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How to programme a Gardena water control

Updated: 23 October 2026

You have a Gardena Water Control Select on the outside tap, or you want the button order before you pay £53.99 for one. How to programme a Gardena water control on this model starts with the clock, not with the watering days. If the weekday is wrong, the three schedules run on the wrong morning. This page is from the Products Compared editorial team, updated on 21 October 2026. The sequence follows the Select 1891 operator's manual and the UK product page, not a bench test of our own. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Model choice sits on the [Gardena water timer comparison](/hub/garden-watering/gardena-water-timer).

You have a Gardena Water Control Select on the outside tap, or you want the button order before you pay £53.99 for one.

Our top picks

Gardena Gardena Water Control Easy (01896-20)

Best overall

Gardena Gardena Water Control Easy (01896-20)
9.6/10about £28.82
View offer
Gardena Gardena Water Control Select (1891-28)

Rank 2

Gardena Gardena Water Control Select (1891-28)
9.4/10about £53.99
View offer
Gardena Gardena Water Timer (1169-20)

Alternative

Gardena Gardena Water Timer (1169-20)
9.0/10about £31.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Fit it before you programme it
  2. 2.Clock first, then the three schedules
  3. 3.Water Now, lock and the soil sensor
  4. 4.These steps do not fit every Gardena

Fit it before you programme it

Put the battery in before you expect a display, then close the cover so rain is not running onto the contacts. The manual's minimum flow is about 20 to 30 litres an hour through the valve, which is less than an open tap and not a guarantee that your supply delivers it. Open the stopcock, choose a manual run, and watch one cycle before you store a week of programmes. If the control head is pulled off while the valve is open, the manual says the valve stays open, so the stopcock is the shut-off.

Clock first, then the three schedules

Set the hours, then the minutes, then today's weekday, and confirm that day before you open a schedule. A 06:00 start on Wednesday does nothing useful if the computer still thinks it is Sunday. Only then choose P1, P2 or P3, and set the start, the duration and the weekdays. You do not have to fill P2 and P3. A greenhouse set for 12 minutes at 6am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday stays dry if you forget to mark those days. Hold the control for about three seconds to lock the keys.
Gardena Gardena Water Control Easy (01896-20)

Testsieger

Gardena Gardena Water Control Easy (01896-20)
9.6/10about £28.82
View offer

Water Now, lock and the soil sensor

Water Now opens the valve for a manual cycle and does not wipe P1, P2 or P3. The manual says a connected soil sensor does not block that manual watering, while automatic runs can pause once a sensor is fitted. The sensor is not in the included line, so until you buy one, rain does not cancel the next cycle. The key lock is not a substitute for taking the unit indoors. Above 70°C the manual says the display may go blank. That is a screen limit, not a deleted programme.

These steps do not fit every Gardena

The Easy, the EasyPlus and the 1169-20 do not use this P1 sequence. The Flex listing does not give it this weekday menu. If you needed chosen days and bought a knob, the buying guide is the sort, not a hidden menu. A finished programme while you travel is watering the garden on holiday. Call a plumber if the outside tap has no double check valve, if the pipe hammers when the valve shuts, or if mains water will top up a tank. A stuck-open valve reaching electrics is a stopcock job first.

Common questions

What order do I set on the Select?
Fit the 9 V alkaline cell, mount the unit vertically with the sleeve nut up, and set hours, minutes and today's weekday. Then choose P1, P2 or P3 and set the start, the duration and each weekday before you confirm. Gardena's UK page allows 1 minute to 7 hours 59 minutes. A three-second hold locks the keys.
How do I run water now without deleting the programme?
Use Water Now. The Select manual treats it as a manual opening, and it leaves the stored schedules in place. A soil sensor, if you have connected one, does not block that manual run. Do not clear P1 to P3 just to water this afternoon. When you are finished, the next automatic start should still be the one you confirmed.
Why did it water on the wrong day?
The usual cause is a clock or weekday that was never set, or that was set after the programmes. The computer then follows its own idea of Tuesday. A schedule with no weekdays marked will not run. Heat above 70°C can blank the display. The manual states that as a screen limit, not a deleted programme.
Which battery, and is it included?
The Select manual specifies a 9 V alkaline cell, IEC 6LR61. The amazon technical table does not print that type, and the included line is the irrigation control rather than a cell. Buy an alkaline 9 V battery and take it out for frost-free storage. A flashing battery symbol, which the manual mentions before a long absence, means replace the cell before you trust the next week.
Which way up does it go on the tap?
Vertical, with the sleeve nut upward, tightened by hand. Forcing it with a tool can damage the thread or the washer, and a cross-threaded nut weeps as soon as the stopcock opens. The 1169 listing is the one that prints 26.5 mm or 33.3 mm threads. The Select listing does not repeat that pair, so if the nut will not start, stop and check the tap rather than cracking the plastic.
Can I follow these steps on Easy or EasyPlus?
No. Those models are preset knobs, 15 schedules on the Easy and 69 on the EasyPlus, including a manual position. There is no clock-then-P1 sequence to copy. The mechanical 1169 is only a countdown you start yourself. If you need weekdays, you need a Select, or a two-outlet computer, which is a buying decision rather than a button you have missed.

Related pages

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Water the garden while on holiday with a Gardena timer

Sources

Manufacturer pages, the Select manual, and UK public sources for bans and backflow. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines saved on 19 October 2026. This is not a lab test.

  1. Gardena UK Select 1891-28 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  2. Gardena UK Easy Plus 1897-28 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  3. Gardena UK Flex (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  4. Gardena UK smart Water Control 19033-20 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  5. Gardena Select manual (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  6. Thames Water temporary hosepipe ban legal notice (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  7. WaterSafe — double check valve on an outside tap (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  8. Water Industry Act 1991 s.76 (retrieved 19.10.2026)