Have you ever wondered how some people manage to create stripes in their lawns? Striping a lawn isn't a difficult task, but it takes some work to keep the stripes looking good. Use these tips to maintain light and dark stripes in your lawn.

1. Choose the Right Grass

A striped lawn is created by bending some blades of grass in one direction, while grass blades in the adjacent stripe bend the other way. Some grasses bend more easily than others, so it's vital to choose the right species for your striped lawn. In general, cool season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass stripe more easily than warm season grasses because they have a long blade compared to the stem. If you have a warm season grass and don't want to change it, you will need to put in more work to maintain your stripes.

2. Mow Straight Stripes

Stripes on a lawn only look good if they are perfectly straight. Start at a straight edge of your lawn and follow the edge with your mower to create a straight stripe. Mow the next stripe in the opposite direction to encourage the grass blades to bend the other way. Keep alternating directions all the way across the lawn.

3. Add a Striping Attachment to Your Mower

Adding a striping attachment to your lawn mower can increase the extent to which it bends the grass blades. Many manufacturers sell lawn striping attachments that can be added to the lawn mowers in their range. This attachment rolls over the grass after the blades of the mower cut it to encourage the grass blades to stay bent.

4. Use a Lawn Roller

If you can't find a striping attachment for your lawn mower, you can use a lawn roller to create stripes in your lawn. This specialist garden tool is a heavy cylinder attached to a long handle. Roll it over the lawn to force the grass to bend in a particular direction. Roll the adjacent stripe in the opposite direction to create contrasting stripes.

5. Don't Cut Your Grass Too Short

Grass hold stripes better if you allow it to grow relatively long. Avoid cutting your grass too short if you want it to have perfect stripes. Instead of neglecting your lawn and then cutting the grass back to the root, use the highest setting on your lawn mower to regularly trim the grass.