POPULAR
Lawn Mowing
Striped, healthy lawns with squared edges. From courtyard plots to country gardens.
FROM
£0per 100m²
+50% surcharge for overgrown first cuts
STRIPING GUIDE
How to Stripe a Lawn
Lawn stripes are an optical trick, not a different grass colour. A mower fitted with a rear roller bends the grass blades in alternating directions as you mow up and down the lawn: bent one way, the blades reflect light and look pale; bent the other, they look darker green. No dye, no different seed, just the direction the grass leans.
Getting a sharp result needs a healthy, dense lawn, a roller mower, and straight overlapping passes, ideally along the lawn's longest edge so the stripes read as long lines rather than short choppy ones.
ELawnCare mows with a striped finish as standard on every visit across Cambridge, included in the £20 per 100m² mowing rate.
Written by Evaldas, owner of ELawnCare. Last reviewed .
WHAT IT COSTS
Prices for this work
Strimming & Edging
Crisp finished edges along paths, fences, and beds. Add to a mow or book on its own.
FROM
£0per visit
or £28/hour standalone
The equipment that makes stripes possible
A cylinder mower with a rear roller gives the crispest stripes because the cutting action and the roller work together cleanly. A rotary mower with a roller attachment gives a softer but still visible stripe and suits most domestic lawns perfectly well. Without a roller, no amount of careful mowing will produce visible stripes, since it is the bending of the blade that creates the effect, not the cut itself.
Technique for a sharp finish
Mow along the longest straight edge of the lawn first to set a guide line, then work back and forth in overlapping passes, turning at each end rather than cutting sharp corners into the stripe. Slightly overlapping each pass with the last hides any faint lines between passes and keeps the stripes even width.
A dense, well-fed lawn holds a stripe far better than a thin one, since sparse grass springs back upright too quickly for the light-and-dark effect to last more than a day or two.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
Mow with a roller mower, going up and down in straight, overlapping passes. The roller bends the grass blades in alternating directions, which reflects light differently and creates the pale and dark stripe effect. No special seed or product is involved.
Either the mower has no roller, in which case stripes are not physically possible, or the grass is too thin and springs upright again quickly, softening the effect. A dense, healthy lawn mown with a roller mower gives the sharpest, longest-lasting stripes.
No. Striping only bends the grass blades temporarily; it does not cut them any differently or stress the plant. A healthy lawn mown at the right height and frequency stripes just as well as it grows.
Yes, as standard on every mowing visit. Striping is included in the £20 per 100m² mowing rate with no extra charge, across CB1 to CB25.
FULLY INSURED
£2M public liability
CAMBRIDGE-BASED
CB1 to CB25 free callout
RELIABLE
Owner handles every visit
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