Creeping bentgrass
Agrostis stolonifera
The only practical turf that can be mown down to a few millimetres, which is why it carpets golf greens. Unmatched in density and finish — at the price of daily mowing, watering and disease control. Not a home lawn grass.
At a glance
| Family | Poaceae |
|---|---|
| Season type | Cool-season |
| Heat tolerance | ●●●●● |
| Cold tolerance | ●●●●● |
| Shade tolerance | ●●●●● |
| Wear tolerance | ●●●●● |
| Drought tolerance | ●●●●● |
| Mowing height | 3–10 mm |
| Propagation | Seed / Sod |
| Upkeep | High upkeep |
| Native range | Europe, Asia, North Africa |
Growing conditions
| USDA hardiness zones | 4–8 |
|---|---|
| Sunlight | Full sun |
| Watering | High |
| Growth rate | Fast |
| Soil pH | 5.5–6.5 |
| Common problems | Dollar spot / Brown patch / Pythium blight / Snow mould / Fairy ring / Thatch build-up |
How to grow it
Climate and sun
The cool-season grass behind golf greens, built for cutting heights around 5 mm. That density is the point, and it rests on daily mowing, constant water and a spray programme. In a home garden it almost always gets away from you. It needs full sun and moving air.
Planting
From seed or vegetatively, onto a sand-based rootzone built with a drainage layer beneath. Sown onto ordinary garden soil it cannot root deeply enough and melts out in summer.
Watering
The thirstiest of the lot. Beyond the morning soak, summer means syringing during the day to cool the leaf.
Mowing
Cut at 3–10 mm, daily in growth or every other day at the very least. It takes a dedicated reel mower; a rotary cannot do it.
Feeding
Small amounts, often — typically dilute liquid feeds. A single heavy dose brings disease and soft growth.
Problems and winter
Dollar spot, brown patch, pythium, snow mould, fairy ring: it collects the full catalogue. Thatch builds fast, so aeration and sand top-dressing are part of the deal. There is little reason to choose it for a garden, but it is worth knowing what kind of regime a putting surface actually rests on.