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A beautifully mowed lawn is the cornerstone of a beautiful property. During the growing season, if you look around at the yards in your neighborhood, it is usually pretty easy to tell the lawns that look as though they were mowed by a professional lawn care service from the ones that look as though they were hacked down by the kid who lives up the street. Whether you use a walk behind mower, or a ride on machine, this technique will work for you.

Here are 8 steps that, with a little practice & patience, are sure to give your lawn a professionally mowed appearance.

Before you begin, though, make certain that your lawn mower has been properly maintained, in accordance with manufacturer’s specifications. Make sure the mower blade is sharpened & balanced - replace if necessary, taking care to disconnect the sparkplug before reaching under the mower. Also, be sure to wear appropriate safety equipment like noise reducing ear-muffs, or earplugs, vibration absorbing gloves, & protective eyewear.

Set your mower to an appropriate mowing height of 2 ?? to 3 ??, for most cool season grasses. There is more. To avoid damaging your lawn, do not cut more than one inch, or one-third of the total current length of the lawn, at any one mowing. Mowing your lawn every 5 ? 7 days, with no bag, ensures relatively short grass clippings that will quickly dry up becoming unnoticeable, & eventually compost, nourishing the lawn.

Now you are now ready to mow the lawn, well, almost;

1. Using either a manual or power trimmer, proceed around the perimeter of the area to be mowed, trimming grass that would be hard to reach with the mower. Trim the grass to the height you plan to mow the lawn ? from the property line in about 4? to 6? should suffice. When the perimeter is done, continue trimming around trees, fence & lamp posts, islands & flower beds, drives & walks, & also around things like sprinkler heads & decorative rocks, making mental note to watch out for these obstacles when mowing.
2. Now, grab a trash bag & do a quick walk-about, picking up any debris & sticks, so they do not get run over by the lawn mower. In your mind, divide the lawn into major sections for mowing.
3. Start your mower & make 3 complete passes around the perimeter of one of the major sections of lawn, allowing the grass clippings to discharge toward the center of the lawn. This gives you plenty of room to turn the lawn mower around without leaving patches of un-cut grass.
4. About half-way down one side of the section, turn so that you are facing the opposite side; with approximately equal amounts of lawn on your right & left.
5. Look across the section & pick a spot on the opposite side, directly across the lawn. Walk directly toward the spot you picked on the opposite side. Focusing on the spot, rather than the area directly in front of the mower, will often help you make a straight line. Proper trimming & mowing in straight lines are the keys to a professional looking job. It is impossible to emphasize enough, though, the importance of bearing in mind the obstacles mentioned above. Pay attention & do not run something over just for the sake of keeping a straight line.
6. Once you get across the lawn, carefully turn your mower around & look back at the line you just made. You can now see any places where the line varies from straight and, usually within the next pass or two, true it right up. Finish one side of the section, then the next, & then proceed to each section & repeat the process until the whole lawn is mowed.
7. When you are done mowing, take one more look at the important spots like entrance ways, walks & drives, & other places that draw your attention. If you missed any patches with the trimmer or on turn-around spots, now is the time to go back & get them. Paying close attention to the details is what sets the professional landscape contractor apart from the kid who lives up the street.
8. Finally, use a broom or leaf blower to push stray grass clippings back on to the lawn. Beginning with the area around the primary entrance to your home, clean off the landing & steps, continue along the walkway & out the driveway to the road. Clean off any decks or patios you may have, or anywhere else that has collected unsightly grass clippings.

Here are three more things to keep in mind while mowing. First, when using a power trimmer, like a line feed trimmer, the grass is ripped, not cleanly-cut, where it makes contact with the string. It is really easy to damage the grass, so be very careful not to over-do ? better it look a little less than perfect than you wind up whacking a hole in the lawn. The next one applies when using a self-propelled mower, on turn-a-rounds. If the pivot wheel stops turning completely (or the power wheel loses traction), it will almost certainly tear up the grass, below. Always turn around slowly, but make certain that all the wheels of the mower keep turning, at least a little bit.

Finally, while you may have a favorite direction in which to mow your lawn, front-back, side-side, diagonal, or even something more unique, it is probably best to mow it a different direction, at least every other time, in order to reduce the stress caused by turning around, repeatedly, on the same places.

Jay Purner is President of Synergistic Environments, Ltd., dba Creative Greenery, 1552 Helderberg Ave., Ste. 14, Schenectady, NY 12306. In addition to regular lawn care, robust selections of professional landscape maintenance services are available to commercial & residential clients.