Mowing your lawn the right way can help you have a more beautiful and attractive lawn. One of the mowing methods you can consider to accomplish this is called lawn striping.

Lawn striping is a cutting technique that can help keep your yard looking well cared for by a professional. Many people find stripes a nice touch and enhance the aesthetic appearance of lawns, golf courses, and patios in commercial properties. Through lining methods, you can use your lawn mower to create interesting designs on your lawn, such as a checkerboard or some diamond patterns.

The stripes that come from this cutting method are the result of a visual effect caused when the blades of the grass are positioned or tilted when cutting in opposite directions. Reflection of sunlight gives the appearance of alternating light and dark green streaks. Blades of grass that are bent in the direction you are cutting will appear as light green stripes, while blades bent towards you will appear a darker shade of green.

In general, all types of mowers can create stripes. The tires and deck of motorized lawnmowers will bend the lawn in the direction it is traveling. However, if you want to create the best stripes, you need to equip your lawn mower with rollers or a scribing kit. According to landscaping experts, the stripes created by rollerless mowers are less defined, do not last long, are not uniform, and the tire tracks are often more prominent and therefore stand out.

Nowadays, there are some commercial and residential rotary mowers that are equipped with rollers, chains or rubber fins for marking that owners can use. Some lawn mower brands also offer lawn striping kits as an aftermarket add-on. If you are in the process of purchasing and purchasing a good striping rotary mower, a valuable tip to follow is to get one that has a floating deck and a single roller that covers the length of the 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. Landscaping experts say 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 not at all. However, it is still possible to scratch off some warm season grease with a little extra work.

Another factor that plays an important role in lawn striping is the health and condition of your lawn. A healthy, thriving lawn with a dark green color will produce streaks that look great and are really noticeable.

Lastly, another factor to consider is the direction the sun hits the lawn. During certain times of the day, the stripes will be best seen. 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 show up. As such, before taking on this cutting task, consider the direction of light and typical viewing points when making your patterns.