Table of Contents
Updated November 2026
Quick Answer: Which Rain Bird Drip Kit Should You Buy?
Rain Bird drip kits (often searched as “Rainbird”) are faucet-fed starter packages for garden beds, raised boxes, and containers. For a mixed vegetable or flower garden, the Rain Bird Landscape & Garden Drip Watering Kit (LNDDRIPKIT) is the most complete option. It has 1/2-inch and 1/4-inch tubing plus drippers, micro-bubblers, and micro-sprays.
Choose the Raised Bed Garden Kit (GARDENKIT) for a single 4×8 bed, and the Patio or Potted Plant kit for containers. None of these kits includes a timer, so add a Rain Bird hose-end timer if you want automatic watering. These are drip kits, not in-ground lawn sprinkler systems.
- Mixed garden or landscape bed: LNDDRIPKIT
- One 4×4 or 4×8 raised bed: GARDENKIT
- Up to about six planters on a patio: PATIOKIT
- Two or three large pots: POTTEDKIT
- Building your own 1/2-inch system: FCKIT-1PK faucet connection kit
- Automatic watering: HET200 hose-end timer
This guide covers the Rain Bird lineup only. For a comparison of drip, soaker hoses, and sprinklers across brands, see our guide to the best irrigation system for a vegetable garden.
Rain Bird Drip Kits vs. Rain Bird Sprinkler Systems
Rain Bird makes two very different kinds of watering products, and search results mix them up. The drip kits in this guide connect to an outdoor faucet or garden hose, sit on top of the soil, and water plants slowly at the roots. You can install one in an afternoon with scissors.
A Rain Bird sprinkler system usually means an in-ground lawn system with buried pipe, valves, pop-up heads, and a controller. That is a different project. For vegetables, flowers, shrubs, or pots, start with a drip kit.
How to Read a Rain Bird Drip Kit (What’s in the Box)
Faucet connection, filter, and pressure regulator
Household water pressure is too high for drip tubing, so every Rain Bird kit includes a pressure regulator, usually 25 PSI. The larger kits also include a backflow preventer, which keeps garden water out of your household supply, and a filter that keeps grit out of the emitters. The smaller kits leave some of these out.
Tubing sizes and emitter types
Rain Bird uses two sizes of tubing. Half-inch tubing is the main supply line, used to carry water to a large area. Quarter-inch tubing is the small line that runs from the supply line to individual plants, or the whole system in small kits. The kits then use different watering devices at the ends:
- Drippers (emitters): deliver a set flow, such as 1 or 2 gallons per hour, at the base of one plant.
- Micro-bubblers: spread water over a small circle, which is good for pots and larger plants.
- Micro-sprays: spray a low, fine pattern to cover small groundcover areas or closely planted greens.
- Emitter tubing: 1/4-inch tubing with drippers built in every few inches, used in the raised bed kit.
Coverage claims vs. plant counts
Treat Rain Bird’s bed size and plant counts as a maximum for a simple layout. Thirsty plants like tomatoes or squash may need two drippers each, which lowers the count. If you are close to the limit, plan on extra parts or a second kit.
Rain Bird Drip Kits Compared
We have not tested these kits side by side. The details below come from Rain Bird’s product listings on Amazon as of November 2026. Check the current price on Amazon, since it changes often.
| Kit | Best for | Tubing | Watering devices | Regulator / filter / backflow | Timer included? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LNDDRIPKIT | Mixed gardens and beds | 50 ft 1/2″ + 50 ft 1/4″ | 20 drippers, 2 bubblers, 4 micro-sprays | Yes / yes / yes | No |
| GARDENKIT | One 4×8 raised bed | 35 ft 1/4″ emitter tubing + 25 ft 1/4″ supply | 70 built-in emitters | Yes / filter washer / no | No |
| PATIOKIT | Up to about 6 planters | 25 ft 1/4″ | 10 spot-watering drippers | Yes / not listed / not listed | No |
| POTTEDKIT | Up to 3 potted plants | 50 ft 1/4″ | 3 micro-bubblers | Yes / not listed / not listed | No |
| FCKIT-1PK | Custom 1/2″ systems | None (faucet kit only) | None | Yes / yes / yes | No |
| HET200 timer | Automating any kit | n/a | n/a | n/a | It is the timer |
1. Rain Bird Landscape & Garden Drip Watering Kit (LNDDRIPKIT)
Best overall for a mixed garden
- Pieces: 108
- Tubing: 50 ft of 1/2″ (.700 ID) tubing and 50 ft of 1/4″ tubing
- Devices: 10 drippers at 1 GPH, 10 at 2 GPH, 2 micro-bubblers, 4 micro-sprays
- Faucet assembly: 25 PSI regulator, backflow preventer, and 3/4″ to 1/2″ adapter
- Timer: Not included
Start here for an in-ground vegetable garden, a flower border, or a mix of plants. The 1/2-inch line is the main supply, and 1/4-inch lines branch off to each plant. With three kinds of devices, you can give tomatoes a 2 GPH dripper, run micro-sprays over lettuce, and put bubblers on shrubs from one faucet.
Rain Bird describes the devices as pressure-compensating and clog-resistant. It takes more layout work than the raised bed kit, but it is the easiest one to expand later.
Pros
- Most complete Rain Bird starter kit
- Three kinds of watering devices
- Includes backflow prevention and pressure regulation
- Easy to expand with standard parts
Cons
- More planning and assembly than the smaller kits
- Timer sold separately
2. Rain Bird Raised Bed Garden Kit (GARDENKIT)
Best for a 4×4 or 4×8 raised bed
- Coverage: Up to one 4 x 8 ft raised bed, per Rain Bird
- Tubing: 35 ft of 1/4″ emitter tubing (emitters every 6″) and 25 ft of 1/4″ distribution tubing
- Pieces: 74
- Faucet assembly: 25 PSI regulator with 150 mesh filter washer and 3/4″ faucet adapter
- Timer: Not included
Instead of individual drippers, this kit uses emitter tubing with 70 drippers built in every 6 inches. You run the plain tubing from the faucet to the bed, then lay the emitter tubing in rows inside the box. Four 8-foot rows use about 32 feet, which fits the 35-foot coil. The close spacing is the reason it works so well in raised beds, where roots fill the whole box.
Rain Bird warns not to extend this kit by adding more 1/4-inch tubing, because flow will drop. For more than one bed, buy a second kit or switch to a 1/2-inch supply line. Our guide to drip irrigation for raised beds has layouts for 4×4, 4×8, and multi-bed gardens.
Pros
- Built for the most common raised bed size
- Even watering from 6-inch emitter spacing
- Very quick to install
Cons
- Not designed to be extended
- No backflow preventer in the parts list
3. Rain Bird Patio Plant Watering Kit (PATIOKIT)
Best for patio planters
- Pieces: 42
- Coverage: Up to 6 planters, per the listing
- Tubing: 25 ft of 1/4″ distribution tubing
- Devices: 5 drippers at 2 GPH and 5 at 1 GPH
- Extras: 8 tees, 10 mounting clips, 10 stakes with bug caps
- Timer: Not included
For containers on a deck or patio, this kit runs a 1/4-inch line past your planters with a dripper in each, and the clips hold the tubing along railings or planter edges. Use the 2 GPH drippers for big pots of tomatoes or peppers and the 1 GPH drippers for herbs and flowers.
It is a simple kit with a regulator and faucet adapter, but no backflow preventer is listed. If your planters are spread around the yard, the 25 feet of tubing can run out quickly.
Pros
- Tidy setup for containers on a deck or patio
- Two dripper flow rates for different pot sizes
- Mounting clips included
Cons
- Only 25 ft of tubing
- No backflow preventer listed
4. Rain Bird Potted Plant Watering Kit (POTTEDKIT)
Best small kit for a few large pots
- Pieces: 16
- Coverage: Up to 3 potted plants, per Rain Bird
- Tubing: 50 ft of 1/4″ tubing
- Devices: 3 adjustable micro-bubblers
- Limits: Up to 30 GPH total flow and a 30 ft maximum tubing run, per the listing
- Timer: Not included
The smallest kit in the lineup waters up to three large containers with adjustable micro-bubblers, which spread water across the soil surface. It suits half-barrel planters, grow bags, and big pots of tomatoes.
The kit comes with 50 feet of tubing, but Rain Bird lists a maximum tubing run of 30 feet. Use the extra for branches, not one long line. For more pots, Rain Bird suggests using more than one kit.
Pros
- Least expensive way into Rain Bird drip
- Adjustable bubblers suit large containers
- Includes a 25 PSI regulator
Cons
- Only three watering devices
- Short maximum run
5. Rain Bird FCKIT-1PK Drip Faucet Connection Kit
Best for building or expanding a system
- Connects: 1/2″ drip tubing to a standard 3/4″ faucet or garden hose
- Includes: Backflow preventer, 25 PSI pressure regulator, 150 mesh filter
- Fitting: Compression fitting for a leak-proof seal
If you would rather design your own system with 1/2-inch tubing and individual drippers, this is the piece to start with. It combines a backflow preventer, filter, and regulator in a single assembly that threads onto your faucet or timer. It is also a useful upgrade for the smaller kits, which do not list a backflow preventer.
Match your tubing size before you buy. Rain Bird’s own 1/2-inch tubing in the LNDDRIPKIT is .700 inch inside diameter, and other brands use different sizes under the same “1/2-inch” name.
Pros
- All three faucet essentials in one part
- Works for custom layouts of any size
Cons
- No tubing or emitters included
- Check tubing size compatibility
6. Rain Bird HET200 Electronic Digital Hose End Timer
Best timer for Rain Bird kits
- Outlets: 2
- Run times: 1 minute to 3 hours, up to twice a day
- Schedule: Specific days of the week, or intervals from every hour to every 14 days
- Extras: Manual watering up to 72 hours; rain delay up to 96 hours
- Power: AAA batteries
- Inlet: Brass, 3/4″ hose thread
None of Rain Bird’s drip kits includes a timer, so this is the add-on most buyers need. The HET200 threads onto your faucet, and your drip kit connects to one of its two outlets. The second outlet can run another zone, such as a second raised bed or a soaker hose, on its own schedule.
Rain Bird also sells a single-outlet HET100 and the older 1ZEHTMR timer. The HET200 is the better choice if you think you will add a second zone later.
Pros
- Two independently scheduled outlets
- Flexible day or interval programming
- Rain delay and manual watering buttons
Cons
- Newer model with fewer reviews than older timers
- Batteries need checking each season
Timers, Expansion Parts, and Repair Bags
Plan on a timer with any Rain Bird kit, or you will still be turning the faucet on and off by hand. Rain Bird also sells extra drippers, tubing, tees, couplings, stakes, and mixed repair and expansion bags. Stock changes, so check current listings on Amazon or at a home center.
How Rain Bird Kits Compare with DIG and Orbit
DIG and Orbit sell similar faucet-connected kits. The differences are mostly which devices come in the box, whether a filter and backflow preventer are included, and which tubing sizes the fittings fit. Rain Bird’s advantage is a kit for each common garden setup. Whatever you choose, stay with one brand’s fittings and tubing so the sizes match.
Setup Tips That Prevent Returns
- Warm the tubing first. Rain Bird suggests leaving coiled tubing in the sun for about an hour so it unrolls without kinks.
- Connect in order. Faucet, then timer, then backflow preventer, filter, and pressure regulator, then the tubing adapter. Follow the kit’s diagram if it differs.
- Do not skip the regulator. Household pressure can push fittings off the tubing or blow out emitters.
- Lay it all out before cutting. Run the tubing along your plants and mark tee points before you cut anything.
- Test, then mulch. Run the system, check every emitter, then cover the tubing with mulch. Use our guide to how often to water a garden to set your timer.
- Keep a hose for the rest. For lawns and hand watering, a hose reel cart keeps a garden hose tidy next to the drip setup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Rain Bird drip irrigation kit is best for a vegetable garden?
For an in-ground vegetable garden with mixed crops, the LNDDRIPKIT is the best fit because it includes 1/2-inch supply tubing and three kinds of watering devices. For a single raised bed, choose the GARDENKIT.
What is the difference between the Landscape & Garden kit and the Raised Bed Garden Kit?
The Landscape & Garden kit uses a 1/2-inch supply line with individual drippers, bubblers, and sprays, so it can cover a larger, mixed area. The Raised Bed kit uses 1/4-inch emitter tubing with emitters built in every 6 inches, sized for one 4×8 bed.
Do Rain Bird drip kits include a timer?
No. The kits in this guide do not include a timer. Add a hose-end timer such as the Rain Bird HET200 between the faucet and the kit.
Is a Rain Bird drip kit the same as a Rain Bird sprinkler system?
No. Drip kits attach to a faucet and water plants at the roots through small tubing. Rain Bird sprinkler systems are usually in-ground lawn systems with buried pipe, valves, and pop-up heads.
Will Rain Bird fittings work with other brands’ tubing?
Not always. “1/2-inch” drip tubing is sold in several inside and outside diameters, and barbed and compression fittings only seal on the size they were made for. Match the tubing dimensions on the package, or stay with one brand.
Do I need a filter if I have city water?
Yes, it is still a good idea. City water can carry sediment or scale from pipes, and drip emitters have very small openings. A 150 or 200 mesh filter is inexpensive and prevents most clogs.
Related Irrigation Guides
- Best Irrigation System for a Vegetable Garden
- Drip Irrigation for Raised Beds: Kits and 4×8 Layouts
- Drip Irrigation vs. Soaker Hose
- How Often Should You Water a Garden?
- Best Garden Hose Nozzles
Rain Bird is a trademark of its owner and is used here only to identify the products. The Gardener’s Voice is not affiliated with Rain Bird.
I’m John, a “seasoned citizen” and an avid gardener. I live in Minnesota, where our weather and growing conditions can be harsh and challenging. Over the years, I have learned a thing or two about being successful in growing things. I have curated these tips, which I think are helpful for the beginning gardener and the seasoned experts. If you have feedback, let me know in the contact form.
