A fine and delicate lawn with dense turf and that too in the shade? No problem for the all-rounder Agrostis capillaris! With its dense foliage, bentgrass survives many an inconvenience and is quite undemanding.
Agrostis capillaris: origin and description
Red bent grass (Agrostis capillaris) is used to adverse conditions and therefore feels extremely comfortable even in the rough locations of the Alps. After all, the grass species penetrates up to a height of 2700 meters. But bent grass also grows naturally in large parts of western Eurasia. This representative of the bent grasses (Agrostis) is widespread in Germany. It thrives along river banks, on calcareous or moist soil and in sparse oak and pine forests. The undemanding grass also grows on dry grassland. It does well in sandy soils, few nutrients and acidic forest soils and grows to about 20 centimeters in height. The characteristic panicles of flowers then appear in June, which at a height of up to 65 centimeters appear like delicate reddish shimmering clouds. With their fine and dense leaves, the grass plants form a beautifully closed turf. In combination with the good shade tolerance, it is an important part of our Plantura shaded lawn. Underground and creeping shoots close the gaps that often appear in shady areas. In addition, the grass can multiply optimally through the foothills. The high resilience of the plant is also remarkable. Agrostis capillaris tolerates few nutrients, drought and a deep cut without problems.
Properties and uses of bent grass
Due to its high resilience, bent grass is often found on the mountain meadows and alpine pastures of the Alps. There it serves as tasty fodder for grazing animals. But Agrostis capillaris is also popular in milder climates. The intensive green and the fine leaves are a visual enrichment for many lawn seed mixtures. The grass also has good shade tolerance. Out ofFor these reasons you will also come across bent grass in our Plantura shaded lawn. In addition, the grass is a welcome component of golf turf due to its very tread-friendly and dense turf and can even be found in some rolled turf. The grass survives even longer periods of drought and can independently close any gaps that have arisen. Lawn repairs are rarely necessary. No wonder, then, that red bent grass is ideally suited for lawn seeding. However, under the right conditions, the grass tends to crowd out other grass species, which is why it is widespread in many places in Europe. For this reason, only a small proportion of Agrostis capillaris is added to our Plantura shaded lawn.
Different varieties of Agrostis capillaris
The varieties 'Jorvik', 'Barking' and 'Heriot' are excellent for ornamental lawns. All three form a dense turf and tolerate deep cuts. While 'Barking' and 'Heriot' turn green very early in the year, the 'Jorvik' variety lags behind. But their green is darker than the other two varieties. The 'Highland' variety, on the other hand, does not fit well in the garden lawn, as it does not grow quite as densely and does not tolerate deep cuts.
Red Bent Grass
| Features | Spiderling; dense growth; reddish flower panicle; intense green leaf |
| Claims | Quite undemanding; rather nutrient-poor, dry and moist soils |
| Durability | Good; forms dense turf; good regenerative ability |
| Usage | Shadow Lawn like our Plantura Shade Lawn Seed Mix; turf; golf turf; as forage grass |
| Germination time and development | About two to three weeks to germination; slow juvenile development of seedlings |
| Cut Tolerance | Very good cutting tolerance; also tolerates deep cuts |
| Special Features | Slow increase in biomass; undemanding and resilient; tolerates shade |