Come on admit that you want the big-league look and become the envy of the neighborhood but how to make stripes on the lawn has got to be difficult hasn’t it, wrong by following some simple steps you can get that big-league look that you have been looking for.
What are lawn strips?
The stripes you see in the big leagues are caused by the way the person has cut the grass, the grass is bent in different directions so the light reflects off the grass differently from different angles you look at it giving the effect of stripes in your lawn.
Some of the grass will look dark and the other part of the grass will look light, the light-colored grass will be the grass that is bent away from you as the sun is reflecting off the wide part of the grass blade. The dark grass if the grass that is bent towards you and these blades look dark as you are only seeing the points of the grass blades and not much sun can reflect light off the blade as there is a much smaller surface.
So the stripes are created by the direction that the grass is bent, it will also affect how the grass stripes appear from the direction that you are looking at the grass and will change from a different direction.
Can I create lawn stripes with a mower?
You will need to mow your grass to bend over the blades of grass to get the lawn stripe look but your mower will need to have a roller to bend the grass in the different directions.
A lot of mowers don’t come with rollers so this is something to look for if you are purchasing a new mower we have a guide on the best mowers on the site that you can take a look at.
The rollers that do come already attached on some mowers will not get you the best effect so it’s not something that is a deal-breaker if a mower that you doesn’t have a roller, the reason for this is that rollers that are normally on mowers are that they are not very heavy and this is what you need to get a better look.
So how do I create lawn stripe?
If you want strong-looking lines and a great big-league look we need a roller to push the direction of the grass in different directions, most lawn mowers will not come with a roller that is going to give you the best look.
You will need a heavy roller but the last thing that you want to do is mow your lawn then have to go over the grass again and roller it.
I didn’t want to do this and I found that you can now buy an attachment that attaches to most mowers that will give them a heavy roller to get a much better effect.
We have found that Toro Lawn Striping System here on Amazon is the best you do have to fill it yourself with sand that is a little pain but you only have to do it once to get a really heavy roller, as this lawn roller is universal then it will outlast your mower and you can then put it on any new mower you buy.
Pick a pattern that you want
The first thing that you will need to do is pick a pattern that you want to achieve I would say start basic at first some simple lines to give you the confidence that you can get lines in your lawn.
Once you have successfully done lawn stripes a few times I would then move onto some more fancy lawn stripe patterns, get some paper and draw your pattern that you want to achieve this is best practice as you can spot any errors that could pop up.
Keep the lines straight
Unless you are looking to achieve a wavy line look then try to keep your lines straight as the biggest thing that will spoil the look of your new stripe lawn.
A tip on keeping your lines straight is to use something straight to work off, like a sidewalk or a driveway if you start of a straight line like this then you should be able to keep the lines much straighter.
Some people who get into stripping there lawn will get a ball of string and some pegs and will peg out straight lines so they can’t go offline, I have found this is a little too much for myself and fine using my sidewalk efficient.
How long should I cut my grass?
The grass length will have a big impact on the look of your grass stripes as well as the grass roller, the get a strong stripe then mow high this will allow the grass to be bent over easier.
Short grass is much harder to bend and will not give you a strong stripe that you are after so if your mower has a height adjuster put it up a little so you get a longer grass.
Also for the best look, you want a thick grass as this type of grass is much easier to bend and also gives the best look and to achieve this you want to feed your lawn we have this covered in our how to lawn fertilizer post that should have you covered in the best practices.
Don’t keep mowing
Once you have mowed your lawn stripe once then don’t keep going over the same section, this will put less stress on the grass and will help you keep a much healthier grass that will respond much better to cut.
If you do feel that you haven’t got the stripe as strong looking as you want and want to cover it again go back over the top but turn off the mower and only roll it don’t cut the grass again.
Don’t turn
Don’t make sharp turns with your mower as this can damage your grass and damaged grass is harder to achieve lines, we recommend make slowly before making your next pass and if you are lucky and can turn the mower off the lawn like a sidewalk then all the better.
Alternate the stripes
Every other time that you mow the lawn it is recommended that you alternate the way you have mowed, this is recommended as if you keep cutting the grass in the same direction then your grass will get what is called a “grain” in the grass this can affect the health of the grass. The mower tires can also damage the quality of the grass going over the same section so changing the direction will overall benefit the health of your grass.
Show off the grass
If you want to show off the grass and make it look its best and get the lawn stripes to pop then giving your grass a water mist spray this will put water droplets on the blades and will allow the sun to reflect much more of the blades of grass and will make the lines pop.