It’s no secret that lawn stripes look great on your lawn. Even though it looks like the lawn has been painted with different shades of green, the look is actually an illusion. When the sun reflects on the lawn, the sections where the grass is bent towards you will look dark, and in the sections where the grass is bent away from you, the grass will look lighter.
No doubt, it is a classy and sophisticated look and best of all, it isn’t at all difficult to do.
Getting great looking stripes is best accomplished by using a special tool on your lawn mower. Using a lawn roller allows the grass to be bent in opposite directions depending on the stripe. You’ll simply mow in one direction the first time you mow across the lawn and in the opposite direction the next time.
How Long Do Lawn Stripes Last?
Lawn stripes will last for about 1 to 2 weeks. However, lawn stripes can continue to be visible for a lot longer when the grass is healthy and cut to an appropriate height. The amount of foot traffic and the weather conditions play a large role too.
The Health of Your Grass Is Most Important
Getting your lawn stripes to pop in the first place is critical. The better the stripes are after you mow, the longer you’ll be able to see that pattern across the lawn.
The key to getting that look starts from having a healthy lawn in the first place.
Healthier grass tends to be thicker and this will make your grass look a lot better even before you try and stripe the lawn. When you do go to stripe, you’ll have a lot easier time getting the grass to sit laying in opposite directions.
The key thing to note here is that there is a strong correlation between the health of your lawn and how it looks. Therefore, you’ll want to establish a consistent lawn care practice that you can maintain throughout the year before worrying about different striping patterns. This part of lawn is great and all, but it really is just the cherry on top.
Don’t expect nice stripes that last a long time if you haven’t put in the time to have a healthy lawn in the first place.
Certain Grass Types Are Better for Striping
As a general rule, some grass types do a lot better with lawn striping than others. For instance, cold-season grass types such as fescue will respond better to a lawn roller because the grass is longer, more flexible and bends more easily.
Warm-weather grass types such as St. Augustine and Bermuda have blades that are shorter and more rigid. This makes it a lot more difficult to get the grass to do what you want it to.
The Higher the Grass, the Better the Stripes
Simply put, the higher your grass is the more enhanced the look will be when you’re going for lawn stripes.
Those with warm season grasses like zoysia and bermuda will know that striping isn’t really a thing they can do successfully. They are able to get a much more aesthetic, crisp look by reel mowing low to the ground. This is because the blades tend to be blunt and have a tilted growth habit which makes it very challenging to set the grass in a certain direction.
Mower Type and Striping Kits
There are also striping kits that you can purchase to help you amplify that striped look. The more defined they look after the cut, the longer the pattern will last so its definitely worth checking these out.
Different kits fit different lawn mowers, so it’s smart to check the kit before you purchase it to make sure it will fit your particular mower. Toro is just one of the name-brand companies that makes an excellent striping kit. This one is great for example – I’ve had a lot of success with it over the years.
Double Cutting
Double cutting is a technique make your lawn stripes look much more defined
To do this, just mow the lawn twice over and on the second time you mow, lower the mower blade down 1/4 inch.
It’s also a good idea to change the direction of the stripes every two weeks. This is just a matter of mowing the lawn in the opposite direction that you did the previous time. For example, if you start by mowing parallel to a sidewalk the first time, try mowing the stripes perpendicular to the sidewalk the next time. This way, the grass won’t get over time.
Weather
When the temperatures aren’t incredibly high, I’ve found that lawn striping is a lot easier. When it’s in the 90s or above, it’s difficult to get the grass to lay like it should.
Ideally the temperature should be warm or cool, not hot or too cold.
Practicing Your Stripes
The one thing you’ll notice about making lawn stripes is that it takes a little practice to get it right. If you don’t believe it looks good the first time, don’t let it worry you. Here are the basic steps you’ll want to take when making lawn strips:
- Mow a border around the entire edge of the lawn
- Choose your direction – either north-south or east-west
- The first stripe needs to be parallel to a border line, and it should go the entire length of the lawn
- Once you get to the end, lift the mower deck, then turn the entire mower around before you lower the deck
- Mow a second stripe next to the last one
- Keep repeating until your yard is filled with stripes
Practice makes perfect, and this is certainly true when making lawn stripes.
Top Tips Make Lawn Stripes Last Longer
There are a few things you can do to make your lawn stripes last a little longer.
Avoid Foot Traffic
Stay off the lawn! Every time you walk across the grass, you’re going to be bending the blades in all different directions which will change the way the light reflects on the lawn. Ultimately this will disturb your striping pattern.
Don’t Cut Too Short
You don’t want to cut the grass too short since higher grass will naturally allow the grass to bend more easily and the stripes will both look better and last longer. Double-cutting, which was described earlier, also allows the stripes to be more prominent so they can last longer.
Use a Lawn Roller
Finally, you can go over the stripes one last time with the lawn mower turned off but still using the lawn roller.
