From there, I made a list of what I needed to begin making a model, this included;

Pot and plant
Sprinkler
PVC pipe
Something to stop the water from being released.

Off I went to Bunnings and pretty much immediatly got help from an employee in the irrigation section.
I explained to him my situation and we found the most suitable sprinkler and pick rather quickly. My only worries was that as far as aesthetics go, the pick was rather large and they did not have a smaller size. He said the only other option would be to use a dripper, but I would have to buy each part in packs and this would be rather expensive for the purpose of one mock up model. I then found the PVC pipe which would connect the sprinkler to the tap through a puncture hole. I looked through the various timers, which ranged from ones which had to be turned on and off, and those which were completely automated, to those which could detect rainfall and would cease watering accordingly. Of course the more complex and efficient, the higher cost involved which ranged to about $100. I thought for the purpose of this task if would not be necessary to purchase a timer. As far as a stopper to block the water, there was really nothing which could be inserted and removed as I had planned. If I cut into the PVC hose it would pretty much be useless. If I put a stopper in the head of the sprinkler it would have the same impact. Therefore I'm thinking a cap over the head which would be airtight and could be removed. I'm not sure how this could be automated though.