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A guide to striping and other lawn patterns

Stripes in lawns are achieved by mowing in different directions, thus causing light effects to change the perceived colour of the grass.

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Alan Titchmarsh says that a lawn is good for the environment and for wildlife. Stripes will show off your flowerbeds to their best advantage.

How do I achieve the perfect striped lawn?

There are three main factors in achieving that perfect striped lawn: varying mower direction, using grass types which bend more easily, and sunlight – behind the sun, the stripes will appear more intense. This last factor is less easy to control, although the position of trees and beds in your garden will determine how much sun will fall on the lawn.

For the basic pattern, mow around the periphery first, then mow up and down, turning with a ‘Y’ movement at the end of each row. This minimises turf damage. Finish by mowing around the periphery again to tidy up imperfections.

What type of patterns are possible?

Without much extra effort, you can create a chessboard effect, a criss-cross pattern or zig-zag stripes. It is not necessary to vary the height of the blades at different stages.

For each of these effects, start and finish with the periphery mowing.

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For the chessboard pattern, mow your rows as for the basic stripe. Complete the effect by mowing opposing stripes going from east to west, if you first mowed north to south.

For the criss-cross lawn, the procedure is the same as for the chessboard, using a diagonal action.

For the zig-zag stripes, mow a chessboard or criss-cross pattern. Then mow over a dark stripe on to a light stripe and then turn 90 degrees right; mow along this light stripe until you reach the next dark stripe; then turn 90 degrees to the left and mow along this dark stripe until you reach the next light stripe; and so on.

Don’t forget to keep your equipment in good running order and use genuine Mountfield spares or those for the brand of your machine from specialists such as https://www.diyspareparts.com/.

If you follow these simple instructions your lawn will be the envy of all your neighbours. Stripes can trick the eye; weeds and moss are less noticeable. Clean lines also make fertilising and feeding simpler.

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