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Rumble strips in lawn!

Difficult one to describe. 

We've got a couple of lawns that we've taken over and both (unrelated locations) have got an almost rumble strip feel to certain sections. Absolutely paralell lines in a relatively large area. I'm ensured that the only machinary that has been over it is Hayter lawn mowers. 

The "rumble strips" (That's what they feel like when you go over them) are spaced about 3-4 inches apart and and about 3-4 inches wide....

Anyone come across this before? Is it a natural phenomenon? Is it a bad practice by a previous gardener...?

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  • I've seen old daffodil fields with ridges and furrows.  The spaces between the ridges were double yours though to allow walking along to pick.  Could there have been commercial planting once upon a time?

    • PRO

      Yes had this on an estate Victorian era , we could only guess that previously the area had been the kitchen garden and seeded over at some point ,the furrows looked like where they had earthed up potatoes in rows but possibly also rows of fruit canes or commercial planting as Tim suggests 

      Over time successive mowings had scalped the high spots .

      Could feel the vibration through the mower handle .

      The cylinder mower produced a better cut than the rotary mower on that particular patch . .

  • I can remeber been told about this problem when training 40 years ago. It's not uncommon and is the result of the same cylinder mower being used repeatedly for many years, generally in a narrow area where it has to be mowed in the same direction. The mower hits a small object such as a stone and bounces. This courses a small series of dents which the mower then hits next time coursing the mower to bounce again so making the problem a little worse. This builds up and over the years forming a charateristic series of little ridges. Best practice is to alternate different mowers as each one will bounce at a different frequency, but in most situations this is not really practical. 

    • PRO

      This 'sounds' the most likely link to my 'issue' the furrows as so regular and a very repeated pattern. Perhaps a good heavy roller would aid...

      the way my mower goes over it it bounces like crazy, and would therefore add to the issue. I'll take a photo on the next visit and upload it if I can make it show in the image. 

      • I think you would do better topdressing to gradually fill the hollows, I fear a roller won't achieve much and could course compaction. Rollers a generally best avoided on turf.

  • Could be as a result of the lawn having been airated by machine?

  • Seen this before and we can only assume that it is the lawn having been mowed successively and frequently when the surface has been too soft causing mower wheels to produce ruts.  Our wet Autumns and Springs are the probably the culprit.

  • PRO

    I have this in a large garden I work in, yet the other gardener does the lawns and hedges.

    He has been mowing starting from the gravel drive up and down the lawn across to the river for 27+ years !! A four wheeler and there are definite ridges and dips and would be pretty bumpy if I got a roller mower out and suggested doing it the other way for a change 

  • I've seen. It lots when its been mowed in the same direction all the time ,with a mower with a roller  , mower bounces as you go over them ..  mow it at 90deg to the usual and it'll even out. .

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