- Creeping bent grass develops a dense, blue-green turf that works well for over-seeding golf greens. Creeping bent grass tolerates some shade but grows best in full sun. It requires well-drained soil, frequent watering and adequate air flow to avoid brown patch and dollar spot fungal diseases. Creeping bent grass has several varieties, but Penncross tends to be the most reliable.
- Colonial bent grass is the tallest bent grass and one of the few species to serve in a home lawn capacity. It establishes slowly but competes with weeds and requires less fertilizer. When cut at the recommended 1-inch mowing height, it forms a dense, light- to medium-green turf. The Greenwich, Venus and Villa varieties demonstrate the best wear tolerance and disease resistance.
- Velvet bent brass develops an apple-green turf with the finest texture and highest density of all bent grasses. For this reason, it makes a suitable putting green surface. Velvet bent grass adapts better to shade than creeping and colonial bent grasses and tolerates heat more than previously thought. The grass tends to develop a chlorotic yellow color when the soil does not make enough iron available for the roots to absorb but it is otherwise disease resistant.
- Redtop bent grass forms a coarse turf that spreads through rhizome stems below the ground. Redtop's rhizatomous growth and rapid germination work well in areas that require temporary coverage while a slow-growing, permanent grass becomes established. Redtop functions as a pasture grass and conservation grass in areas that need erosion control. Redtop grows more readily in clay soils and soils with poor fertility than other bent grasses. Most stands establish through common redtop seed.
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