Creating Stripes On Your Lawn
Many of you may not realise how easy it is to transform the turf in your own garden into a work of art. Striped and patterned lawns can look very impressive and is surprisingly simple to replicate. So turning your turf into something you may expect to see at Wembley Stadium is actually much easier than you may have thought.
A common misconception people often presume is that this technique is created by laying two different varieties of turf next to each other, this in fact is completely incorrect and highly inadvisable. It is actually the light reflecting on the blades of grass that portrays these stripes.
To do this you need to mow your lawn in opposite directions, with the blades of grass bent in different directions, the turf bent towards you will appear darker and the opposite appearing lighter. Ideally the mower used would have a fixed roller mount already as this will bend the turf blades even further, allowing it to reflect the light better - intensifying your stripes. However if not, a roller can be bought or rented separately afterwards if needed.
For your first attempt you may want to make a quick sketch of how you plan to fill your lawn space with the turf stripes. We would also suggest sticking to the simple horizontal or vertical stripes for your first couple of attempts. After that you could move onto diamonds, or checkerboards or even your own creation, the potential patterns are endless.
To do this you need to mow your lawn in opposite directions, with the blades of grass bent in different directions, the turf bent towards you will appear darker and the opposite appearing lighter.
You may be thinking how can I do this if I have obstacles such as raised beds trees or a pond in the middle of my lawn? Well, there is actually a simple way around this, which will allow you to create the illusion that your striped turf runs right through your obstacles. As you approach the object or obstacle for the first time you will need to mow around it, into the direction of the yet to be mowed turf. Then on your back round you will need to go over the created marks and repeat this process until you pass the obstacle and back onto a straight path.
For best results you will always want to ensure your mower blades are sharp, to provide a clean and efficient cut, the higher the settings will give best results as this will allow the turf blades to bend more, creating a bigger surface to reflect the light onto, making your stripes or pattern more prominent.
