Creeping bentgrass is a perennial cool-season grass commonly planted for sports like golf, lawn bowling, croquet, and lawn tennis. It’s considered a weed by most homeowners on residential lawns but can be used as turf.
Also called carpet bentgrass, creeping bentgrass is widely thought to be brought in from Europe. However, it now grows in the wild in the areas west of the Cascade Mountains. It grows best in New England and the Pacific Northwest.
Creeping bentgrass characteristics
Here are the qualities of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera), some of which can help you differentiate it from other turfgrass species:
- Color
- Texture
- Leaves
- Roots
- Growth habit
Color
Creeping bentgrass is light green to deep green, depending on the cultivar. Typically, it’s lighter than other cool-season turf; it’s how most homeowners notice bentgrass on their lawns. In the summer, it turns brown much quicker than other cool-season grasses, while in the fall it becomes off-colored – almost purplish.
Texture
Typically, creeping bentgrass has a fine texture. Depending on the cultivar, creeping bentgrass can be kind of coarse or very fine.
Leaves
Creeping bentgrass has flat, thin blades with pointed ends. The blades are kind of rough at the edges as well.
New, young leaves are rolled rather than folded in half lengthwise like other turfgrasses.
Roots
The roots of creeping bentgrass are short and shallow. In the ground, the roots look “bent” – which is how creeping bentgrass gets part of its name.
Growth habit
Creeping bentgrass grows prostrate and forms a dense, carpet-like mat of grass when mowed short.
When left long, bentgrass patches can look “puffy” or “shaggy” as the leaves fall over themselves instead of standing upright like other turfgrasses. This makes it more prone to scalping; a bent blade will get caught in the mower.
This type of bentgrass spreads rather aggressively through stolons (above-ground stems), which is where it gets the other half of its name.
Creeping bentgrass cultivars
Here are some bentgrass cultivars used today:
- 007: A very dark green bentgrass cultivar with a very fine leaf texture. It has excellent resistance to summer stress and diseases.
- Cato: This medium green cultivar also has a medium texture.
- Century: This cultivar has blue-green foliage with a moderately fine leaf texture. It is very susceptible to dollar spot and doesn’t handle summer stress well.
- Crenshaw: The blue-green hue of this cultivar is even deeper than Century’s, and its texture is less fine. It handles summer stress better and is less susceptible to dollar spot.
- Pennlinks: It has light green, moderately coarse leaves. Pennlinks II has a darker medium green with a medium texture. It resists dollar spot very well but is more susceptible to brown patch.
- Providence: Another dark green cultivar with a moderately fine leaf texture. It establishes very quickly.
These bentgrass cultivars are willingly planted and may not be what pops up unexpectedly on your lawn.
What conditions does creeping bentgrass like?
Creeping bentgrass grows best in these conditions:
- Soil type: Prefers moist soils with good drainage; also can grow in sand
- Soil pH: 5.5–6.5, but it can also grow in higher pH soils
- Shade tolerance: Moderate to low
- Drought resistance: Low
- Foot traffic tolerance: Moderate to high
- Salt resistance: Moderate
- Cold tolerance: High
- Potential for disease: High; most susceptible to dollar spot and brown spot
- Insect pest tolerance: Low
Creeping bentgrass thrives in wet and damp conditions, so it more readily grows in lawns that are watered often.
This type of bentgrass also prefers being cut short, so it’s more likely to grow in lawns that are mowed extremely low – well below the recommended mowing height for other desirable cool-season turf species.
Is creeping bentgrass a good lawn grass?
Unfortunately, not really. Creeping bentgrass is a very high-maintenance grass, which is why it grows fine on golf greens and other sports areas that are regularly maintained. Here is a summary of creeping bentgrass maintenance needs:
- Mowing height: 0.5 to 0.125 inches
- Watering needs: High
- Fertilization needs: High
- Other notes: Requires frequent dethatching. Susceptible to annual bluegrass takeover.
Combined with its susceptibility to diseases and pests, creeping bentgrass doesn’t make the ideal lawn. Our article on the pros and cons of creeping bentgrass can help you decide if creeping bentgrass is worth growing on your lawn.
Why is creeping bentgrass considered a weed?
Creeping bentgrass is a weed when it pops up on a non-bentgrass lawn. It sticks out like a sore thumb because it’s usually much lighter than other cool-season grasses and becomes a different color in the summer and fall. Additionally, its maintenance requirements make it a chore to keep alive and look decent.
This type of bentgrass also spreads somewhat aggressively and is a pain to get rid of. You can learn more about your options in our guide on how to get rid of creeping bentgrass.
How does creeping bentgrass get on my lawn?
Although creeping bentgrass is most often grown on commercial sports properties, it makes its way into home lawns most often through seed. Bentgrass seeds are very small and often end up in seed mixes for other cool-season turf like Kentucky bluegrass. The seeds also can be carried by the wind.
Since creeping bentgrass also spreads through stolons, it can also creep into your yard from a neighbor’s lawn. Birds also can drop stolons into your yard. And rather unfortunately, Kansas State University says that creeping bentgrass stolons can also be brought onto your property through lawn equipment (like from lawn care pros, or if you lent out your lawn mower).
FAQ about creeping bentgrass
Why is my creeping bentgrass lawn two different colors?
If you have two or more cultivars of creeping bentgrass on your lawn, that might be to blame.
According to the Pennsylvania State University Extension, bentgrasses are prone to segregation; they will separate based on cultivar over time. So, if you tried to blend bentgrass cultivars with different colors, you might end up with these differently colored patches.
Does creeping bentgrass recover well from damage?
Because of its stolons, creeping bentgrass is really good at recovering from wear and tear. This is why it’s a really good grass for golf greens and other sports areas, but a very annoying weed to get rid of.
Is creeping bentgrass the same as colonial bentgrass?
No, creeping bentgrass is an entirely different species of grass. Colonial bentgrass (Agrostis capillaris) is a less high-maintenance type of bentgrass, making it a more attractive home turf option than creeping bentgrass in places like northern California’s coastal areas.
Contact a lawn care pro to care for your cool-season lawn
Creeping bentgrass typically sticks out on a residential lawn. It’s up to you if you want to foster it or get rid of it. Regardless of your choice, you’ll need to pay a fair amount of attention to your yard to achieve your goals.
If you don’t have the time or energy to care for your lawn, why not ask for help? Lawn Love has pros all around the country who can handle all the hard work of lawn maintenance. Just sit back, relax, and hire a lawn care pro near you.
Sources
- Main Photo Credit: Matt Lavin | Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0
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