Can I grow this in my home lawn?

It requires high maintenance and frequent mowing to look its best.

Does it need a lot of water?

Yes, it prefers consistently moist soil to stay healthy.

Plant guide

Creeping bentgrass.

Agrostis stolonifera

Pronounced ag-ROS-tis sto-lo-NIF-er-uh

Also known as Creeping Bent, Creeping bentgrass, Fiorin

Agrostis stolonifera — Photo by Peter de Lange (CC BY) via gbif

Creeping bentgrass is a cool season perennial grass that spreads through horizontal stems called stolons. It is widely recognized for its ability to form a dense and uniform turf. You will often see it on golf course putting greens.

At a glance

Care level: Moderate
Plant type: Grass
Light: Full sun
Indoor light: Direct sun
Water: Every 1 to 3 days
Mature size: 0.3 to 0.6 meters
Growth rate: Fast
Hardiness: USDA 3 to 9
Bloom time: Mid to late summer

Care

Keep the soil consistently moist to prevent the grass from drying out. Mow frequently at a low height to maintain its signature dense appearance. Watch for signs of fungal disease during humid weather.

Watering: Water deeply and frequently to keep the soil surface consistently damp.
Feeding: Apply a balanced nitrogen rich fertilizer during the active growing season.
Pruning: Mow very short and often to encourage a tight growth habit.
Repotting: This grass is typically grown in lawns rather than containers, but divide clumps if they become overcrowded.
Soil: Well draining loamy soil
Soil pH: 5.5 to 7.0
Temperature: -20 to 30°C
Humidity: 40 to 80%

Safety

People: There is no known toxicity to humans.
Children: It is safe for children to play on, though it may cause minor skin abrasions.
Contact allergens: The blades can cause minor skin irritation or cuts if handled roughly.
Airborne allergens: The pollen is a common allergen for those sensitive to grass pollen.
Edibility: This grass is not intended for human consumption.

How to identify it

Fine textured leaf blades
Spreads via creeping stolons
Forms dense mat like turf
Membranous ligule present
Light green to blue green color

Height: 0.05 to 0.4m
Spread: 0.3 to 1m
Leaves: green, blue-green, perennial
Flowers: green, purple, 0.1 to 0.5cm

Problems to watch for

Dollar spot · Small, bleached spots appear on the turf during humid weather.
Brown patch · Irregular patches of brown, dead grass caused by fungal infection.

By symptom

Plant problems by symptom

Check your creeping bentgrass from a photo

Pocket Botanist looks at a photo of your plant and tells you what's wrong and what to try first.

Growing it

Propagation: division, seed, stolons
When to plant: spring, early autumn

Keep the soil moist to ensure the grass outcompetes weeds.

Grows well with

White Clover · It helps fix nitrogen in the soil to support grass growth.

Similar species

Colonial Bentgrass · It is a related species often used in similar turf applications.

Science

Family: Poaceae
Genus: Agrostis
Order: Poales
Class: Liliopsida
Native range: Europe, Asia, and North Africa.
Conservation: It is considered a common, widespread species and is not of conservation concern.

It colonizes damp meadows and shorelines by spreading rapidly across the soil surface.

Value to wildlife: larval host plant, ground cover
Pollinators: bees
Uses: golf course greens, erosion control, turf grass

Through the year

JFMAMJJASOND

Flowering

Fruiting

Foliage

Ecological indicators

Salinity: 3/9
Soil reaction: 6/9
Light: 7/9
Temperature: 4/9
Moisture: 8/9
Nutrients: 6/9

Taxonomy resolved against GBIF.

Questions people ask

Can I grow this in my home lawn?: It requires high maintenance and frequent mowing to look its best.
Does it need a lot of water?: Yes, it prefers consistently moist soil to stay healthy.

Where the name comes from

The name Agrostis comes from the Greek word for a type of forage grass, while stolonifera refers to its creeping stolons.

Good to know

It is also known as creeping bentgrass.
It thrives in cool, moist climates.
It can tolerate occasional flooding.

Keep your creeping bentgrass growing

This page is a general guide. Save your plant in Pocket Botanist and you get care reminders timed for this plant, plus a care history that shows what worked.

Get the app

This guide was generated with AI on October 19, 2026 and checked against GBIF taxonomy. It is general information, not horticultural or veterinary advice. Read about how we build these guides.