A fine and soft lawn with a dense turf and that too in the shade? No problem for the all-rounder Agrostis capillaris! With its dense foliage, the red bent grass survives many an inconvenience and is quite undemanding.
Agrostis capillaris: origin and description
The 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. In Germany, this representative of the bent grasses (Agrostis) widespread. It thrives along river banks, on calcareous or moist soil and in sparse oak and pine forests. But the undemanding grass also grows up dry grass. 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 shade 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. Few nutrients, drought and a deep cut tolerates Agrostis capillaris without problems.Properties and use 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 even in milder climates Agrostis capillaris gladly sown. The intensive green and the fine leaves are a visual enrichment for many lawn seed mixtures. The grass also has good shade tolerance. For these reasons, you will also find them in our Plantura shade lawn meet the red bent grass. 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. So are Lawn Repairs only rarely necessary. No wonder, then, that bent grass for lawn seeding is ideally suited. 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. This is why Agrostis capillaris our Plantura shade lawn added only in small part.
Different varieties of Agrostis capillaris
The varieties 'Jorvik', 'Barking' and 'Heriot' are ideal 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 lawn in the garden, as it does not grow quite as densely and tolerates deep cuts moderately.
Red Bent Grass
| characteristics | suckering; dense growth; reddish flower panicle; intense green leaf |
| Expectations | quite undemanding; rather nutrient-poor, dry and moist soils |
| durability | Good; forms dense turf; good regenerative ability |
| use | shadow lawn like our Plantura shade lawn seed mix; turf; golf turf; as forage grass |
| germination and development | About two to three weeks to germination; slow youth development of seedlings |
| cutting tolerance | Very good cutting tolerance; also tolerates deep cuts |
| particularities | Slow increase in biomass; undemanding and resilient; tolerates shade |
