Always wanted to have a professional-looking lawn? A lawn that creates a perfect backdrop to your property?
I’ve got great news for you! You don’t need to hire a lawn mow service. Giving your lawn a beautiful haircut is easier than you think and you don’t need any special equipment for it. Just your trusty mower and a good plan in mind.
I’ll introduce you to some of the most efficient lawn mowing patterns there are. Just be careful not to use the same motif on your lawn over and over again. Read more to find out why!
Learn All About Lawn Mowing Patterns
Why Are Lawn Mowing Patterns Good For Your Lawn?
There are a couple of reasons why you should start cutting your lawn in a design instead of mowing it in all possible directions.
The most obvious reason is the appearance. A lawn with a great shape and design instantly appears healthier and more luscious. That’s because meticulously presented stripes hide imperfections, like weeds and balding spots.
Here’s another reason you should try mowing your lawn in a pattern.
Cutting patterns make lawn mowing fun and exciting. Once you grow to love mowing, you will be more consistent with it. This in turn promotes healthy lawn growth and development.
But that is not all! Lawn-cutting techniques require you to mow your grass taller to make the pattern more apparent. Taller grass shades the soil in summer months, reducing evaporation and the costs of watering.
Things You Need To Be Careful About
Mowing grass in a pattern is beneficial for the lawn but it can also be detrimental to it if you don’t do it correctly.
If you always use the same pattern for your lawn, the tire tracks of the mower will start to wear out the grass in those areas. The tracks will stunt the growth of the grass, leading to bald spots and weed infestation.
Repeatedly using one mowing pattern will also compact the soil in areas where tires meet the ground. It’s harder for new grass to grow out of dense soil.
That’s why you need to switch up your mowing routine every so often. You can either try a new pattern every time or do the old pattern from a different angle. This way, the wheels on your mower won’t ruin your expensive property.
Click here to learn what time of day and how often you should be mowing your lawn for the best results.
Lawn Mowing Patterns You Need To Try
Since you should be alternating between patterns, it is only right for me to introduce you to some of the most popular ones.
The stripe pattern features straight lines going in opposite directions. This is the easiest mowing pattern there you can learn.
A straight diagonal pattern features straight diagonal lines going in opposite directions.
The checkerboard pattern combines two stripe patterns running perpendicular to each other. Vertical and horizontal rows cross each other.
The crisscross pattern combines two straight diagonal patterns running perpendicular to each other.
The diamond pattern is made of straight diagonal stripes following the one-out and two-back mowing method. Watch this video for a tutorial:
A circular pattern is made of concentric circles, going in opposite directions. You start in the center of the yard and work your way out.
A double spiral pattern is made of spiraling concentric circles. You’ll need to leave a mower’s width between circles, so you can go over them the other way. That’s why it is called the double spiral pattern.
Not impressed? Click here for more lawn striping ideas.
How To Make Your Design Show Up More
Surprised that your neighbor’s lawn pattern shows up more than yours? Your neighbor is mowing his grass taller. Let me explain how that works.
You have probably noticed by now that the grass blades bend when you go over them with a mower. So the logic is simple!
The shorter you cut your grass, the less it bends. The taller you cut your grass, the more it bends. If you want your lawn mowing motif to be more visible, raise your mower deck the next time.
How well the motif shows also depends on the grass type you have. If you are growing a tall variety of grass, like Kentucky Bluegrass, you can expect to get visible darker and lighter stripes.
If you have a short blade variety of grass or one that has more stems than leaves, like Bermuda grass, you won’t achieve as great of contrast between lines. Don’t be disappointed if they don’t show up at all.
Instead, make your backyard come to life by planting a colorful flower bed at the border or building a romantic gazebo in the middle of it.
Tutorial For The Most Efficient Cutting Pattern
The most efficient cutting pattern is a straight-line pattern. It is easy to learn and doesn’t require much thought. You can do it with a push lawn mower or a riding mower.
Mow The Outside Edge Of Your Lawn
The first thing you need to do is mow the outside edges of your lawn. This border will serve as a space where you can turn your mower when making stripes. It will help you achieve a much cleaner mowing pattern.
Do The First Stripe
Make your first pass with a mower starting on one side of the lawn. To make the line straight, use your garden bed, driveway, sidewalk, porch, or any other straight-edged surface as a guide.
Use Your First Line As A Guide
When you are done with the first row, rotate your mower on the outside border. Line the wheels of your mower with the edge of the first stripe. Your first stripe will act as a guide for the new one.
Create Straight Lines
Continue making stripes up and down until you come to the opposite corner of the lawn. Every stripe you make needs to be going in the opposite direction of the last one. Make lines straight as possible by following the rim of the last line you have created.
Correct The Lawn Border
Once you have covered the whole surface with stripes, clean up the border of your lawn once more. Remove any grass clippings dropped from the mower while you were making turns. This step is optional. You can skip it to save time, gas, and energy.
FAQs
What is the 1/3 rule in mowing?
The ⅓ rule in mowing means you should never cut more than one third of the grass blades each mowing session. If you keep your grass at 3 inches, you want to mow it when it grows to about 4.5 inches.
Should you mow your lawn in the same direction every time?
You shouldn’t mow your lawn in the same direction every time. You should change the lawn mowing patterns to encourage the grass to grow upright and to prevent tire tracks from forming in the lawn.
What is the most efficient pattern to mow a lawn?
The most efficient pattern to mow a lawn is a stripe pattern. It requires you to cut the border of your lawn first and do up and down stripes until you cover the whole surface.
Achieve A Perfect Lawn On A Budget
You see? It is possible to give your backyard a makeover without spending a dime. All you have to do is take a different approach to mowing. Use the tips and tricks you have learned today, and give your lawn a new and improved look!
Start out with the simple striped pattern. Once you gain confidence, you can start experimenting with other patterns. Best of all, if you mess up your design, you can completely erase it with regular mowing and try again the next time.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below, and feel free to ask any questions. I would love to hear from you.