How To Get Stripes On Your Lawn

19th May 2017
Estimated reading time 3 minutes

For many people in the UK, their lawn is the pièce de résistance of their garden. It provides spectacular scenery whenever you look out your window, a comfortable place to sit in the Summer, and is evidence of all your hard work in the garden.

One of the best ways to elevate the look of your your lawn is to add tramlines. This is a technique used by many gardeners to add stripes to your garden, and is most commonly used by professional sports teams to improve the aesthetic of a pitch.

What Are Lawn Tramlines?

Tramline stripes are caused by light reflecting off blades of grass that has been bent by a lawn mower. When you are mowing your lawn, you bend grass in the direction you are moving which in turn causes stripes. With some careful mowing, you can create intricate patterns in your grass.

The intensity of your stripes is dependent on the size of the grass, and shorter grass will likely produce a less defined result. For the best results, you should ensure that your mower blades are sharp and produce a clean cut. Dull mower blades will stress the grass, and produce inconsistencies with your lines.

Producing Your Own Tramlines

The best way to start your tramlines is to draw a vague outline of your garden with pen and paper, and add the tramlines. Use different shades of green to distinguish the different stripes, and create your design. You should understand that your design on paper may not be the same as the end result. Start by using trial and error until you can consistently create tramlines that you love.

When it comes to mowing your lawn, you should aim to keep as straight a line as possible. Try to start parallel to a fence or any other straight garden feature. When mowing, try to look ten yards ahead of you as it will help you keep a straight line.

The hardest part of creating lawn stripes is what to do at the end of your line., if you have the space, you can lift the mower deck and turn, so that you end up perpendicular to the original line. If you don’t have the space, you can move your mower in a smooth, Y shape until you line the mower up with the stripe you have just created. It is important that you do not make sharp turns, as you can damage the grass leading to an untidy finish.

Creating Patterns in Your Lawn

If you want to add something different to your garden, you can add different patterns to your lawn. The most common of these are the “Checkerboard” patterns, and the “Criss-Cross” pattern. Both of these patterns entail the same basic application as your standard tramlines, but with lines running in opposite directions.

Checkboard patterns are commonly used by professional sports teams to improve the look of their stadium pitch. To create a checkboard pattern, start by creating your standard up and down stripes (for clarification, we shall refer to it as north and south). When you have finished the north and south stripes, simply replicate but from west to east.

Diagonal lines are not as commonly used, but will make your lawn stand out compared to any of your neighbours. To create a Criss-Cross pattern in your lawn. Start by creating your tramlines but in a diagonal fashion instead of north to south. When you have completed the initial lines, replicate the action but in the opposite direction.

A perfectly mown lawn is a joy to have in the Summer. It highlights your garden, is soft underfoot, and is easy to maintain. Adding patterns give it a completely new dimension and a very personal feel to your garden. For more information about achieving the perfect lawn Thames Valley Landscapes are here to help. To find out about our garden maintenance service please call us on 01628 629720 or send us an email.

How To Get Stripes On Your Lawn

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