Creeping Bent (Agrostis stolonifera)

Creeping Bent (Agrostis stolonifera) is a member of the Bent family that is widely used on golf greens in warm areas of the world. It not a grass species that is widely used in the UK apart from on some golf greens in the south of England. As with all bent species, its seed is incredibly fine – almost like dust! Because the seed is so fine it is very hard to produce and harvest and for this reason it is one of the most expensive grass seed species.

Key Characteristics

  • Creeping ‘stoloniferous’ growth habit
  • Tolerant of very short mowing
  • Tolerates areas of damp shade
  • Thrives in warm climates
  • Exceptional density
  • Widely used in golf greens in warm areas of USA

Sowing times

Creeping bent seed requires constant soil temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius for optimum germination. In the UK this would typically be between May and late September.

Germination time

Creeping bent seed will normally germinate in 14-28 days, subject to conditions.

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What is creeping bent used for?

General Lawn & Landscaping

Creeping bent is rarely, if ever, used in mixtures for lawns and general landscaping. The price of creeping bent seed makes it prohibitive, but it is the fact that it would not perform better than, say, a mixture of perennial ryegrass and fescue grass seed that rules it out of the equation. Creeping bent grass seed is sometimes used in specialist landscaping mixtures, particularly those that require either salt tolerance or that are for wetland areas; however it is still often ruled out due to its cost.

Golf Greens

Creeping bent is used widely in golf greens in warm parts of the world. It can be mown down to exceptionally low heights of cut to create possibly the fastest putting greens possible. However, to thrive it does require a warm climate and for this reason common bent is the main species used in the UK.

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Other Grass Seed Guides

Why not read some of our other grass seed guides and find out more interesting information, to find the right grass for you.

More Grass Species Guides

Common Bent

Common Bent (also known as Browntop Bent or Agrostis capillaris) is a cool season grass that is used mainly in mixtures for golf greens.

Annual Ryegrass

Annual ryegrass is a specialist grass seed that is used in mixtures where germination is required in the fastest possible time and at cold temperatures.