Gardena 6-Way Mechanical Irrigation Controller

[JonesProductions]

Gardena 6-Way Mechanical Irrigation Controller

Smart irrigation blueprint for the Gardena 6-way mechanical water distributor –
the valve that advances to the next zone by pressure release (water off → water on).

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What it does

This blueprint controls all 6 zones sequentially through a single smart valve/switch.
For each zone it decides based on sensor data whether to water at full duration,
use an extended duration on hot days, or just send a short sync pulse to advance
the mechanical distributor.

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Features

Feature	Description
Soil moisture monitoring	Per-zone – only waters when the soil is actually dry
Rain history check	Skips watering if it rained enough in the last 24h
Weather forecast check	Skips watering if significant rain is predicted
Temperature-aware watering	Automatically uses longer watering duration on hot days
Weather dependency toggle	Per zone – disable weather checks for covered/indoor zones
Zone enable/disable	Deactivated zones are skipped entirely (must match physical device)
Automatic sync pulses	Zones that don't need watering still advance the distributor
Configurable timing	Adjust sync pulse duration and pressure release pause
Sensor offline resilience	Offline sensors don't block watering – weather data decides
Weather service resilience	If forecast is unavailable, safe defaults are used

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How it works

Trigger: Once daily at configured time
│
├─ Fetch weather forecast (with error handling)
├─ Extract rain forecast + temperature
├─ Determine: warm day? (temp ≥ threshold)
│
├─ Loop: Zone 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6
│  │
│  ├─ Zone disabled? → skip (no action, no delay)
│  │
│  └─ Zone enabled?
│     ├─ Sensor online?  → read moisture → dry = moisture < limit
│     ├─ Sensor offline? → dry = true (assume dry, let weather decide)
│     ├─ No sensor?      → dry = true (assume dry, let weather decide)
│     │
│     ├─ w_dep off? → w_ok = true (rain doesn't matter)
│     └─ w_dep on?  → w_ok = rain history < threshold AND forecast < threshold
│     │
│     ├─ dry AND w_ok + normal day → valve ON → 5 min  → valve OFF
│     ├─ dry AND w_ok + warm day   → valve ON → 10 min → valve OFF
│     └─ otherwise                 → valve ON → 40 sec → valve OFF (sync)
│     │
│     └─ Wait 80 sec (pressure release)
│
└─ Done

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Community-Post: Deutsch

Gardena 6-Wege Mechanische Bewässerungssteuerung

Smarter Bewässerungs-Blueprint für den mechanischen Gardena 6-Wege-Wasserverteiler –
das Ventil, das durch Druckabbau (Wasser aus → Wasser an) zur nächsten Zone weiterspringt.

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Was der Blueprint macht

Steuert alle 6 Zonen sequentiell über ein einzelnes smartes Ventil/Schalter.
Pro Zone wird anhand von Sensordaten entschieden, ob mit voller Dauer bewässert,
an heißen Tagen länger gegossen oder nur ein kurzer Synchronisations-Impuls
zum Weiterschalten des Verteilers gesendet wird.

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Funktionen

Funktion	Beschreibung
Bodenfeuchte-Überwachung	Pro Zone – gießt nur, wenn der Boden tatsächlich trocken ist
Regen-Historie	Überspringt Bewässerung bei ausreichend Niederschlag (letzte 24h)
Wettervorhersage	Überspringt Bewässerung bei angekündigtem Regen
Temperaturabhängige Gießdauer	An warmen Tagen automatisch längere Bewässerung
Wetter-Abhängigkeit pro Zone	Abschaltbar für überdachte Bereiche ohne Regen
Zonen einzeln schaltbar	Inaktive Zonen werden übersprungen (muss am Gerät übereinstimmen)
Automatische Sync-Impulse	Zonen ohne Bewässerungsbedarf schalten den Verteiler trotzdem weiter
Konfigurierbares Timing	Kurz-Impuls und Druckabbau-Pause individuell anpassbar
Sensor-Ausfallsicherheit	Offline-Sensoren blockieren nicht – Wetterdaten entscheiden
Wetter-Ausfallsicherheit	Bei fehlender Vorhersage wird mit sicheren Standardwerten gearbeitet

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So funktioniert es

Trigger: Einmal täglich zur eingestellten Zeit
│
├─ Wettervorhersage abrufen (mit Fehlerbehandlung)
├─ Regenprognose + Temperatur extrahieren
├─ Warmer Tag? (Temperatur ≥ Schwelle)
│
├─ Schleife: Zone 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6
│  │
│  ├─ Zone inaktiv? → überspringen (keine Aktion, keine Pause)
│  │
│  └─ Zone aktiv?
│     ├─ Sensor online?  → Feuchte lesen → trocken = Feuchte < Limit
│     ├─ Sensor offline? → trocken = ja (Wetter entscheidet)
│     ├─ Kein Sensor?    → trocken = ja (Wetter entscheidet)
│     │
│     ├─ Wetter-Prüfung aus? → w_ok = ja (Regen egal)
│     └─ Wetter-Prüfung an?  → w_ok = Regen < Schwelle UND Prognose < Schwelle
│     │
│     ├─ trocken UND w_ok + normaler Tag → Ventil AN → 5 Min  → Ventil AUS
│     ├─ trocken UND w_ok + warmer Tag   → Ventil AN → 10 Min → Ventil AUS
│     └─ sonst                           → Ventil AN → 40 Sek → Ventil AUS
│     │
│     └─ 80 Sek warten (Druckabbau)
│
└─ Ende

[Blackforest1006]

Good work, thank you, I've been looking for something like this. What's still missing is a setting to start the automation more often throughout the day.

[JonesProductions]

Changelog – Gardena 6-Way Irrigation Controller

Version 2.0 (2025-05)

New Features

• Multiple Runs Per Day
  Up to 3 configurable start times per day. Perfect for hot summer days
  when morning-only watering isn't enough. 2nd and 3rd runs are optional
  and disabled by default.

• Temperature-Aware Watering
  Two watering durations per zone: normal day and warm day. The blueprint
  automatically selects the longer duration when the forecasted high
  temperature exceeds a configurable threshold (default: 28°C).

• Smart Skip (Pre-Check)
  Before starting the zone loop, the automation checks if ANY zone
  actually needs water. If none do, the entire cycle is skipped instantly –
  no unnecessary sync pulses, no valve wear, no wasted time.

• Configurable Mechanical Timing
  Sync pulse duration (default: 40s) and pressure release pause (default: 80s)
  are now configurable inputs. Allows users to optimize timing for their
  specific water pressure and pipe setup.

Reliability Improvements

• Weather Service Resilience
  If the weather forecast service is unavailable (e.g. no internet),
  the automation continues with safe defaults: no rain assumed (0 mm),
  normal temperature assumed (20°C). Uses continue_on_error: true to
  prevent the entire automation from failing.

• Sensor Offline Handling
  If a soil moisture sensor goes offline (unavailable/unknown), the zone
  is treated as "dry" and the remaining factors (rain history, weather
  forecast, weather dependency) decide whether to water. Previously this
  could block watering entirely.

• Rain History Pre-Calculation
  Rain history sensor is now read once before the loop instead of
  per-zone, reducing unnecessary sensor queries.

Technical Updates

• Modern Forecast API
  Replaced deprecated state_attr(weather_entity, 'forecast') with
  the current weather.get_forecasts service and response_variable.
  Required since Home Assistant 2024.3+.

• Updated Service Syntax
  Changed service: to action: throughout, matching current
  Home Assistant YAML conventions.

• Trigger Variables Block
  Added trigger_variables section required for conditional trigger
  enabled fields (used by optional 2nd/3rd runs).

Configuration Changes

Parameter	v1.0	v2.0
Start times	1 fixed	Up to 3 (2nd/3rd optional)
Watering duration	1 per zone	2 per zone (normal + warm)
Temperature threshold	–	New (default: 28°C)
Sync pulse duration	Fixed 40s	Configurable (default: 40s)
Pressure release pause	Fixed 80s	Configurable (default: 80s)
Weather fallback	Automation would fail	Safe defaults + continue
Sensor offline	Could block watering	Treated as dry
Smart skip	–	New pre-check

Migration Notes

• No breaking changes – v1.0 configurations continue to work
• New inputs use

[JonesProductions]

Thanks for the feedback!

Great timing – I just released v2.0 which includes exactly this feature!

You can now configure up to 3 start times per day – perfect for hot summer days when a single morning run isn't enough. The 2nd and 3rd runs are optional and disabled by default, so existing setups aren't affected.

Other new features in v2.0:

• Temperature-aware watering – two durations per zone (normal + warm day), automatically selected based on forecasted temperature
• Smart skip – if no zone needs water, the entire cycle is skipped instantly (no unnecessary sync pulses)
• Configurable mechanical timing – sync pulse and pressure release pause are now adjustable
• Improved resilience – safe fallbacks when weather service or sensors are offline

No breaking changes – just update the blueprint and the new options will appear in your configuration.

Let me know if you have any questions!

[tuehna]

Thanks! I tried something similar a few days ago, yours looks way better.

I have one problem: I cannot find my Gardena water control valve because it is not saved as a "switch". What can I do?

Thank you in advance!

[JonesProductions]

Update v2.1 – Valve Entity Support

Based on community feedback, the blueprint now supports both switch and valve entities for the main irrigation control.

What changed

• The entity selector now accepts switch.* and valve.* entities
• All service calls changed from switch.turn_on/off to homeassistant.turn_on/off
• This automatically calls the correct service depending on your entity type

Why this matters

Some integrations (e.g. Gardena Smart System) expose the water control as a valve.* entity instead of a switch.*. Previously, these couldn't be selected in the blueprint configuration.

How homeassistant.turn_on/off works

Entity Type	Service Called Automatically
switch.my_valve	switch.turn_on / switch.turn_off
valve.gardena_water	valve.open_valve / valve.close_valve

No configuration needed – it just works!

Migration

• No breaking changes – existing switch.* configurations continue to work
• If you have a valve.* entity: Simply re-open your automation config and select your valve entity from the dropdown

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Full Changelog

v2.1 (2025-05)

• Valve entity support – switch.* and valve.* entities now both supported
• Uses homeassistant.turn_on/off for domain-independent control

v2.0 (2025-05)

• Multiple runs per day – up to 3 configurable start times
• Temperature-aware watering – automatic longer duration on warm days
• Smart skip – no cycling if no zone needs water
• Configurable timing – adjust sync pulse and pressure release
• Weather resilience – safe fallbacks when forecast is unavailable
• Sensor resilience – offline sensors don't block watering

v1.0

• Initial release

---

[JonesProductions]

@tuehna Great news – I just pushed v2.1 which adds native support for valve.* entities!

What to do:

1. Re-import the blueprint (or reload blueprints under Developer Tools → YAML)
2. Open your automation configuration
3. You should now see your Gardena valve entity in the dropdown

The blueprint now uses homeassistant.turn_on/off which automatically detects whether your entity is a switch or valve and calls the correct service.

No workarounds needed anymore – just select your valve and you're good to go!

Let me know if it works for you.

[tuehna]

Unfortunately it did not work. I don't know why. I found this in the hacs documentation of the integration, see attachment, it says for example:

service: gardena_smart_system.valve_open data:

device_id: "your_valve_device_id"

duration: 1800

30 minutes

Maybe that's why it did not work?

[JonesProductions]

Thanks for sharing the documentation – that explains the issue!

The Gardena Smart System HACS integration uses custom services (gardena_smart_system.valve_open/close) with a device_id parameter instead of standard Home Assistant switch/valve entities. That's why the blueprint's homeassistant.turn_on/off doesn't work – these custom services aren't recognized as standard entities.

Solution: Create a Template Switch

You can create a wrapper switch that translates between standard HA services and the Gardena-specific ones. Add this to your configuration.yaml:

switch:
  - platform: template
    switches:
      gardena_irrigation_valve:
        friendly_name: "Gardena Irrigation Valve"
        icon_template: mdi:water
        turn_on:
          action: gardena_smart_system.valve_open
          data:
            device_id: "YOUR_DEVICE_ID_HERE"
            duration: 3600
        turn_off:
          action: gardena_smart_system.valve_close
          data:
            device_id: "YOUR_DEVICE_ID_HERE"

How to find your Device ID

1. Go to Settings → Devices & Services → Gardena Smart System
2. Click on your valve device
3. The URL will contain the device ID: ...devices/**abcdef1234567890**

Alternative method:

1. Go to Developer Tools → Services
2. Search for gardena_smart_system.valve_open
3. Use the UI to select your device – it will show the device_id

About the duration: 3600 parameter

Don’t worry – this is NOT the watering duration! It’s a safety timeout from the Gardena cloud side. Here’s how it works:

Blueprint: turn_on → Gardena opens valve (safety timer: 3600s)
  │
  ├─ Water flows for 5 minutes (controlled by blueprint)
  │
  └─ Blueprint: turn_off → Gardena closes valve
     └─ Safety timer becomes irrelevant (valve already closed)

The blueprint controls the actual watering duration per zone. The duration: 3600 (1 hour) is just a safety net – if Home Assistant crashes during watering, the Gardena cloud will automatically close the valve after 60 minutes instead of leaving it open forever.

Important: The duration value must be longer than your longest configured zone watering time. With the blueprint defaults (max 10 min warm day), 3600 is more than enough.

Test it step by step

Step 1 – Add the template switch:

1. Add the YAML above to your configuration.yaml
2. Replace YOUR_DEVICE_ID_HERE with your actual device ID (both places!)
3. Restart Home Assistant

Step 2 – Verify the switch exists:

1. Go to Developer Tools → States
2. Search for switch.gardena_irrigation_valve
3. It should show up with state off

Step 3 – Test manually:

1. Go to Developer Tools → Services
2. Call switch.turn_on with entity switch.gardena_irrigation_valve
3. Verify: water flows
4. Call switch.turn_off with entity switch.gardena_irrigation_valve
5. Verify: water stops

Step 4 – Use in the blueprint:

1. Open your blueprint automation configuration
2. Select switch.gardena_irrigation_valve as the irrigation valve
3. Done!

The blueprint handles everything else – zone timing, weather checks, sync pulses, etc.

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Please give it a try and let me know if it works for you! If you run into any issues finding the device ID or setting up the template switch, just post here and I’ll help you through it.

[bobromijn2-creator]

Hi,

It runs really nice. Only thing I face is that the weather forecast doesn't work for me. I have a "Buienradar" integration which provides the amount of rain predicted in the next 24 hours and would like to use that.
Now I have pointed it to a weather forecast thingy (Met.no), but I have no clue whether that one is accurate.

How can I integrate with Buienradar entity that I have running?