden would get water when it needs it, not get watered when it doesn’t, and I would not have to be in the garden every day to make that happen. That’s the promise of a smart garden that Rachio makes a reality with the Rachio 3 Sprinkler Controller. A timer is not smart: it just sends water along a tube at the same time each day for the same amount of time. That’s dumb. What if it’s raining? The timer still waters wasting water and potentially drowning the crops. What if it’s particularly hot? The amount of water doesn’t change.

Rachio is smart. You can connect it to Wi-Fi then use your phone to adjust all the settings at any time from anywhere in the world. You can set individual watering schedules for up to 8 different zones. If one section gets more sun than another it makes sense for it to get a different amount of water. A timer doesn’t do that. Similarly, a timer doesn’t check the weather forecast in your area before watering your plants. Rachio does. Read Shelly’s detailed discussion of the benefits of using a Rachio smart controller then return here to enter for a chance to win one.

How to enter

Entering this contest is easy and you can enter in two different ways.

  1. In a comment below tell us one reason why you would want to win a Rachio smart controller for your home.
  2. In a comment below Shelly’s article, tell us one thing you learned about the Rachio Smart Sprinkler controller in her article or video.

What you can win

At the end of this contest we will randomly select one winner from all eligible entries to receive a new Rachio 8 zone sprinkler controller.

This contest runs from August 12th until August 28th. 

Remember that you can enter in two different ways. If you have friends or neighbours who love to garden, perhaps even obsess about their gardens, then tell them about this contest so they too have a chance to win.

Win a Rachio R3 8-Zone smart sprinkler controller Rules and Regulations

Good luck

Martin Renaud
Editor in Chief
Martin loves working with the talented editors and writers on the Best Buy Blog as Editor-in-Chief. During his spare time he is either working on his next novel, cooking up a masterpiece in the kitchen, or adding some smart tech to his new home on Mayne Island in British Columbia.

333 COMMENTS

  1. My dad could really use an upgrade from his sprinkler system controller from the 90s. This would really brighten up his day!

  2. This has been a tough year for all my neighbourhood. Growing a garden and landscape is not easy. I wish it were. I would love to win or get one to separate lawn and garden duties.
    Just picture this Rachio lift up its skirt to go through meters of work at different control.
    Wow, I know that someone like yardwork would be super furious having not thought of it first.
    While Rona and Canadian Tire would ask me to leave their empty stores.

  3. Definitely have control with how much and when to use. Conserves water when you need to. Easy to use and program it to how you need it to work!

  4. I would love to win a Rachio smart controller for my home so that when my husband and I go to the cottage off and on all summer I can set it up to water our gardens and not have to rely on my son to look after this for us. Would be amazing for our home.

  5. I learned that you can connect your sprinklers to Wi-Fi so you can control them via the Rachio app

  6. i would love to win this so that I knew my lawn was getting taken care of in the best way possible while still being sensitive to the environment.

  7. This would be wonderful for watering the lawn and gardens when we are away – no more worrying about whether the house sitter will remember to water!

  8. I am excited that the Rachio 3 sprinkler controller has 8 zones and you can set your water accordingly because it has an intelligent water moitor. Loving the fact that you can schedule your watering according to plant type and sun exposure. and also that it saves 20% of water usage. How awesome!

  9. I would want to win a Rachio smart controller because you can set individual watering schedules for up to 8 different zones.

  10. I would love to win this! A Rachio smart sprinkler would ensure that my landscaping is watered evenly and adequately.
    My current system of soaker hoses and a manual water timer has its share of difficulties.
    I think my gardens would be watered with less water wastage.

  11. I have so many gardens and a vegtable garden along with lots of grass the Rachio sprinkler controller wouls be perfect because I can control up to 8 different zones from my phone this would allow me to do other things instead of hand watering. Also when I’m away I don’t have to wprry about my plants dying and my grass burning because the kids forgot to water.

  12. This would be great to control our irrigation system while on vacation. Right now we need to set the sprinkler in a timer for the week regardless of weather.

  13. One reason I would mostly because I’m tired of turning the valves manually and then getting wet leaving and coming to turn them off.

  14. I would love to win the Rachio sprinkler controller because you can control up to 8 different zones all from your phone. One setting for my grass, one for the flower gardens and finally one for our vegetable garden.

  15. One reason why I want to win a Rachio smart controller is due to it’s ability to just control valves automatically. It would be especially useful for long vacations so there is no need to worry about finding someone to water when you’re gone.

  16. I would like it mostly because I’m tired of turning the valves manually and then getting wet leaving and coming to turn them off.

  17. Uneven watering is a major culprit in our gardens yearly. The Rachio smart sprinkler controller would eliminate this issue.

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