Best Care-giving tips for Lawn Users

Mow around the perimeter and any obstacles first. Unless you already have a square or rectangular lawn, your initial goal should be to create a squared-off mowing area. Go around trees or along curved planting beds, then create straight lines and angles in those areas. Turn your remaining lawn into one or several rectangles for easier mowing.

• Mowing around the perimeter first helps you square off the lawn and gives you room to turn as you mow back in forth in rows.
• You may want to go around the perimeter twice in order to create an even wider turning area.

Mow side-to-side on sloped ground. Take any sloped ground into account when creating your rectangular mowing areas. You should never mow up and down a slope that’s anything more than gentle. Instead, go in straight lines that are perpendicular to the slope.

• If you’d have trouble walking up or down the slope on wet grass, then don’t mow up or down it even if the grass is dry.
• Manual push-reel mowers are less dangerous than larger and heavier powered models on slopes, but you could still be injured by one if you slip and fall.
• Instead of mowing a slope, try using a string trimmer, or consider planting or placing something other than grass in that area.
  

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Mow back and forth in straight lines with a slight overlap. In each rectangular area that you’ve created, start along one side and go in a straight line from end to end. Then turn your mower and mow an adjacent row in the opposite direction. Continue this process until you’ve mowed the entire section.

• The amount of overlap needed will depend on your mower’s setup. Generally speaking, though, you want to place your wheels (on one side) just over the cut line you created with the previous row.
• Turning to go back and forth will be easier with a zero-turn-radius mower. Otherwise, pivot on the rear wheel closest to the next row and readjust as needed to get into position.

Throw any clippings into the previously-cut row. Finely-cut clippings help to nourish your grass, so leave them scattered thinly throughout your lawn when possible. If you have a side-throwing mower, send the clippings onto the row you just cut. A mulching mower will chop up the grass blades and scatter them for you.

• Don’t leave clumps of cut grass sitting on your lawn, though — this is more likely to happen if you have a dull blade or if the grass is damp. Either bag your clippings or use a rake to spread the clumps out.
• If you want to reduce your lawn’s thatch, you can use a bag that attaches to your lawnmower to catch the grass clippings. You can add the clippings to your compost pile, use them as mulch, or dispose of them in a curbside trash or composting system.
  

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Change the direction of your mowing rows regularly. You shouldn’t, for instance, mow your square lawn in the same north-south lines every time. If you do, the grass will start to bend over permanently in its row’s direction, and you’ll wear track marks from your mower’s wheels into the grass.

• Instead, consider alternating from north-south to east-west lines with each subsequent mowing session.

Use your string trimmer and/or edger after you finish mowing. String trimmers or edgers aren’t as fast or efficient as mowers, so rely on your mower to cover as much of the lawn as possible. Then use the other tool(s) to get at the remaining grass that the mower couldn’t reach.

• However, some people do prefer to trim/edge first, so that the abundant clippings created by doing so can be chopped up and spread out by the mower. This is a viable option, but you’ll spend more time trimming and/or edging than necessary, and these methods tend to be harsher on your grass than mowing — e.g., it’s easier to cut the grass far too short in spots.
  

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Do simple back and forth rows to create basic lawn stripes. The lighter and darker stripes you see on manicured lawns or professional sports fields are created simply by bending the grass in the direction you’re mowing it. Grass that bends away from where you’re standing looks lighter in color, while grass that bends towards you appears darker.

• Therefore, a traditional back and forth mowing method will create straight lines that alternate between lighter and darker shades (depending on your viewing angle).
• To enhance the striping effect by bending the grass more fully, buy a lawn roller and use it to repeat the pattern you just mowed.

Create checkerboard stripes by mowing in perpendicular rows. To create a checkerboard-style pattern of alternating light and dark squares of grass, you simply need to mow over the same area twice. First, mow in your standard back and forth lines — for instance, north and south. Then, mow over the same area in east and west lines back and forth. When you’re done, you should see the distinctive checkerboard pattern.

• Finish the job by going around the perimeter one more time at the end, in order to clean up any irregularities caused by your turns.
  

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Take it to the next level with diamond or zig-zag patterns. A diamond pattern actually isn’t that much more difficult than the checkerboard. You simply have to rotate your alternating mowing lines 45 degrees, so that you’re mowing essentially from corner to corner within your squared mowing area.

• For a zig-zag pattern, you have to create a diamond pattern first. You’ll then need to make a repeating series of alternating 90 degree turns each time you mow over 3 diamonds (either light-dark-light or dark-light-dark in shade). This pattern takes some practice, and may be easier if you create a diagram to follow beforehand.