How To Get The Best Lawn Patterns

Sometimes when we spot a beautifully manicured lawn, we think it must take great effort to get it looking that way. With the right lawn mower by your side, though, it’s not as tough as it may seem at first. Lawn patterns can make your yard look professionally-maintained without the expense of hiring a professional! It’s easy enough to achieve that look yourself as long as you arm yourself with the right knowledge.

We at Bobcat of York, Frederick, Hagerstown, Lancaster, and Adams County like to help our patrons get the best results for their lawns. With that in mind, we’ve created this guide to achieve the best patterns! If you’re looking for lawn mowers for sale in Pennsylvania or Maryland, contact us and we’ll show you our wide selection! We’re proud to be the leading lawn mower dealer in Lancaster, PA and Baltimore, MD!

Understanding Lawn Patterns

First things first, let’s understand how lawn patterns are formed. Some people believe you have to plant different kinds of grasses to get the patterned look but lawn patterns are all about reflection and shadow. When blades are bent in different directions, they reflect light differently, which creates the patterns you see. Wide blades appear lighter because they reflect more light while tips of blades appear dark because they reflect less light and have shadows under them.

Use Features as Guides

If the end result looks unaligned or misshapen, that means all the hard work you put in with your lawn mower will have been in vain. You want to keep all the lines neat by using the features in your yard (such as the driveways and sidewalks) as guides when you’re working on achieving the pattern. Of course, you want to take into account any decor you may have on your lawn, before choosing your pattern, to make sure it will blend aesthetically.

Tall Grass is Better

To really make those darker sections of your lawn pattern pop, you should only bring out your lawn mower once the blades are a bit tall. This makes them more pliable so they’re easier to bend and keep bent. If the blades are too short, they might straighten out too soon. If the blades are longer, they’ll keep the pattern longer, which means less work for you in the long run. 

Edge Your Lawn

To make things flow more smoothly when you get out your lawn mower and begin working on the pattern, run two passes on the outside edges of your yard. If you’ve got other buildings or fences bordering your yard, you might have to make three passes to get it looking right. Doing this is important because it gives you more room to take turns on your lawn mower and makes sure that the edges of your lawn stay even.

Press With a Roller

If you’ve got the right lawn mower by your side, you’ll be able to tackle most of your pattern job with just your trusty machine. However, to add some more contrast between the light and dark sections of your lawn pattern, you should use a roller to bend the blades more. You can also use a striping kit for your mower to do this. This will enhance the look of your lawn and you won’t have to use your lawn mower or lawn tractor too soon.   

The Right Kind of Grass

As you might already know, some grasses are more suitable for pattern-making than others. If you’re in the southern states, you’ll find that warm season grasses that usually grow during summer are tougher and harder to bend. Cool season grasses (which grow mostly during spring) are easier to bend and keep that way so they’re the best for making your patterns. 

Change Patterns

There might be one pattern that’s really suitable for your yard or you may prefer a pattern for its look, but we recommend switching up the patterns rather than repeating one. If you keep redoing one pattern, your lawn mower tires always press down on certain areas, reducing the airflow and ultimately leading to bald patches or even weeds cropping up. To ensure no area gets too compacted, you should change the patterns. 

We hope you’ll find these tips useful when you start working on your yard! For more information or if you want to check out lawn mowers for sale in Lancaster, PA and Baltimore, MD, get in touch with us at Bobcat of York, Frederick, Hagerstown, Lancaster, and Adams County to see our inventory!