Best Drip and Flood and Drain Systems: 2026 Buying Guide

Four pots on a 75 x 75cm tray over a 50-litre tank, for any tent from 80cm up.

• 4 x 11L or 18L pots
• 75 x 75cm tray
• 50-litre tank
• Formerly Wilma Large 4

• Both dripper types supplied: blue flood for clay pebbles, black 2 L/h arrow for coco and soil
• A mixing tap on the delivery tube stirs the tank after every nutrient change

Know before you buyThe pump needs a timer, which is not included. For a 1.2m tent, the Wilma XL Origin puts four 18L or 25L pots on a 90 x 90cm tray.

The cheapest complete system here: four pots on a 60 x 60cm tray over a 30-litre tank.

• 4 x 6L or 11L pots
• 60 x 60cm tray
• 30-litre tank
• NEWA Maxi 500 pump

• Runs clay pebbles, coco, soil or rockwool, with a dripper to suit each
• Every pot is independent, so one plant can be moved or replaced on its own

Know before you buyThe tray is the full 60 x 60cm, so many 60cm tents are only just big enough. An 80 x 80cm tent leaves room to reach the tap and drippers.

One 150-litre tank under a 115 x 115cm tray, in five layouts from five big pots to twenty small ones.

• 5 to 20 pots
• 115 x 115cm tray
• 150-litre tank
• Formerly Wilma XXL

• Choose 5 x 25L, 8 or 9 x 18L, 16 x 11L or 20 x 6L pots on the same footprint
• One tank to top up, roughly every couple of days

Know before you buyIn a 1.2 x 1.2m tent it leaves only about 2.5cm a side. A 1.5 x 1.5m tent gives room to reach the tap and the drippers.

Eight pots in a long 170 x 75cm row over a 120-litre tank, made for a 2.4 x 1.2m tent.

• 8 x 11L or 18L pots
• 170 x 75cm
• 120-litre tank
• Inspection hatch

• One tank to mix, check and top up for eight plants
• Leaves room in a 2.4m tent to reach every pot and the mixing tap

Know before you buyIt is too long for a 1.5m tent. For bigger pots, the Origin XL Wide takes eight 18L or 25L pots on 190 x 90cm over a 180-litre tank.

IWS’s entry system: pots fill from below to a set height, then drain back to a FlexiTank to be used again.

• 6 to 48 pots
• 10L outer pots
• 100L to 400L FlexiTank
• 16mm pipework

• A float in the brain stops each flood level with the top of the pots, so they cannot overflow
• A 15-minute segmental timer is built into the brain

Know before you buyIWS recommend it for 6 to 24 pots. It ships on a pallet, so a pallet charge is added at checkout and free delivery does not apply.

25mm pipe and a 3,000 L/h tank pump fill and drain a big system fast, with each flood timed to the minute.

• 6 to 48 pots
• 25mm pipework
• 100L to 750L FlexiTank
• 1–60 min remote timer

• Drain pumps return the solution to the tank quickly, re-oxygenating it on the way
• Pot stands and copper discs for every pot

Know before you buyIt ships on a pallet, with a pallet charge at checkout. For 24 pots or fewer, the 16mm Standard systems do the same job.

For feeding fresh solution every time: run-off is pumped away to waste as soon as it leaves the pot.

• 4 to 48 plants
• 16mm or 25mm Pro
• Pots up to 45L
• Drain-only or complete

• Plants never stand in run-off, so the root zone stays clean and well oxygenated
• Collected run-off can be tested for EC and pH to fine-tune the feed

Know before you buyDrain System Only kits clear run-off but do not feed. For drippers too, choose Drip and Drain Complete or the IWS Dripper System. Pots are not included.