You can create professional-looking striped and patterned lawns with an ordinary push mower. The secret lies in bending grass blades in opposite directions to reflect light differently, a technique that works just as well with manual or self-propelled push mowers as it does with expensive riding equipment. Most homeowners achieve their first clean stripe pattern…

The single best defense against wet-lawn mowing damage is checking your local seven-day forecast and waiting 24 hours after the last rain before you fire up the mower. If you step on your grass right now and water squeezes up around your shoes, you’re already past the point where mowing is safe. That soggy turf…