Watering the garden can feel like a chore at times in the summer. It often feels like everything is pining for your attention. Flower beds want irrigating, vegetable gardens need water, and your parched lawn demands attention. You can’t be everywhere, but a hose splitter can help you do at least two things at once.

Such a device saves you time when watering a garden, as you can run multiple hoses or watering tools from a single outdoor tap. There are many combinations you can hook up to a 2-way hose splitter. Hose splitters were routinely used in gardens I worked in to run automatic irrigation systems while being able to use a hose or can at the same time.

This Garden In Minutes 2-way hose splitter is $10 and offers a great way to turn one tap into two watering opportunities. It has a 3/4" fit to attach to any standard outdoor hose spigot connector and can be connected to a variety of watering devices. It can definitely up your watering game in summer and relieve some of the pressure.

A hose splitter is valuable for running different watering tools at the same time. If you find yourself battling while watering plants in hot weather, it can be a stress-busting way to save time and energy.

You can run two different watering tools at the same time. It can be any combination of a garden hose, drip irrigation, sprinkler, and soaker hose, or you can run one of those while also having a spare outlet to fill watering cans.

It offers versatility, and you can water two areas of the garden as needed. If you need to run a soaker hose in your vegetable garden while also watering the lawn with a sprinkler, you can.

Gardeners can also have the luxury of a permanent automatic watering system hooked up to one side, while using the other as needed. Often you need a dedicated tap for drip irrigation or a soaker hose, or you need to faff around changing connectors all the time to use a hose or fill a can.

There is also the option to hook up a timer to one or both of the outlets. For example, this automatic hose timer from Garden In Minutes has two outlets and can be attached to expand the number of watering tools you can run.

You don’t need to run both outlets of the hose splitter every time. Each outlet can be opened or closed. The Garden In Minutes 2-way hose splitter has large, rubber-coated handles to adjust the water flow for each side – so you can easily stop, start, or adjust the pressure as required.

The Garden In Minutes 2-way hose splitter has standard 3/4" female threads for any home spigot and 3/4" GHT male connectors to fit standard garden hoses. The device’s rubber gaskets are also guaranteed to create a leak-resistant seal, and the hose splitter can swivel 360 degrees to reduce the need for twisted hoses.

If you have a larger garden and need even more watering systems at once, you can upgrade to a 4-way hose splitter from Garden In Minutes. This turns one spigot into four different watering opportunities. This has the same fittings and individual handles for each outlet as the 2-way splitter, but doubles the scope of your watering.

However, it must be noted that a splitter doesn’t increase the amount of water that comes through your spigot. It splits the water pressure between the outlets. If you run four hoses off a splitter, for example, you’ll get less pressure than when using an individual spigot or a 2-way splitter.

Tools such as drip irrigation and soaker hoses don’t require high water pressure and can actually be damaged by too much pressure. These are ideal for splitters, where pressure can be controlled by a handle or reduced by using multiple devices through one spigot.

In some cases, this 1/2" irrigation line-to-hose adapter from Garden In Minutes may be required to connect the irrigation tubing commonly used in watering setups to standard 3/4" hose or timer connections.

The Garden In Minutes 2-way hose splitter has received 4.9 out of 5 stars from nearly 30 reviews. Indeed, 26 of the 29 reviews on the site were 5-star, along with two 4-star and just the one 3-star.

One positive reviewer said it was ‘heavy duty and very nice quality’ and another described it as an ‘excellent replacement’ for an older, leaky splitter.

Elsewhere, it is hailed for having a ‘good design’, with the purchaser adding: ‘Glad it's solid plastic, not metal. Metal ones leak easily; this plastic makes a tight grip, no leaking.’

Another reviewer was impressed by the rubber-coated handles that control the water pressure, saying: ‘Easy adjustment for each output, making fine-tuning the flow a breeze.’

One piece of feedback elsewhere mentioned a 4-way splitter leaking at the joints after one season. However, the manufacturers responded to the comment saying they would issue a refund for the replacement the purchaser had ordered. The reviewer still gave the splitter a 4-star review.

What to Shop

Looking after a garden hose may seem foolproof, but there are lots of common blunders gardeners make that shorten its lifespan. Some typical garden hose mistakes to avoid include having it uncoiled in the yard on hot days, hanging it on a nail rather than a proper hook or hose reel (like this black metal hose hanger at The Home Depot), and abandoning it outdoors during the winter. All of these can damage a hose, causing leaks or holes.

If you love inspiring garden ideas, outdoor advice, and the latest news, why not sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox?