How do I cut My grass to look like a Baseball field? I know they spend large amounts of money on grounds crews and general maintance, but how do they create that diamond pattern? Obviously they cut in a criss-cross pattern but is that all there is to it. I brought this up years ago and a friend told me they cut it all in one direction first then drop the blade and inch or two and cut again at a ninety-degree angle to the first cut.
Does anybody know for sure?
Thanks,
JellyMan
The head groundskeeper from the Boston Red Sox just came out with a book on this very subject:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1575041510/o/qid=993816066/sr=8-2/107-7348584-8101347
Basically, it’s done with weights dragged behind the mower that cause the grass to grow in different directions.
Actually it has nothing to do with the blade height on your mower. The lovely patterns you see on the fields are made by intentionally patterning the lay of the grass, by mowing the grass in a specific direction(i.e. north, south, east, or west.)
Ask three times repeatedly, and ye shall recieve some kind of response. Not always a positive response, mind you, but a response non the less.
This very same question came up here only a few weeks ago. In that thread, a poster named minkman nailed the answer. <Click here to see the thread>.
Personally, I think you could achieve the same effect by simply having a good bagger attached to your mower. I know when I was into this as a kid, that’s all I needed.
It really depends on how defined you want the cuts to appear. I worked at a golf course for two years on the maintenance crew. Alot depends on the type of mower that you use. The grounds keepers are probably using a commercial mower that has either a 48 inch or 60 inch width to the blades. Some bag the grass, others mulch it. Aot of the mowers have rollers directly behind the blade to help flatten the cut grass or push it down. And then of course directions that you cut come into play. For greens on a golf course, we used a clock face as a guide. 12-8 (north to south), 3-9, 2-7, and 10-4. In that order. You always want to do a different direction each time you cut (this promotes healthier grass and varies the visual pattern). And then of course blade height has a small factor. Experiement with different heights on your mower.
Better yet, come experiment on my yard.