Controlled with your smart phone, Rachio's hub takes the guesswork out of gardening. Submit an Entry Below.

Many of my friends complain that they can't keep plants alive. Well, I'm an experienced gardener, and I can tell you in most cases, the problem is inconsistent watering. Plants, including lawns, can't take the shock of the drought-flood see-saw.

Rachio's Smart Sprinkler Controller solves this conundrum. It's highly tested, and EPA WaterSense-certified, to greatly reduce water waste. The phone app shows you in real-time how much water you have used, as well as giving you alerts for seasonal weather changes. Why water if it's raining? It installs easily too.Zones, Savings and Rebates



When you set up the Controller on your smartphone, you create watering zones so that it knows what types of soil or plants you have in the area. The Controller then takes this data and compares it with the local forecast and sun exposure, to only water your plants when they need it.

In house testing of the unit shows it can save up to half of what you currently spend on sprinklers and irrigation systems. Also, in case you don't win this giveaway, in some muncipalities you can receive rebates of up to 100% off the retail price of the controller.

Plays Well with Others

For our recent Flex House project in Las Vegas, we combined Rachio with Amazon Alexa, but it works just as well with Google Assistant, Nest, IFTTT and SmartThings—so your sprinklers can do much more than simply water the lawn. For example, in case of a fire inside or outside of the home, they can turn on and help keep the flames from spreading. If tied to a motion or infrared sensor, they can also turn on the sprinklers if someone is tresspassing—a quick way to get rid of potential burglers or an unwanted neighborhood stray dog (or a skunk). You can also ensure that your sprinklers never come on just when you are about to go outside—or about to pull into your driveway.

Want to try out a Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller for yourself? Enter to win a Rachio Smart Irrigation Controller here, no purchase required. Just fill out a 5 question survey. Deadline to enter is March 31, 2018.