Creeping Bentgrass
| Bentgrass Performance Characteristics |
| Scientific Name |
Agrostis palustris |
| Seeds/LB. |
6,000,000 |
| Seeding Rate |
1 lb./1,000 sq. ft. |
| Heat Tolerance |
poor |
| Cold Tolerance |
good |
| Mowing Height |
low |
| Nitrogen Requirement |
very high |
| Drought Tolerance |
poor |
| Shade Tolerance |
moderate |
| Wear Tolerance |
poor |
| Establishment Rate |
good |
| Growth Habit |
stolons |
| Adaptation |
cool season sun |
Creeping bentgrass is primarily known as a grass for golf course putting greens and fairways. The name creeping bentgrass is derived from the vigorous creeping stolons (above ground lateral shoots) that develop at the surface of the ground and initiate new roots from the nodes. When closely mowed, it forms a fine textured turf with superior shoot density, uniformity , and turfgrass quality.
Colonial bentgrass (Agrostis tenuis) differs from creeping bentgrass in that it has less spreading capability through rhizomes (below ground lateral shoots) or stolons.
Velvet bentgrass (Agrostis canina) is extremely fine textured, forming a very dense turf. Its rate of spread by stolons is greater than colonial bentgrass but less than creeping bentgrass.
Adaptation
Bentgrasses are seldom used on home lawns due to poor stress tolerance and high maintenance requirements. Bentgrass requires lower mowing than is practical with most rotary mowers. Creeping bentgrass should never be mixed with other cool season grasses. It will form patches of pure bentgrass, which will eventually crowd out bluegrass, ryegrass and fine fescue.
