Drip Irrigation Installation in Brookhaven, Hempstead, and Throughout Suffolk & Nassau County, NY

McCormack Irrigation designs and installs drip irrigation systems for planting beds, vegetable gardens, hedges, and containers across Suffolk and Nassau County. Family owned and operated since 2001, we are rated 4.9 out of 5 across 328 Google reviews and hold an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Every drip zone is installed by our own trained, uniformed staff, never a subcontractor. Whether you need a standalone drip system for a new garden or a drip zone added to your existing sprinkler system, call (631) 744-1500 to schedule a visit.

What Is Drip Irrigation?

Drip irrigation (also called micro irrigation) delivers water slowly and directly to the root zone of each plant through low-pressure tubing and small emitters. Instead of spraying water through the air over an entire area, a drip line places it at the soil surface, or just below it, where roots can use it.

Because water is applied at a low rate over a longer run time, the soil absorbs it without runoff, foliage stays dry, and very little is lost to evaporation or wind. The EPA WaterSense program reports that microirrigation systems use 20 to 50 percent less water than conventional sprinkler systems, and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County notes that drip irrigation can cut watering needs by up to half.

On Long Island, drip is the right tool for the parts of the landscape that spray heads handle poorly: foundation beds, shrub borders, vegetable rows, privet hedges, and patio pots. Lawns still do best with rotors and spray heads, so most systems we design combine both, all run from one controller.

What Our Drip Irrigation Installation Includes

We treat drip as an engineered zone, not a hose-end kit. Each installation includes a dedicated zone valve, filter, pressure regulator, properly sized supply tubing, emitter lines laid out for the plants in that bed, flush valves, and programming on your controller. Below are the types of drip work we do most often.

Drip for Planting Beds and Foundation Plantings

Foundation beds are where drip pays off fastest. Spray heads aimed at a bed along the house wet the siding, splash mulch onto walkways, and leave the plants at the back dry. We run inline drip tubing in a grid through the bed, spaced to the plant material, so every shrub and perennial gets consistent moisture without water hitting the foundation.

Drip for Vegetable and Cutting Gardens

Vegetables and cut flowers want steady moisture at the root, not wet leaves. Drip keeps foliage dry and puts water only where crops are growing, not in the paths. We run a drip tape or inline emitter line along each row or raised bed, with a shutoff so beds can be rotated or taken offline between seasons.

Drip for Container and Patio Plantings

Planters, window boxes, and pots dry out faster than anything else on the property. We run small-diameter tubing to each container with emitters sized to the pot, so patio plantings are watered on the same schedule as the rest of the system. Tubing is routed along railings or under decking, and containers can be added or removed as your arrangement changes.

Drip for Hedges, Privets, and Screening Rows

Privet hedges and screening rows are a Long Island signature, and they are also one of the most common things we see struggling under spray irrigation. A hedge along a property line often sits at the edge of the spray pattern, gets water on one side only, and dries out in a hot stretch. A dedicated drip line run the full length of the hedge delivers even moisture to every plant in the row, including new plantings getting established. This works for privet, arborvitae, boxwood, and mixed evergreen screens.

Micro-Spray and Bubblers for Trees and Shrubs

Specimen shrubs and newly planted trees sometimes need more water at one point than a standard emitter provides. For those we install bubblers or micro-spray heads on the drip zone, sized for the plant. Bubblers soak the root ball of a new tree slowly and are especially useful in the first two seasons after planting.

Retrofitting a Drip Zone onto an Existing Sprinkler System

You do not need a new system to add drip. In most cases we can convert an existing bed zone, or add a new zone off your manifold, and connect it to your current controller. The conversion includes capping the old heads, installing the filter and pressure regulator drip requires, and laying out the emitter lines. This is a common add-on during a sprinkler repair visit or a new system installation.

Drip Zone Winterizing and Spring Startup

Drip lines hold water just like lateral pipe, and a filter housing or regulator full of water will crack in a Long Island freeze. Our winterizing service blows out drip zones along with the rest of the system. In spring, our turn-on service includes flushing each drip line, cleaning the filter, checking the regulator, and confirming every emitter is flowing.

Pressure Regulation, Filtration, and Emitter Spacing on Long Island

Three design details separate a drip zone that lasts from one that fails.

• Pressure regulation. Drip components are built for low pressure, and supply pressure on Long Island is usually well above what emitters are designed for. The EPA WaterSense homeowner guide to microirrigation notes that a contractor will install a regulator whenever supply pressure exceeds the system rating. Every zone we build gets one.
• Filtration. Emitter openings are small, and sand or scale will clog them. The USDA NRCS microirrigation practice standard calls for a filtration system at the inlet of every microirrigation system. We install a filter on each zone and clean it at spring startup.
• Emitter spacing for sandy soil. Much of Suffolk and Nassau County sits on outwash soils like the Riverhead series, which the USDA describes as well drained with high to very high saturated hydraulic conductivity. In plain terms, water moves down through our sandy soil quickly and does not spread sideways far. Emitters need to be closer together, and run times shorter and more frequent, than the generic spacing printed on a box. We select spacing and flow rate for the soil and plants in each bed.

Drip Irrigation and Water Conservation in Suffolk County

The aquifer beneath Long Island is the region’s only source of drinking water, and the Suffolk County Water Authority enforces an odd/even lawn watering schedule with no watering between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily. SCWA notes that demand spikes in the early morning during spring and summer when most sprinkler systems run.

Drip zones use a fraction of the water of a spray zone covering the same bed, do not lose water to midday evaporation, and place less demand on the system during peak morning hours. Our blog on going green with a drip irrigation system covers the benefits; this page covers how we design and install one for your property.

Signs Your Property Is a Good Candidate for Drip Irrigation

Many Long Island properties have at least one area where drip would outperform spray. Consider drip if you notice any of the following:

• Spray heads in a bed wet the siding, windows, or a fence more than the plants.
• Plants at the back of a bed, or the far side of a hedge, look stressed while the front looks fine.
• Water runs off mulch onto the driveway or walkway during a cycle.
• Your vegetable garden is watered by hand and dries out between waterings.
• Planters and window boxes wilt on hot afternoons.
• A new privet or arborvitae screen is not filling in evenly.
• You want to lower outdoor water use without giving up plantings.

How Our Drip Irrigation Installation Process Works

1. Site visit. We look at the beds, gardens, hedges, and containers you want covered, check water pressure, and review your existing system if you have one.
2. Zone design. We map each drip zone, choose emitter type and spacing for the plants and soil, and size the filter, regulator, and supply tubing.
3. Installation. Our in-house crew installs the zone valve and headworks, lays out the tubing, sets emitters, bubblers, or micro-sprays, and covers the lines with mulch.
4. Flush and pressure check. We flush every line, confirm pressure at the regulator, and check that each emitter is delivering as designed.
5. Controller programming. We program run times and days that match the odd/even schedule and show you how to adjust them.
6. Seasonal care. Your drip zones are included in our winterizing and spring turn-on services going forward.

Why Homeowners and Businesses Across Suffolk and Nassau County Choose McCormack Irrigation

Our Commitment to Drip Systems That Last

Drip has a reputation for being finicky, and a poorly built zone earns it. Missing filters clog emitters and missing regulators blow fittings apart. We build every zone with the headworks it needs, use commercial-grade components, and service what we install at every winterizing and spring startup.

Serving Brookhaven, Hempstead, and All of Suffolk and Nassau County

McCormack Irrigation installs drip irrigation throughout Suffolk and Nassau County. In Suffolk, that includes Brookhaven, Smithtown, Huntington, Islip, Babylon, Riverhead, Southampton, East Hampton, and Southold, along with hamlets such as Commack, Miller Place, and Fort Salonga. In Nassau, we serve Hempstead, North Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Long Beach, and Glen Cove. If you are searching for Smithtown drip irrigation installers or a drip system anywhere on Long Island, we are close by.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much water does drip irrigation save compared to sprinklers?

The EPA WaterSense program reports that microirrigation systems use 20 to 50 percent less water than conventional sprinkler systems. Actual savings on your property depend on what the drip zone replaces and how the controller is programmed.

Can drip irrigation be added to my existing sprinkler system?

Yes. We can convert an existing bed zone to drip or add a new drip zone off your manifold and run it from your current controller. Each drip zone gets its own filter and pressure regulator.

Does drip irrigation work in sandy Long Island soil?

It works very well, but the design has to account for it. Sandy soil drains fast and does not spread water sideways, so we use closer emitter spacing and shorter, more frequent run times than you would in heavier soil.

Is drip irrigation good for privet hedges?

Drip is one of the best ways to water a privet or evergreen screen. A line run along the hedge gives every plant the same moisture, which helps new screens fill in evenly and keeps established hedges from drying out on one side.

Does a drip system follow the Suffolk County odd/even watering rules?

We program drip zones on the same odd/even calendar and outside the 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. no-watering window that the Suffolk County Water Authority enforces. Drip zones typically run longer but at a much lower flow rate than spray zones.

Do drip zones need to be winterized?

Yes. Drip tubing, filters, and regulators hold water and can crack in a freeze. We blow out drip zones as part of our winterizing service and flush and inspect them at spring turn-on.

Can drip irrigation water my vegetable garden and my pots?

Yes. We run emitter lines along garden rows or raised beds and small tubing to each container, all on a dedicated zone so they are watered on schedule without wetting leaves or paths.

Do you install drip irrigation for commercial properties?

Yes. Drip is a good fit for plantings at HOA entrances, office parks, and retail centers. See our commercial irrigation services page for details.

Schedule Your Drip Irrigation Installation

If you want beds, gardens, hedges, or planters that stay healthy on less water, McCormack Irrigation is ready to help. Family owned since 2001, rated 4.9 out of 5 on Google, and A+ with the BBB, we install and service every drip zone in-house. Call (631) 744-1500 or contact us online to schedule a site visit anywhere in Suffolk or Nassau County.