The soil moisture sensors are good if they are placed deeply enough. You have to remember that 1/7" of showers a day is definitely NOT the same as 1" per week. 1/7" of rain a day is the equivalent of frequent, shallow watering. The 1" per week guideline is to ensure that the watering is deep, infrequent and all at once. Therefore, a brief shower doesn't count toward the total.

I have used a few different kinds of drip in my own garden, as well as designing installing and maintaining irrigation in garden maintenance for 12 years. My own recommendation is to use soaker tubes encircling each rose bush and have the roses on their own separate line. Roses need deeper watering than most perennials, and more frequent watering than most shrubs, if you have roses mixed with other plants. If they're in a perennial border you can do alright using the adjustable shrub sprays that send out streams of water in a circle - not the misting/fan type mini sprays, they clog too easily. Drip technology has improved vastly over the past 10 years. Be sure to use a filter on your drip supply line - even municipal water can clog the tiny little orifices of a drip emitter. One reason I like the soaker tubes, they don't clog as easily. If you're in Sunset zone 15 then I assume you're in NorCal and probably on clay soil. Do not use an ordinary lawn or garden spray system on roses as suggested above - maybe that's ok in Louisiana but not in CA. The roses will not get watered properly and they'll either suffer from lack of water or you'll waste a LOT of water and earn the ire of your neighbors and water utility. You need to apply water slowly, for a long time, and infrequently to get the rose roots watered in CA's typical adobe clay. That means drip. When I grew roses in Redwood City (Sunset zones 15-17), I had 3/4" PVC supply lines that ran out to the roses, and then 1/2" PE (soft black plastic) soaker lines that had inline emitters constructed into the tubing, that put out I think it was 1 gallon/hour. I made a ring of 5 emitters (5g/hr/plant) out of the tubing and encircled each rose individually. This worked GREAT. It was a lot of work to set up but - It never clogged, it never got kicked or raked away from the plant, the plant got water all the way around instead of just on one side, and the roses all got enough water slow enough and deep enough. And it lasted for years. The PVC parts shattered in the Big Freeze of 1990 but so did everybody's. That was for roses that were planted individually, not in a mixed bed. I had clients using the micro streamer sprays on roses in mixed beds and that worked too. You need to make sure that each rose has its own, at least 1, streamer, and that the entire root ball, 360 degrees worth, gets water. In heavy clay water will spread laterally quite a bit but you still can't rely on putting water just on one side of the plant. What I didn't like about this system was its vulnerability to being stepped on or kicked or raked or stabbed or plugged up by earwigs looking for a nice cool dark hiding place. Both systems are vulnerable to chewing by dogs and raccoons. Who knows why. I second and third and fourth the recommendation to stick to one brand with irrigation in general and drip in particular. And don't get the cheap stuff at the big box stores - poor QC means poor results. I get either name brand stuff from a professional irrigation supply house (you'll need a business license, and to know what you're doing) OR go to DripWorks online. Great company, great products, very helpful. They're in Willits but you don't have to go there, just buy online. Have fun! Here is a link that might be useful: DripWorks drip irrigation supply

Ok I suggested emails as this isn't really a forum-related topic, especially when it has its own forum. y first question after looking at that is how many pot drippers do I need for one 10, 15 or 20 gallon pot? Should I look for dripline, pc or non pc emitters or is there only one type of pot dripper? It isn't as simple as saying 1 per 10 gallons, 2 for 20 gallons, etc. There are too many other variables - depth of container, soil mix used, weather, ambient temps, type of plant etc. The kit you buy will come with its own basic emitters or dripline. Begin with that and learn as you go if the container needs more or less to fit your specific needs. We all have personal preferences for the many different fittings so all we can tell you is what works for us. You will have to develop your own preferences based on your experience. I will say that for providing consistent soil moisture levels in containers I prefer slower delivery over longer periods of time ranter than fast delivery with short watering times so I prefer multiple low-capacity drippers per container rather than drip tape or drip hose segments. I use drip tapes in the in-ground beds. Think of it as watering with a shower type sprinkling can vs. watering with a full-on garden hose. But that is just a personal preference. Dave

Prepare to gasp... I am dragging hoses so this is all 2nd hand information. Here in Arlington they have new "laws" in recent years to help "save" water or something. If you are going to install a drip system the city requres it be inspected. Doesn't sound too bad does it? If you have beds, they must have drip....sounds great too doesn't it? A neighbor bought her home since these green laws went in. She got estimates for her modest 50's home on a city lot. Nothing fancy or exotic. A couple of french drains. Here's the gasp part. Don't look down in this post... Take a minute to think what you'd consider exhorbitant... I mean extreme! Got it? $15,000.0 yes that's what she said. Got the estimate from 2 different reputable companies. She asked if she could just have the above ground sprinklers that could hit the beds, that would be MUCH cheaper. Sorry, if you have beds you must have drip and the city must approve it. She's dragging hoses too. errrgh...that HD system sounds like a real deal if you are allowed to have one. still shaking my head and hoping that some how city hall comes to its senses. c