Irrigation System with Soil Moisture Based Seasonal Watering Adjustment

A soil moisture based irrigation system, comprising:

• an interface that enables a user to select and/or enter a watering schedule;
• a memory for storing the watering schedule;
• at least one sensor for generating a signal representative of a soil condition;
• a processor capable of calculating a soil moisture requirement value based at least in part on the signal from the sensor;
• and
• a program executable by the processor to enable the processor to generate commands for selectively turning a plurality of valves ON and OFF in accordance with the watering schedule, the program including a seasonal adjust feature that provides the capability for automatically modifying the watering schedule based on the soil moisture requirement value to thereby conserve water while maintaining plant health.

A method of controlling a plurality of valves on an irrigation site, comprising the steps of:

• selecting and/or creating a watering schedule;
• storing the watering schedule;
• generating a signal representative of a soil condition on an irrigation site;
• calculating a soil moisture requirement value based at least in part on the signal;
• selectively turning a plurality of valves located on the irrigation site ON and OFF in accordance with the watering schedule;
• and
• automatically modifying the watering schedule based on the soil moisture requirement value using a seasonal adjust algorithm to thereby conserve water while maintaining the health of plants on the irrigation site.