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BENT GRASS – Common name for Agrostis, a large genus of mostly low-growing and spreading sorts including some valuable, high-class lawn grasses as well as the important pasture grass, Red-top. The species are annual or perennial, have somewhat rough, flat or slightly rolled leaves and bear loose panicles of small reddish flowers. While some of the forms are grown from seed, those used for fine lawns and putting greens are of the creeping type and are increasingly being grown from stolons, which are simply the chopped-up running stems. A good bent grass turf is a joy to the eye as well as to walk on, but it calls for very well prepared soil and also for constant, intelligent attention. Bent grasses will do well, in sun or partial shade, but are not in any sense shady-spot sorts. The soil should be well supplied with thoroughly rotted manure and receive a good application of a balanced complete fertilizer before planting time. In sowing use about 1 lb. of seed per 250 sq. ft.; if stolons are used fit the soil and broadcast them at the rate of 25 sq. ft. of stolons per 200 sq. ft. of area. They must then be covered lightly with soil, rotted and watered.

Bent grass seed is part imported, especially from Germany, and part domestic, being produced mainly in the Pacific North West and in Rhode Island. The production of stolons is purely a domestic activity, and several improved strains have been developed, including the Metropolitan and the Washington. Botanically, the principal bent grass species are the following:

Agrostis palustris (Redtop), a European grass now naturalized in North America and considerably used in pasture and somewhat in lawn-seed mixtures.

capillaris (Rhode-Island Bent), similar to redtop, but smaller and with redder panicles. It is a good lawn grass, particularly in more acid soils than blue grass will stand. Sulphate of ammonia at the rate of 5 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft., applied before the seed is sown, is a helpful stimulant.

maritima (Creeping Bent) is the type to which the best of the fine-lawn bent grasses belong. It is smaller and more stoloniferous in habit than redtop. Both it and Rhode-Island bent withstand close cutting well.

nebulosa (Cloud Grass), a dwarf annual species with panicles 6 in. long, composed of many fine branches, and Agrostis retrofracta, a taller annual, to 2 ft., with leaves 8 in. long, and 1-ft. panicles with hair-like branches are good ornamental subjects. Agrostis hiernalis (Hair or Silk Grass) is a perennial ornamental to 2 ft., with short, narrow, basal leaves and delicate purplish panicles up to 1 ft. long.