All About Lawn Striping

Summer is a time for swimming, backyard barbecues, and—what else?—baseball! Ever looked down at the field and wondered how the groundskeepers of pro teams get their grass looking so perfect, with those patterns expertly cut in? It’s a technique called striping. Striping your lawn is merely pushing grass in alternate directions and overlapping grass cuts to give the look of intersecting dark and light green circles, stripes, and more.

(From Man of the House)

So How Do I Make Those Stripes?

Make a first pass of your lawn with consistent speed and super-straight lines. Self-propelled lawn mowers and tractors like the Snapper SPX Push Mower or the Ariens Classic LM do this best. The rest of your striping’s gonna be relative to that, so no swerving! The overlap is key to getting perfect stripes and you only want to overlap each previous pass by six inches or less.

Do I Need Special Grass for Striping?

Longer grasses with thin leaf blades definitely lay best (that’s flattest) for striping.  Check out Briggs & Stratton’s guide to grass to find the best one for your region.

What About Special Gear?

Both riding and walk behind mowers can be outfitted with striping kits that are attached right behind the mowing deck. While many have success with do-it-yourself solutions made of PVC, lumber, or even rubber flaps, tons of companies offer specialty lawn mower attachments (check out Toro's striping system) and even striping mowers.

Proud of your lawn? Show me your best striping work!

Looking for a New Mower? Consider Zero Turn!

Looking for a New Mower? Consider Zero Turn!

Alright... this is not a blog ONLY about zero turn mowers (I know my last two posts have been about zero turns). I just love them so much I had to write about them again!

Husqvarna Zero Turn

Zero turn mowers are pretty new to the consumer market and have unparalleled power and durability. They’re the consumer adaptation of commercial cutters and have special transmissions that help them cut closer and with more maneuverability than the push mower you grew up mowing your family’s yard with.

Pivoting 180 degrees, zero turn mowers easily maneuver around landscaping features without leaving circles of uncut grass. Plus, improved controllability often eliminates the need to use trimmers and lessens the physical strain on you.

If noise a concern in the neighborhood, check out the line-up of zero turn mowers from Snapper. Their 500Z series packs a ton of power but won’t bother your neighbors with large rear canister-type muffler on the Briggs V-Twin engines.

Riding Lawn Mower image from Snapper

Husqvarna, on the other hand, is no newcomer to the block. Having sold zero turns around the world for years, their mowers are new to American markets but fine-tuned. Check out their product line for high mowing decks and durability.

While pricier than standard lawn tractors or riding mowers, zero turn mowers are really versatile. Attachments enable you to mulch your grass clippings back into your lawn, bag yard clippings, and vacuum garden waste. John Deere has a huge selection.

To get a rundown on the best zero turn mowers on the market, check out the feature by Popular Mechanics on this new must-have lawn and garden equipment.

Zero Turn Mowers

Example of a Zero Turn Mower from Snapper

Spring is here and the best way to kick-off spring is with a beautifully mowed and manicured lawn! In spring-time there is no better place for parties, games, get-togethers, relaxation, and rest. But you still need to keep that yard in top-shape. That's where the zero-turn mower comes in. A zero-turn mower gets the job done quickly so you can spend less time mowing and more time enjoying! 

A zero-turn is basically a commercial cutter for the every day homeowner. They have transmissions that allow them to get a closer cut than other mowers and also offer better maneuverability than your traditional mower. A Zero-Turn can easily pivot 180 degrees and get around obstacles without leaving spots of grass un-cut. It also is easy to control, which means you don't need to take a trimmer to the lawn after you finish.

If you are looking for a real time-saver that can also get you an excellent lawn, a zero-turn is for you!

There are several brands who carry zero-turns. Snapper, for example, offer affordable zero turn mowers for every budget. Exmark, Toro, CubCadet, Husqvarna, John Deere, and Troy-bilt also all make great zero-turns.  There are several other brands out there too and you should definitely do more research and explore all options before finding the right zero-turn for you and your lawn. 

*The image is a zero-turn mower from Snapper's website. Snapper Lawn Mowers own the rights to the image.


*Written in Dearborn Heights, Michigan*