Last week, we discussed the technique needed to create a beautifully striped lawn.  If you don’t already have the equipment needed and aren’t ready to invest in a professional lawn roller, we’ve got a solution for you.  Remember, the basic principle behind creating lawn stripes is having a device that weighs the grass blades over so the strips of opposite-facing blades create the striped appearance.

The exact measurements and specifications for your materials will vary based on what size of mower you will be using.  You will need the shell of your roller, which can be either PVC pipe, a cardboard tube or a metal cylinder.  You will also need a smaller cylindrical piece to fit in the center of the roller, PVC or a metal rod work best.  The last, key material is concrete mix.

The length and width of your roller can be any size you desire, however it should be made suitable for the size of the machine you will be connecting it to.  Obviously this varies greatly between a residential lawn mower and a tractor.  Once you have your roller cut to the appropriate size you will need to secure the smaller piece into the center of the roller.  The center piece must be a few inches longer than the roller.

Next you will mix the concrete and pour it into your roller around your center piece.  The concrete will take a few days to set and once it has hardened you will be ready to fix your roller to your mower.  We will not discuss specific details of how to fix your roller to your mower in this article because this varies so much from machine to machine.  However, the point of the smaller cylindrical piece in the center of the roller is to provide a place to secure a rod through the roller, which will then connect to the mower.