Have you ever been to a sporting event and thought to yourself, “how do they make the grass look striped?” No, they don’t spray paint the grass a darker or lighter shade of green for the appearance or plant the grass in a manner that causes it to grow in different directions. The truth is, you can turn your very own lawn into a replica of the stripes you see on some of the world’s greatest athletic surfaces with just a few easy steps.
Here are some of the steps you should take when creating a striped lawn:
1. Add a Striping Kit to Your Mower
Striping comes from bending the grass blades in a certain direction. When grass blades are bent towards you, they will appear a lighter shade of green. When blades are bent away from you, they will appear darker. John Deere mower owners can do this by adding a striping kit to their John Deere mower, which includes a brush that fits between the mower’s drive wheels.
2. Make a Straight Pass
After the striping kit has been installed, simply make a long straight pass across one edge of your lawn. At the end of the pass, make a Y-shaped turn.
3. Make a Return Pass
On your return pass, overlap the cutting width by at least one inch so there are no “skips” left behind.
4. Mow Around the Outside
After you’ve made all of your passes, be sure to mow around the outer perimeter of the lawn. This will ensure your end result has a finished border and any irregular patterns are eliminated.
5. Experiment With a Variety of Patterns
Don’t be afraid to do this process a number of times and create different striped lawn patterns. If you make a mistake, the results are only temporary. Plus, it’s simple to go back over an area where a mistake has been made to correct the pattern.
Final Thoughts
The tractor’s mower deck suction will lift up grass blades as the striping kit bends them in the desired direction. The striping kit’s gentle brush makes it less likely that you will damage the turf when compared to a roller. Contact your local John Deere dealer to see if there’s an available striping kit for your lawn tractor. If so, you will be creating a lawn that’s the talk of the neighborhood in no time.
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