Lawn Mowing Patterns
Even basic lawn mowing patterns can turn your lawn from suburban standard into a professional landscaping landmark. Not only will learning the basics of lawn mowing patterns help you turn your yard into a grassy Eden, it’s also better for your grass and lawn. You don’t need to spend much time learning how to cut a lawn like a pro — just be intentional about the way you mow. With more intentional mowing, your lawn becomes much easier to maintain.
At Birkey’s Farm Store, we want our customers to have the best equipment and knowledge to help them complete their farm and land management projects, commercial operation or otherwise. We’ve put together this quick guide with some useful tips and tricks to applying simple lawn mowing patterns to your grass-cutting routine. Read on for more information or head into one of our 17 locations in Illinois and Indiana.
Yard Prep
Before we get to the patterns, it’s best to make like any great artist and prepare the canvas. In this case, that’s the lawn. Begin by taking two passes around the edge of your lawn, paying extra attention to areas next to fences and buildings or any other structure that doesn’t let you pass the entirety of the mowing deck over the grass.
The Ring
Circling is an easy pattern to execute. After mowing the edges, continue making circular passes around the edge. Each pass will be shorter until you read the center of the lawn. You won’t have to make any sharp turns necessary in some other patterns and you don’t have to be careful about mowing in a straight line. Easy and time-efficient, this pattern will save you on effort but won’t have the same manicured look as more precise patterns.
Striping Patterns
Striping is a hallmark of professionally maintained lawns like golf courses and baseball fields. It’s as simple as mowing across the lawn, turning 180 degrees, then mowing in the opposite direction with a slight overlap of the first pass. If you continue this pattern in alternating directions until you finish up, you’ll have grass bent in two directions for light and dark patches.
What’s great about this pattern is that it’s easy to do every week. Just mow perpendicular to the lines you mowed the week previous. As long as you alternate week to week, you can stripe out your lawn every week! This and other turn-heavy patterns are easiest to execute with a zero-turn mower, since it’ll allow you to do exactly as its name suggests and turn with an effective radius of zero!
The Tractor Pattern
A lawn tractor might have issues making accurate 180-degree turns used in many mowing patterns, but that doesn’t mean you can’t adjust your mowing runs to account for this limitation. For a pattern inspired by Zambonis smoothing out ice rinks, take a pass down the middle then move to the edges, taking a pass in the opposite direction. Then return to the middle and take another pass next to the first one on the opposite side of the second pass. Continue this pattern until the entire lawn is mowed. This creates an oval pattern that can be repeated week to week by starting the first pass perpendicular to the first pass the previous week.
General Lawn Tips
There are a few general tips for keeping your lawn looking professional that can help you alongside mowing patterns. Use summer growth to your advantage with a higher mow. This prevents weeds from growing as well, as they’ll have a harder time with thick grass. As autumn rolls around, return to a shorter cut. This can help prevent dead spots caused by winter weather and mold growth in early spring. Of course, remove any debris from your lawn before mowing. And don’t forget to keep your mower maintained and in operating condition! A sharp, clean blade makes all the difference in the world when it comes to that professional cut.
With a few of these simple patterns and tricks to using them, you’ll be well on your way to a healthier, happier lawn that’s easier to care for and looks great. If you’re after a new or used mower to help you get your work done, don’t hesitate to call or head into Birkey’s Farm Store at one of our Illinois and Indiana locations. Our team of knowledgeable and courteous professionals will answer all your questions and help you find what you're after, whether that be a new riding mower, zero-turn mower, push mower, or whatever lawn care equipment you’re after. Come in today and experience true customer satisfaction!