Common Bent

A common perennial grass, with the scientific name of Agrostis capillaris; formerly Agrostis tenuis. It is also routinely referred to as Browntop Bent. The leaf is flat, having a typical width of no greater than 5mm. The ligule is Membranous, being 0.5-2mm in length and does not have an auricle. The growth habit is tufted with rhizomes, and with occasional stolons. A turfgrass for mostly fine turf situations, especially golf and bowling greens, as well as fine ornamental lawns.


View showing typical lateral to 45-degree angle of leaf growth


Ligule and shallow ribbing on upper leaf surface
This species of turfgrass has a very high shoot density, producing a close tightknit sward. Thatch development can be a problem with some cultivars of Browntop bent where conditions are relatively fertile, and this will result in the need for higher maintenance inputs, such as scarification, verticutting and mowing.
Germination is much slower than that of the Red fescue species which they are over sown with: Typically, germination times being 14-21 days, in contrast to 7-10 days for the Red fescues.


Whilst much is made of the newer finer leaved and more compact cultivars in producing a higher quality golf or bowls surface, the traditional New Zealand 'Highland' Browntop Bent has a long growing season, maintains growth throughout most of the year including winter, has good winter colour, and has good tolerance to drought. With the cultivar being freely available the financial incentive to utilise ‘Highland’ in some finer turf mixtures is relatively low for seed suppliers, although it is still (2024) provided by some suppliers in fine turf mixtures and can be considered quite suitable for entry to intermediate quality level surfaces, especially where resources are limited and challenging.
It prefers acidic soil conditions (typically in the range of pH 4.0-6.0), as well as those that are well-drained soil and infertile.
Browntop bent is very susceptible to Microdochium (Fusarium) Patch and Take-All Patch disease, whilst it will also succumb to Red Thread disease.