An advanced landscape irrigation control system that integrates a soil moisture probe with a timer-based controller which can be used to directly control a single irrigation zone without need for a separate timer-based controller. The invention is equally capable of being installed as a soil moisture sensor that operates under the control of a traditional timer-based controller. The moisture probe and system disclosed in this invention is fully buried in the soil and electrically connected to the water solenoid-valve(s), measuring temperature and soil moisture content using a capacitive-based probe in determining water solenoid-valve(s) operation. The device has no user settings and requires no calibration, including determining optimal soil moisture content by a unique method of recognizing soil signatures, or the unique electrical response of soils to water.