Lawn mowers – How to get a striped lawn at home

Striped lawns are popular in the UK. But not everyone knows how to create this effect for themselves. This article explains how to achieve a perfectly striped lawn at home.  

Choosing the best lawn mower for stripes 

To create stripes on your lawn you need a good quality lawn mower with a rear roller, like those in the LawnMaster® cordless lawn mower and electric lawn mower ranges.  

Generally, the heavier the mower, the more pronounced the stripes. The wider the roller, the broader the stripes you can create with it. 

Perfecting the mowing pattern 

As you mow, the rear roller bends and flattens the grass in the direction you are going.  

To create the stripes, it is important to walk in one continuous direction with the mower. Stripes cannot be achieved by mowing backwards and forwards in short passes like the method of vacuuming the floor.  

Simply mow back and forth in continuous lengths, creating striped pathways that run alongside each other in opposite directions. 

The bending and flattening of the grass blades impacts how the light reflects off it, creating the striped effect. 

Pro Tip: If you want wider stripes, mow a second stripe alongside the first, but in the same direction. This is a little effort as it will require you to carry or lift the mower (so that the roller is off the ground) back to the start of the stripe. Instead, you may want to consider buying a mower with a wider cutting width and therefore wider roller, which will give a wider stripe. 

How to adjust the shade of the stripes 

With the right mower, stripes can be added to any lawn.  

One way to adjust the colour of the stripes created is by changing the cut height setting on your mower.  

Generally, the shorter the cutting height the lighter the stripes. The longer the cutting height, the darker the stripes. 

If the grass is slightly damp on mowing, this may also impact the colour of the stripes as the grass will more easily bend as the roller passes over it.

Always be careful when mowing damp or wet grass as this can damage it. 

Here at LawnMaster® we have a mower for every size and shape of lawn. Contact our friendly customer services team if you need any help to choose your next lawnmower.