I am going to give you a few tips on how to mow your lawn in stripes that can be applied to a few lawn grass types. No thanks necessary, although you can buy me a cup of coffee if you like someday. Mowing grass is easy for me and many folks who grew up doing this type of outdoor work. But some people that grew up in urban areas may not be as familiar with lawn mowers and taming a lawn in the right ways. This little post is to help those people. Here we go…
Different Mowing Patterns
First of all there are different patterns that are fine to mow with. Some people like to mow in a circle with the trimmings thrown to the inside so that you run over the clippings twice. This makes the lawn look great as there are no clumps left when you finish the job. That is if you don’t get behind on the mowing or try to cut too much off the height of the grass blades. In those cases you may end up with a mess as the mower could get bogged down with heavy clippings. If the grass has gotten out of hand due to wet weather or your neglect, then a circular pattern is still OK. But you might want to go in the opposite direction so that the clippings are thrown to the outside. That way you won’t have to cut the piles of trimmings twice. It will not leave your lawn looking the best however. So you will need to cut it again in a few days when the clippings dry out to scatter them for a better looking lawn.
If you are using a bagger system for your mower, then the above won’t apply to you. It is still a bad idea to let your grass get out of hand however. That will cause you to dump the bagger too often, thus slowing your progress. That could make you miss a pivotal football game on Saturday afternoon. Why risk it?
How to Mow Your Lawn in Stripes?
Mowing can also be done in a striping pattern. This method is simple and some would say faster than the circular method. If you want the “All American look” on your property, now is the time to learn how to mow your lawn in stripes! Let´s start:
You will need to make two circular passes around the property for the outline of the cut. Then you can start on one side of the yard and go in straight lines, back and forth to mow the property. The original outline gives you room to make your turns. Make three passes on the outline if you need more room for the turns. Making straight lines back and forth will give the lawn a crisp look that is similar to a Major League baseball field. The deck will lay the grass blades over slightly in the direction the mower travels. So you get one stripe that is light then beside it is a darker stripe. This gives a unique look to any property. You won’t have folks mistake it for Yankee Stadium, but it will be a clean cut yard that is unique looking. The back and forth striping method mentioned works better on Fescue than other grasses by the way.
Check Out Instruction Video
For those of you who like Youtube videos: I found this great instruction video made by The John Deere Company on how to mow your lawn in stripes and get these awseome looking patterns. Enjoy!
Last Lawn Mowing Tips
Feel free to use any of these mowing patterns to suit your specific needs. A bigger yard is better for back and forth mowing. A tiny lawn is best for circular patterns. A zero turn mower is easier to use for striping as well. A lawn tractor makes wider turns so consider it best for circular mowing. Now at least you know how to mow your lawn in stripes. Now, you only have to select the best lawn mower for the job.
The main thing is to keep your grass in check. An overgrown yard is no fun to deal with no matter what mowing pattern you choose. The wife will likely not let you off the hook either with a shaggy lawn![/fusion_text][fusion_text]Do you use another amazing mowing technique on how to mow your lawn in stripes? Or do you have an awesome mowing pattern nobody knows about? Or simply liked this post? Let me know leaving a comment below, I would love to hear from you!
As Always, Happy Mowing!
