Mowing your lawn the right way can help you have a more beautiful and attractive lawn. One mowing method you can consider to achieve this goal is so-called lawn striping.

Lawn striping is a cutting technique that can help your yard look professionally manicured. Stripes are considered by many to be a nice touch and enhance the aesthetic appearance of gardens, golf courses and commercial property patios. Through the striping methods, you can use your mower to create interesting designs in your gardens, like a checkerboard or some diamond patterns.

The streaks that appear with this mowing method are the result of a visual effect that occurs when the blades of the grass lay or bend when mowing in opposite directions. The reflection of sunlight gives the appearance of alternating stripes of light green and dark green. Grass blades that are bent in the direction you are mowing will appear as light green streaks, while blades bent toward you will appear a darker shade of green.

In general, all types of lawn mowers can create streaks. The tires and deck of motorized lawn mowers will bend the grass in the direction that it is traveling. However, if you want to create the best striping, you should equip your mower with rollers or a striping kit. According to landscaping experts, the streaks created by non-reel mowers are less defined, won’t last long, aren’t uniform, and tire tracks are often more prominent and therefore stand out.

Today, there are some commercial and residential rotary mowers that are equipped with rollers, chains, or rubber fins to mark lines that homeowners can use. Some brands of lawn mowers also offer lawn striping kits as an aftermarket add-on. If you are in the process of buying a good rotary lawn mower, a valuable tip to follow is to get one that has a floating deck and a single roller that runs the length of the cutting deck.

The appearance of the stripes you will make on your lawn depends on different factors. The first factor would be the type of grass you have. Landscape experts say that cool-season grasses, such as fescue and perennial ryegrass, will produce better and more attractive stripes than warm-season grasses. Unfortunately, most warm-season grasses will not streak very well or even not at all. However, striping some warm-season grasses is still possible with a little extra work.

Another factor that plays a big role in lawn striping is the health and condition of your lawn. A healthy, thriving lawn with a dark green color will produce stripes that will look great and be very noticeable.
Finally, another factor to consider is the direction in which the sun hits the lawn. During certain times of the day, the stripes will look better. There will be times when the angle of the sun will also make them invisible. Where you view the grass from will also determine how well the stripes will look. As such, before undertaking this cutting task, consider typical light direction and viewpoints when making your patterns.