I need ideas how to cut this grass!!

Funny enough my friend showed me this new hover trimmer the other day. I thought it was amazing. By the looks of it this would be the perfect thing for it. heres the link anyways if you want to check it out. http://www.hovertrimmer.com

 

- CHECK THIS OUT

 

This looks good!!! Thank you for this will def. check it out!!

Val

 

Replace with Astroturf ?

 

I had thought of this!!! but it has now become a 'challenge' and that would be 'giving in'!!!

Val

 

Fair enough

The Colleges in Cambridge have small lawns in their quadrangles (not as small as yours though! but its a "working example" to start from, perhaps).

They are always pin-stripe smart. I am amazed at how long they leave the grass to achieve that effect, as I thought it had to be short (like a bowling green) for good stripes. So don't worry about getting the grass short, per se.

So the trick is in the rolling, more than the cutting. Consistent cut-length is important, of course, but probably not critical.

I don't think you will get a mower close to your raised edges. Other problem (if you had no raised edges) is that running "off" the edge would scalp it, and with a tiny area you'd be hard pressed to cut the edges without running "off" them.

A strimmer would do it, but you might struggle to get a consistent length. Maybe with practice?

Assuming you can't actually get a Grown Up roller in there, or if you could you would not be able to manoeuvre it, I reckon you could do it with a suitable cylinder.

Find a cylinder with a length matching the width of the "stripes" you want, and heavy enough (or fill with water / wet-sand if its, say, a bottle) - the heavier the better, but of course you have got to be able to "push" it.

I am thinking of something like the bulk orange juice containers, although they are probably 24" tall, and you probably want about 12" - 18" only.

Roll that on the grass. Overlap stripes by about an inch. Always roll in the same pattern (not advisable for a proper bowling green, but I think will do for your show-grass, and will more easily emphasize the stripes).

Folk in the USA use drag-mats behind their rotary mowers to get stripes. Their grasses are really coarse, so perhaps need more "combing" than "rolling" compared to our finer grasses. Perhaps try "combing" it with a coconut-fibre door mat (upside down) or something similar? Or maybe just a stiff yard-brush would do?

If you can get stripes then its only the cutting you have to cure, as you won't be trying to get stripes from the mower itself, and it looks like you are already cutting the grass by some means?

To "green up" the stripes you could spray the lawn with Ferrous [Iron] sulphate (used to kill moss). Doing that a day or two before you have folk round, and then using your roller/mat/brush to perk up the stripes, and it should look amazing! Hoover it as well maybe?

 

What about how it always used to be done - with a scythe?

 

This is what I am now thinking of doing!!!

Val