Native bentgrass in lawns

Native creeping bentgrass is found in several places such as roadsides, fields, meadows, edges of sidewalks and parking entrances. It produces a large number of very small seed that is easily moved by wind or by other means to reach lawns where it will germinate and produces a dense tillering.

With its strong growth of stolons (a stolon is an aerial creeping stem), bentgrass multiplies rapidly to form patches invading Kentucky bluegrass lawn. Native bentgrass has a light green foliage that does not go along with the dark green colour of Kentucky bluegrass.

It is not easy to walk over a lawn of bluegrass invaded by dense patches of native creeping bentgrass. In addition, mowing scalps the elevated patches of native bentgrass that turn temporarily brown.

Learn to identify the presence of native bentgrass in your lawn. Bentgrass produces seed that escapes mowing, then germinates and expand its territory.

Several cultural practices must be used over several years to suppress native bentgrass.