Aiming In Windy Conditions
One of the biggest variables to your line after the condition of the green is the wind. Windy conditions are tricky as any change in direction, or strength can have a big impact on the path of the bowl.
In a head wind it will slow your bowl, making it act like its on a heavy green. This will tighten the line required.
In a tailwind it can speed your bowl up making it run faster, and curving more.
Whilst there are bowls designed to help with the effects of the wind, you will have to adjust your line accordingly to compensate for a change in the wind.
How To Stripe Your Lawn Without A Striper
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Have you every been driving around and saw a lawn with cool looking stripes in it? Or have you been to a baseball field or golf event or were watching the event on TV and wonder how they make it look so nice? They could have had it professionally done like the baseball fields or golf courses or they could have bought their own lawn striping kit and did it themselves. Well, there is a way to achieve lawn stripes without having it professionally done or buying a lawn striping kit. Today I am going to show you how to stripe your lawn without a striper.
Cutting diagonal lines into your lawn is simple and can bring interest and appeal to your garden. Proper mowing practices are essential for a healthy lawn. Healthy lawns will tolerate moisture fluctuations better, have fewer weeds and appear thicker. When your lawn is strong and lush, patterns will show up more readily. You can create a lined pattern on your lawn by mowing on a diagonal, overlapping slightly and changing directions each time you complete a line.
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Prepare your lawn by clearing away any rocks, toys or other debris. Use caution when operating your mower, making certain all safety shields are in place and operational. Make sure your power or push mowers blade is sharp so that you will not damage your grass. Mow your lawn wearing sturdy shoes with good traction.
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References
How To Make A Lawn With Stripes
All lawns need mowing, as it is a vital part of keeping the grass healthy and looking its best. Many people love that freshly striped look that gives it a perfect finish, and it is a lot more achievable than you may think. Whats more, grass stripes dont only look great, they can also act as an optical illusion, elongating spaces and drawing the eye away from less attractive parts of the garden.
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Do I Need A Special Mower To Make Stripes With
Im afraid that the standard rotary mowers that are so cost-effective and freely available are just no good for lawn striping.
What you need is a mower with a roller on the back of it. The width of the roller will be the width of your stripes.
If your mower doesnt have a built-in roller, you can buy a lawn striping kit. Last time I looked there were several available on e-bay
Your mower must also have a grass box on it to collect clippings.
How To Identify Gophers
Gophers are herbivore rodents with four large incisor teeth. Theyre larger than mice, but smaller than rats. While theyre often mistaken for moles, they dont have spade-like front paws as moles do. They form crescent-shaped mounds and plug the holes they use to enter and exit the ground. Gophers destroy everything from hydrangeas to trees by eating the plants roots. They also eat vegetables, especially carrots and potatoes. Unfortunately, they can also damage water lines and irrigation systems when digging.
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Proper Lawn Care Sets Up Your Ground Game
Along with the right grass varieties, you must be consistent with care, watering frequently and applying fertilizer and other nutrients as needed. A robust, healthy lawn will show designs much better.
Your lawn grows more quickly when you mow it correctly: By cutting the tips of grass blades, you stimulate growth. Roots become more robust, discouraging weed growth and creating a denser lawn surface. And more grass blades per square inch means more-impressive stripes.
Striping has a logical purpose, according to Moy. Over time, changing the direction allows you to cut more of the individual leaf blades to a uniform height. If you always go in one direction, there will be some leaf blades that dont get cut in that specific direction. In this scenario, those blades of grass continue to lay down and grow in that respective direction.
When To Call A Professional
The last thing you may want to do is spend hours in the sun mowing your grass. Hiring a local lawn care expert is the right choice if you want to guarantee a lovely lawn without the work. Thanks to our qualified experts, youll have a yard to brag about at your next barbecue.
Main Image Credit: Pxhere
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How Do You Get Stripes In Your Lawn
It is the dream of many Aussie-lawn-owners to have their grass looking like the MCG. The stripes and variation in colour really do stand out and look great something many lawn-lovers aspire to achieve in their own yard.
Luckily for you, its not just the curators of our biggest sporting oval who can create the beautiful striped-look on a lawn you can give it a go too. Although it looks like theres a lot of work involved, creating that striped-appearance is relatively easy to achieve. The number-one thing you must have before you start, is a healthy, thick lawn as the stripes wont look anywhere near as good on a patchy or discoloured lawn. Please check out our other posts on how to improve the overall health and look of your lawn if its struggling with its condition before looking to get those stripes appearing.
How To Mow A Straight Striped Lawn
Before cutting your grass, remove any forgotten objects such as toys or garden tools lying on your lawn.
- Make a stripe pattern by turning around and cutting a straight line in an opposite direction from an adjacent line.
- For the straightest lawn striping, find a straight driveway or path to follow. Mow the first stripe parallel to it. When you come to the end of that stripe, make a tight turn with your mower, or raise the mower deck. Mow the next row in the opposite direction.
- If your turn marks are noticeable, finish by mowing a final strip around the edges of the yard to cover them up.
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Best Grass Types For Lawn Striping
Because not all grass is created equally, some grass types stripe better than others. Do an experiment once. Take a look at the striping at a baseball field in the south like Texas or Florida and compare it to the lawn striping at a baseball field in the north like Milwaukee or Minnesota. You will notice that the lawn striping at the ballparks in the north are much nicer than the ballparks on the south. Why? Well, the grass down south are more warm season grass types like Bermuda and they have more of a stem than a blade. It doesnt lay down as nice. On the flip side, the grass in the north is more of a cool season grass like fescue, which has more blade then stem and lays down much nicer.
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Mowing Stripes Are Easy To Create
It may appear that the stripes you see are created by cutting the grass at different heights or planting different types of seed. That is not the case at all. The stripes are caused simply because the light is reflecting off the blades of grass at different angles. Thats it! Because the grass is bent at a different angle, it reflects the sun differently creating stripes .
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Lawn Striping Tips: How To Mow Stripes In Your Lawn
Do you envy the clean stripes and patterns of a professional baseball field and wish you could replicate it at home? Its actually not so hard. You can achieve the same striped look in your own yard with the right equipment, a little work and some healthy cool season grass.
Here are a few pro striping tips to keep in mind:
Nov 27, 2019 | Lawn Care Tips
Dont you just love to look at the lawn striping in professional baseball stadiums? Its so green and lush. Checkerboards, an arch, curves, waves, a crown, a flag, diagonals and a mix of directional grass-art have overtaken the fields of MLB stadiums. It is beautiful and almost hypnotic to enjoy. Fortunately for lawn care enthusiasts, its easier than you think.
Is Lawn Rolling A Good Idea
It helps all the seeds come into contact with the soil when you roll your lawn after seeding or re- seeding. This helps them to germinate and to grow.
When youre ready to plant a new lawn, youll need to make sure that you have the right soil mix for the type of lawn you want. Youll also want to ensure that your soil is well-drained, and that its not too wet or too dry.
The best way to do this is to use a soil test kit.
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Grass Types Mowing Height Matter
Not all grass is created equal when it comes to striping, and your technique must vary with the seasons. The grasses that take to striping the best are cool-season varieties such as fine fescue and Kentucky bluegrass. They have long, flexible blades that easily bend in the direction of the lawn roller. Warm-season grasses such as St. Augustine have more rigid blades that spring back from the lawn roller. If your lawn consists of the stiffer warm-season kind, its more likely to bed and lie flat in the spring and fall, when the temperatures are a little lower. In the peak of the summer heat, those grass blades are less likely to lay how you want them. Keep in mind that cool-season grasses thrive best in spring and early fall. Youâre also likely to get the best results from those varieties when the temperatures arenât soaring into their July and August peaks.
Mowing height is another major factor in lawn striping. Experts say never mow your lawn too closely, or you risk the health of the grass. Grass that has been scalped also tends to be less green. If you want to stripe your lawn, you have another reason to let it grow a little longer. The longer the blades of grass, the more distinct your stripes will be. Thatâs because there is more grass blade to lay in one direction and reflect light. Generally, you should keep your lawn between 2.5 to 4 inches long if you want that fancy design.
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Other Tips For Lawn Striping
Always make sure the grass is dry before you cut
Always ensure the blade is sharp when you mow the lawn to achieve a clean cut. Check out our guide on how to sharpen lawn mower blades for more info
Experts suggest the perfect grass height for stripes is 3/4 of an inch to 1.25 inches . But this will depend on the type of mower you have, and preferences.
Dont leave long grass clippings on your lawn, as they will dry out and turn yellow. Gather them up and use them instead for mulch.
If you need more lawn care help, we can tell you how to dethatch a lawn. For more planting tips, tricks, and how-tos, check out our guides on how to plant sunflower seeds and when to do it, how to plant potatoes and how to grow tomatoes in pots. You’ll also want to read how to prune hydrangeas, how to care for an orchid, and how to care for air plants.
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The Way Striping Works
The effect of stripes you see on a lawn or playing field is just light reflecting off the grass blades. Blades bent towards you look dark, while those bent the opposite way look lighter. Simple, right? You can see some of the same effect with normal mowing, and creating patterns just takes it to the next level. To get the blades to bend, you’ll need a striping kit for your mower or a roller. You can buy a striping kit online or find instructions on how to build one your own handy self.
Best Grass Types For Striping A Lawn
Not all grass types stripe equally. Warm-season grasses like Bermuda dont hold stripes as well because theres more stem and less blade. Cool-season grasses, such as fescue, are the best lawn palette, which Mangan says is why some of the more elaborate striping designs can be seen at ballparks in the North.
Whether youre into pinstriping your lawn or not, a good cut begins with a sharp mower blade, says Mangan.
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Star Tips To Up Your Game
Okay, now you have the basics. Here are some tips that will help you make that striped lawn big-league level.
Dont make sharp turns
At each end of your pass, raise your mower deck, make a nice wide turn, line your mower up for the next stripe, then lower the deck again to continue mowing. When youve finished the main part of the lawn, you can make a couple passes around the edges to clean them up.
Cut your grass high
A longer blade of grass has more surface to reflect the light and really let those stripes show. Plus, its just better for your grass.
Cool-weather grasses work best for striping
Thats probably not something youre going to change just for the effect, but if you are really into striping and are thinking of re-seeding the lawn, its something to keep in mind. Depending on where you live, you may not be able to go that route.
Switch it up
Keep your lawn healthy by alternating your patterns at least every couple of weeks. That way you dont weaken the grass blades by continually bending them one direction.
Water your stripes
If you really want to wow your guests for a big event, take out the garden hose or turn on the sprinklers just long enough to get the grass slightly wet. Let those water droplets reflect the light for you and make those stripes jump out.
Thats all there is to it.
Makes For A Healthier Lawn
Another benefit is that mowing your grass a little higher will actually make it healthier. When more than one-third of the leaf blade is removed, there is less leaf area to absorb sunlight needed to perform photosynthesis to produce food. Consequently, the plant produces less food, resulting in a weaker plant thats susceptible to disease and insect damage.
Cutting more than one-third of the grass plant not only weakens the plant, it inhibits the growth of the roots, creating a small, shallow root system which cannot support the plant in times of drought. Grass that is allowed to grow tall will have strong, large root system below ground that can better withstand dry periods.
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Are Lawn Stripers Difficult To Turn
Lawn stripers shouldnt make your mower more difficult to turn. The problem comes if you try to make sharp turns to create your rows or stripes. Sharp turns can damage your turf.
Making a three-point turn to change directions can greatly reduce wear on your grass, especially if youre using a riding mower:
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Lawn Striping: How Do I Mow Stripes In The Lawn
by Andrea Martins | Mar 13, 2016
If you have ever wondered how to mow stripes in the lawn, this lawn striping how-to feature is for you. Whether you are a weekend mower or a lawn mowing professional, the good news is that lawn striping is surprisingly easier than you think and the creative possibilities are endless!
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Make Sure Your Lawn Is Healthy
‘To create a beautifully striped lawn you basically need two things,’ says Andy. ‘They are a healthy lawn and a lawnmower with a rear roller.
A healthy lawn requires proper cutting, watering, fertilising and aerating on a regular basis, with an understanding of the right time to do each of these things.’
Hides Imperfections In Your Lawn
And, as an added bonus, cutting patterns in the grass can help hide the few small imperfections in your lawn. Everyone gets a localized dry spot or a small area of disease at some point, having nice stripes has been helping seemingly perfect golf courses give the illusion of the perfect lawn for years.
Lawn striping is an excellent way to set your lawns apart from the neighbors lawns and be the envy of the entire neighborhood. Now that you know the secrets, get out there and get stripingor diamondingor swirlingor zigzagging!
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