How do I get beautiful stripes in my lawn

You’ve noticed around town that the pros create beautiful stripping in the lawns they mow, and you’re wondering… How can I do this in my lawn without having to pay a professional?

Well… as in many cases it comes down to two things… Skill and professional equipment.

But, this doesn’t mean you can’t achieve the same results in your lawn.  First.. You will need to have a great stand of grass to work with, if your lawn is full of weeds, sparse and shoddy it won’t stripe well.

Assuming your lawn is a good “canvas” to stripe up, this is how it’s achieved.

The appearance of the stripes is due to the way the lawn is laid down with each pass of the mower, and the way the sunlight hits the angle of the grass blades.  This difference in angle Is achieved with alternating the directions the lawn is mowed in.  So start with mowing in a straight line, then turn around, and come back to where you started returning to your starting point in the opposite direction.  This alternating path creates the contrast with the lawn being laid down in one direction on the first swath and then being laid down in the opposite direction on the return swath.  So when the sunlight hits the turf the alternating directions the grass in laid in reflects with a light green and dark green contrast creating the beautiful striping effect.

Now here is the challenging part.. You’ll have to have the right equipment for the job… You see.. the way the pros create the alternating stripes so well is because the mowers they use have a “Zero turning radius” meaning they can turn on a dime, this is how they can quickly and easily turn at the end of each swath and create the alternating lines that make the striping effect.

So , if you really want to mow like a pro, you will need to invest in the proper equipment. You will have to purchase a zero turn mower.  Manufactures like Exmark, Hustler, and Bobcat make great mowers that commercial lawn cutters use. Brand new these mowers can cost anywhere from $5,000 - $10,000 , however, you can purchase them used on craigslist or eBay for around half that cost or less.

So if you really want to mow like a pro, you will have to invest in professional equipment, and practice the moves… or you can take the easy way out and jump on GreenPal and hire the best professional in your area at the best price!

Happy Landscaping ! Cheers!

This article was written by Zach Hendrix co-founder of GreenPal  You can catch Zach on Google+