Grow-in Schedule (formerly Hourly Interval)

Last Update:Apr 24 2025 7:48pm • Est. Read Time:Est. Read Time: 3 MIN

Summary

Laying down a new seed? When you apply new seed to your lawn, keeping the soil moist and watering multiple times a day is key. This will ensure healthy growth and deep root development.


Grow-in Schedules allow you to water repeatedly throughout the day in hourly intervals within specific Start and End times.


Note

Please note that Grow-in Schedules are not compatible with Rachio Generation 1 Smart Sprinkler Controllers




Creating a Grow-in Schedule



  1. Open the Rachio app, go to the Schedules tab at the bottom right of the screen, and tap the “+” button.       


  2. Tap Grow-in (Runs Multiple Times a Day)and proceed to name your schedule.       


  3. Select the zones that will be a part of your Grow-in Schedule and tap Next.


  4. Select the Start and End Dates for your schedule. You can also program it to repeat yearly if you want.       

  5. Now it’s time to set the parameters of your Grow-in schedule: select the Watering Interval for your schedule. “The Run schedule every…” field tells the system how often it should run. You can choose between 1, 2, 4, or 6 hours. The “Run between” Start and End times determine the time frame in which you’d like the schedule to run. The Start time indicates when the scheduled runs will start, and the End time represents the time after which no further runs will commence.       
           

    Note

    It’s possible for an ongoing run to continue past the End Time, but no new runs will begin after the End Time.


           

  6. Set the desired duration for each zone.


Frequently Asked Questions

How are Grow-in Schedules different from Fixed Schedules?       
Fixed schedules are designed to run once a day, while Grow-in schedules follow set, equal hourly intervals between specific start and end times, to provide vital, repetitive watering for new grass seed, sod, and plants.


Will my Grow-in Schedule run outside of the Start and End times? What if a single run is longer than the interval I selected?
A Grow-In schedule will never start before the Start time. However, depending on the individual zone run times and the number of zones you’re running, it may end after the End time to ensure every zone gets the assigned amount of water. No new runs will begin after the End time.

For example: your Grow-in schedule contains 5 zones, and each zone runs for 15 minutes (75 minutes in total). You have your interval set to water every hour, from 8 AM to 8 PM. 75 minutes is greater than 1 hour, so the schedule will start at 8 AM, the second run will start at 9:15 AM, and it will perform its final run at 7:15 PM, which will cause it to run until 8:30 PM.

Now, let’s say your schedule runs 4 zones for 20 minutes each, from 8 AM to 8 PM, at a 1-hour interval. The first run will start at 8 AM, the second will start at 9:20 AM, and the last run will start at 6:40 PM - ending at 8 PM; after which, no further runs will occur that day.


What if a single run is longer than the whole assigned time for the day?
In this case, the schedule will run only once.


What if I already have an old Fixed schedule with an hourly interval?
Existing Fixed hourly schedules will continue to work as programmed. It will only be affected if you go into the Edit schedule screen and make any updates to the watering interval. In that case, the app will require you to choose a Start and End time in order to save your changes.


What if schedules overlap?
Overlapping schedules follow a stacking logic: the next schedule in the queue (based on their starting times) will start as soon as the current one ends, even if the Start time for the next one has already passed.       
       
Other schedules may run during a Grow-in schedule's interval. However, if any of them have a longer duration than the interval itself, it could delay the Grow-in schedule. Since newly seeded areas need precise care and consistent moisture, we recommend setting up additional schedules with extra attention to ensure proper watering.


Do Grow-in schedules have Weather Intelligence skips?
No. Since this periodical watering is vital for new sod, the Grow-in schedule will not skip any runs. Weather Adjust, however, can be applied to Grow-in schedules.


Learn More

Want to learn more about your newly seeded lawn? Join the conversation in our community! Start your own topic, or check out this existing thread discussing how to care for new seeds.


Do you still need help?


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