Agrostis stolonifera Seeds | Creeping Bentgrass
LATIN NAME: Agrostis stolonifera
COMMON NAME: Creeping Bentgrass
Plant Profile
Creeping bentgrass is a fine, low grass of damp meadows, river banks and lake shores across Europe and western Asia, and it is now spread almost worldwide. It spreads by long, surface-running stolons that root at the nodes, forming a dense, smooth mat of narrow, blue-green blades.
The flower heads are loose, open panicles that appear in midsummer and turn a purplish tinge before ripening. Its tolerance of very close mowing, down to three millimetres, is what made it the standard grass of golf putting greens and bowling greens, and it is one of the few grasses that looks better the shorter it is cut.
Science & Biotechnology
Bentgrass is one of the most intensively bred grasses in the world. Turf programmes have spent decades selecting for finer leaves, denser swards, disease resistance and tolerance of the low mowing heights used on greens, and the resulting cultivars, such as Penncross and its successors, dominate the industry.
The species is also studied for its ability to accumulate cadmium and other metals, which has been suggested as a route to phytoremediation of contaminated soil. Its hybrids with velvet bentgrass are used to combine density with shade tolerance, and work on its endophytes has looked at how fungal partners affect wear tolerance.
Greens are now managed with growth regulators and lightweight mowers to keep the surface true.
Uses & Benefits
The main use is sporting turf: putting greens, tees, bowling greens and tennis lawns, where the fine texture and ability to knit into a smooth surface are unmatched. It is also useful for erosion control on damp banks and around ponds, since the stolons bind soil quickly.
In a wild garden it makes a soft, walkable lawn substitute in moist ground, though it needs regular mowing to stay tight. It is not a good meadow grass, because it loses vigour in tall, unmanaged swards and is quickly shaded out by taller species.
Golf course architects specify it for its ability to recover from divots and foot traffic.
Growing from Seed
The seed is very fine, so sow it thinly on the surface of a firm, moist seedbed and do not bury it; light helps germination. Keep the surface damp with a fine spray until the seedlings are up, which takes one to two weeks at 15-20C.
Mow lightly once the grass reaches three centimetres to encourage tillering. Bentgrass needs sun, steady moisture and regular feeding to form a dense sward, and it thins out in shade or in drought unless irrigated. Over-seed bare patches in early autumn, when the soil is still warm and the air is cooling.
A light top-dressing of sand in spring keeps the surface firm and discourages thatch.
Do not feed with high nitrogen, which produces soft growth that disease attacks.
Our Take
Bentgrass is a specialist’s grass. It makes a superb fine lawn or green where it can be mown and watered, and a patchy, thatchy mess where it cannot.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Creeping Bentgrass often pair it with these related subjects: