The Difference Between Bentgrass and Bermuda

Bentgrass Description

• Bentgrass is a fine-textured turfgrass with flat, rough, pointed leaves and ridged upper leaf surfaces. It spreads via above-ground shoots called stolons. Bentgrass leaves measure 1/10 to 1/5 inches wide, states the North Carolina Center for Turfgrass Environmental Research and Education. This freeze-tolerant grass has a blue-green color in the summer and produces 1 1/2- to 8-inch seed heads at the ends of the stems. Bentgrass turns reddish brown in the winter. A 1/2-inch mowing height gives bentgrass a uniform appearance.

Bermuda Grass Description

• Bermuda grass has a medium to fine texture with pointed, rough-edged leaves that have hairs at the bases. Its narrow, dark to light green leaves measure 1/20- to 1/10-inch wide and turn brown during winter dormancy. The seedhead has three to five spikes that form at the top of the main stem. Unlike bentgrass, Bermuda grass produces both stolons and below-ground rhizomes. This turfgrass keeps its dense appearance with twice weekly mowings at 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches high.

Culture

• Bentgrass prefers sandy soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5, while Bermuda grass thrives in sandy or loamy soil with a pH between 5.0 and 7.0. Both grasses prefer full sun, but bentgrass tolerates partial shade. Bentgrass needs 1/4 to 1/2 pound of granular nitrogen per 1,000 square feet every month, while Bermuda grass needs 1/2 to 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet every four to eight weeks in the spring and summer. Bermuda grass grows best with 1 to 1 1/4 inches of water every week in the spring and summer until winter dormancy. In the summer, bentgrass prefers infrequent irrigation to its 6-inch root depth when the soil dries out.

Diseases

• The fungus disease take-all patch, which only affects bentgrasses, causes yellow or reddish 6-inch to 3-foot dead patches in the spring. To prevent this disease, plant bentgrass in soil with a pH below 6.0. Many diseases affect both bentgrass and Bermuda grass. For example, slime mold causes purple, gray or yellow spots on grass leaves and a slimy mass on the lawn. Dollar spot symptoms include white or tan lawn patches that can expand to 6 inches wide. Both diseases occur in warm, wet weather. Controls include proper cultural practices, such as proper irrigation and fertilizing.

Invasive Potential

• To control invasive Bermuda grass, cover it with black plastic mulch to block sunlight, or spade or rake the area to bring the rhizomes to the soil surface where they will dry out. To control spreading bentgrass, avoid overwatering and overfertilizing your garden or lawn. If you dig up bentgrass clumps, make sure you include the roots. Sprayed or brushed glyphosate will control both invasive grasses, but the chemical must not touch any plants you want to keep.