BENT L A ¥ NS C R E E P I NG B E NT L A W NS In this booklet we are dealing primarily with Creeping Rent lawns produced by planting While the chopped it is now possible roots and runnersr called Stolons, rather than seed. to obtain a Creeping Ben t lawn from seed, the distinct advantage of vegetative planting will especially appeal to the person desirous of producing a fine lawn. O. M. S C O TT & S O NS C O M P A NY M A R Y S V I L L E, O H IO W HY A CREEPING BENT L A W N? The planting of Creeping Bent hy the vegetative method has heen employed in the construction of Soli course putting greens since lQCZl. It resulted from a persistent searc h for the b erfect putting green grass. Creeping hent is the only drass that will produce the thick, closely-knit and uniform turf so necessary for accurate putting and greatest heauty. Many golf players Quickly realized that this wonderful new ¿rass would he desirable for lawns. As we were one of the pioneer growers of Creeping Bent Stolons it was c[uite natural that Scott's Creeping Bent would he used to produce many of the first Bent lawns. Today there are hundreds ol Scott's Creeping Bent lawns in all parts of the country where Bent thrives (see Above grown successfully. Below regions will Bent grows line Creeping Bent may be it only in mountainous it Blue wherever Kentucky thrive. Generally speaking the black satisfactorily Grass can be grown. Creeping Bent Stolons as tliey are grown in the Scott Nursery. The grass as you see it here is taken up with long knives and then passed shredder, which cuts it up ready for planting. through the I 3] in Better Lawn map). During 1Q34 the major prize winners in New York contests sponsored by the leading newspapers City, Chicago and ci eveland had lawns of Scott's Creeping Bent, produced hy planting the Stolons. The prizes were awarded because of the rich color and velvet-lite, weed-free texture of Creeping Bent as evidenced hy the illustrations in this booklet. A distinct advantage in the use of Stolons lies in the fact that complete coverage is obtained in from six to ten weeks of favorable weather. Seeded lawns make a showing in a comparatively short time, but do not form sod until the second year. In contrast a Stolon lawn reaches maturity during the first season. More than an acre of Creeping Bent being planted with Scott's Stolons near Cleveland, Ohio. In this picture they are scattering the stolons. A very simple process. Afo harder than sowing seed. the top soil Now is being applied. A very large area is being planted by a small force of men. For a lawn of less 10,000 can two or easily five or six hours. square three persons in feet or the job finish It is important. is W/ater being applied with a fine spray so the planted area is ground not disturbed. The the must be kept moist for first two or three weeks. A project photograph taken shows to be practically the ground covered with a heavy stand of grass. five weeks later this of A Creeping JBent Stolon. The joints Jo the work. Each one produces a new plant. Because of this Quickness of growth weeds are kept in much greater control as thel awn is becoming established. After a Creeping Bent lawn is once formed there will he little further trouble with weeds because the thick, close turf will prevent their development. On page ten the owner of a large Bent lawn tells from his experience that Creeping Bent turf becomes so thick that crab grass, dandelions an d other pests are unable to compete. If there is a Cre eping Bent lawn on the street it is nearly always the best lawn. Orel inary lawns even if much above the average, still lack that uniformity and beauty which is peculiar to Creeping Bent. Bent lawns will never become common. \VAe predict that even twenty-five years from now they still wi 11 be the aristocratic lawns. P R E P A R A T I ON OF T HE S O IL Our discussion here pertains to soil preparation for planting Creeping Bent Stolons and yet for the sowing of Bent j e eo the same directions apply. Bent needs no specific type of soil. A good grade of garden loam of reasonable richness will grow Bent successfully. Statements are frequently heard to the effect that a strongly acid soil is necessary. This is a mistake as tests conducted at several experiment stations have proven. Soils that are either neutral, slightly acid or slightly alkaline produce Bent Creeping This beautiful Bent Lawn Lahewood, in Ohio attracts many passers= />y. /ts freshness and velvet= like it stand out make conspicuously. appearance improving very satisfactorily. The important thing as in the growing of any grass is to have a sufficient amount of numus and plant food in the soil. T he surface to a depth of th ree or four inches ought to he good top soil. It should he well fined and compacted. Thoroughly rotted harnyard manure is excellent for enriching and the mechanical condition of otherwise indifferent soil. Commercial fertilizer may also be used. ¥e suggest a complete grass food such as our 10-6-4 Turf Builder. This may he applied to the seed hed just Lefore the final raking. T he correct rate for the preliminary application is twenty pounds per IOOO square feet. For feeding estahlis hed turf ten bounds is sufficient. T he advantage of the it combines the three necessary feeding elements, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potash in their proper ratio, while Sulphate latter is that of Ammonia provides only Nitrogen. P ollowing the fertilizer application, we advise a light sprinkling before the Stol ons are planted. Enough top soil should be retained and screened to provide a light covering for the Stolons after they have been planted. About one cubic yard of soil is needed for every IOOO square feet of planting area. T I ME OF P L A N T I NG Creeping Bent Stolons may be planted successfully any time from early spring until late fall. In fact Stolons are frequently planted right in midsummer when one would ordinarily be afraid to risk seeding a lawn. The only precaution necessary is watering at frequent intervals, for the newly planted grass must not be allowed to dry out. T he most desirable periods for planting are between M ay 1st and June 15th and between August 1st and theestate Crocjuet ground on of Air. and Kirs. Charles Stewart Mott, Flint, Mich = turf was ¡¿an. This produced with Scott's Bent the Seed. Notice how well grass has responded to close cutting. lovely Creeping Sent lawn at the home ofWlr. and Kirs. Harry Harper, Lansing, Michigan. could be The photograph taken best with the garage rather than the residence in the background. Mr. Harper is exceedingly proud of his lawn and says of it: "The turf was established in a remarkably short time and is so thick we have had practi= cally no weed troubles." October 15th. The latter period is the ideal time, and yet the new home huilder would not he justified in waiting all summer so that he might plant during the fall season. Bent seed should never he sowed in midsummer hut either in early spring or any time in the fall. Fall seeded grasses root more deeply and have a tendency to stool out, thus forming a thicker turf. they encounter less competition from weeds. Furthermore P L A N T I NG C R E E P I NG B E NT In the preceeding pages reference was made to Stolons in connection with vegetative planting. W^hen propagated in a nursery Creeping Bent develops long overground creeping runners. These are called Stolons. The Stolons are jointed at intervals of one or two inches and wherever these joints come in contact with soil a new plant is formed, as shown hy the sketch on page six. Thus a closely knit turf results lor tke joints produce a succession ol new plants. Creeping Bent is one of the very few grasses adapted to tkis metkod of planting. For the vegetative planting of Creeping Bent on lawns, putting greens and the like we supply Stolons ckopped into lengtks of two or tkree inckes. Tkese are skipped in hurlap hags hy express for cjuick delivery, and guaranteed to arrive in good planting condition. Instead of selling Stol ons hv the bound as we do seed they are sold according to the area to he planted. In other words it is only necessary to advise us the size of the lawn to he planted and we will send a sufficient Quantity of Stolons for the job. P R E P A R A T I ON F OR P L A N T I NG Instructions for soil preparation are given on page six. This preparation is practically the same for Stolons as [ "] it for planting Bent seed except that is necessary to reserve enough screened soil to cover Stol ons after they have been planted or rather, scattered. (The seed is simply raked in after sowing.) Less than one cuhic yard for each lOOO scjuare feet of planting area is needed as the top dressing should he light—not over one-fourth men. H is will probably leave some of the Stol ons slightly exposed which is cjuite proper. The hest and Quickest results will he obtained if the lawn is all prepared so that the Stolons can he put on as soon as received. To plant a good sized lawn there should be three bersons to do the work. Tkis makes it possible to complete the planting Quickly and efficiently an important step toward successful results. Stolon planting is not a difficult p rocess but owing to the lack of a common understanding o f t ke subject we shall furnish specific data. Four things are necessary: 1. Sufficient screened soil for covering the Stolons after spreading. 2. Orel inary medium size buckets for handling Stolons and top soil. A medium weight roller. 4. A hose with spray nozzle for sprinkling. S C A T T E R I NG S T O L O NS Stolons are delivered chopped ready for planting. Just before shipping they are cut up into various lengths and resemble somewhat partially dried grass clippings with a little dirt mixed in. Scatter the chopped Stolons evenly over the ground. Go over the planted area with a light roller so that the ¿rass will be bressed into the dirt. Next cover with not more than one-fourth ine h of screened and Mrs. home and The beautiful Creeping Bent lawn con = si sting of more than an acre residence of at the country Thomas Mr. Midgely, Jr., near Worth, ington, Ohio. Mr. Midgely understands Creeping Sent thoroughly, and regards it as the one grass which will make a "perfect" lawn. soil, preferably less. More than one-fourth inch of covering is undesirable. Roll the planted area so the Stolons will be held firmly in place, ^/atering should follow immediately. The water should be applied with a fine spray nozzle in such a manner that the planted area will not be disturbed. and velvet-like, fertilizing to replace the plant food which the soil loses through the grass clippings. But it is not necessary nor even desirable to keep a lawn as closely cut as you would a putting green. Nevertheless it should be mowed more frequently than ordinary lawns if one wishes to brinô out the full p ossibilities of Creeping Bent. S U B S E Q U E NT T R E A T M E NT T O P - D R E S S I NG After planting, the surface soil should be kept moist at all times, particularly during the first two or three weeks. Through a period of warm weather this may require three or even four light sprinklings each day. This IS very important for otherwise the grass will dry up and die before it can take root. To keep Creeping Bent as fine as it appears on a putting green, frequent mowing and feeding are necessary; mowing to keep the grass fine After the first year or two if the turf should become too thick, a vigorous raking and close cutting followed by a light top-dressing of screened, loamy soil, will correct the condition. For this type of top-dressing one cubic yard of soil is enough for from two to three thousand square feet of lawn area. W i th this amount of top-dressing material may be mixed from twenty to thirty pounds of Scott's Turf Builder or any grass food the Grand At GreatI\eck,Long Island, N. Y.,you will find this large,, magnificent lawn at the home of Mr. Richard Church. It received Award this year in the Setter Lawns contest the New Y orh Irlerald Tribune and is the fourth consecu = tive Scott winner this annual event. sponsored by in I'o] of similar analysis. The average Creeping Bent lawn if top-dressed once yearly in early spring or fall. should look its hest throughout the season. The necessity lor such attention can he determined hy the appearance of the grass. Should it at any time appear to he suffering from lack of plant food, the lawn should he top-dressed hut omittmô oi course the h ard raking wkick was recommended only in case of too muck matting. C A T E R I NG I M P O R T A NT As in the case of any lawn, a good soaking at intervals of tkree or four days is better than light daily sprinklings. Too frequent and too ligkt watering causes tke ôrass to become skallow rooted. Tkis of course does not apply to tke regular watering necessary during tke first few weeks after planting. C R E E P I NG B E NT S E ED In tke preceding pages we kave described the use of Stol ons to produce a Creeping Bent lawn. Such a lawn can also be obtained by sowing Creeping Bent seed although this method of planting will not give as cjuick results, nor keep weeds in suck complete control. For new lawns, wkere cjuick results are desired, Stolons are witkout edual altkougk Bent seed may be utilized in making new lawns or improving established lawns. R A TE OF S E E D I NG New ground should be sowed at the rate of from th ree to five pounds per lOOO square feet. Because of the lightness of Bent seed it should be sown carefully. Keep the hand close to the ground and sow both ways. On a large lawn by the use of mechanical seeders or similar equipment it is possible to seed more evenly and more economically. The seeded area should he ra ked lightly and rolled. It is desirable at this time to sprinkle with a fine spray provided the sprinkling is to be continued regular ly. It is not wise to apply just enough water to produce germination and then discontinue because if the weather is very hot, the new seedlings will be permanently injured. If seeding is done during a period of normal rainfall, artificial watering may be withheld entirely. S E E D I NG O LD LAWNS V I TH B E NT To convert a lawn consisting largely of ordinary grasses and weeds into a Bent lawn by merely reseeding each year A section of the garden at a country home near Columbust Ohio. Creeping Bent was selected as the grass most capable of providing an appropriate setting for a marvelous flower garden. with Bent seed is an impossibility. It will require years, even if the Bent grows very vigorously, to crowd the established grass from its habitat. A lawn that is badly run down should be torn up and entirely rebuilt, ^ T e re reasonably good turf prevails it can be greatly improved by the sowing of Bent seed and an occasional application of compost mixed with Scott's Turf Builder. Before sowing the Bent, dig out the weeds and scratch the surface vigorously with a sharp rake. Two pounds of Bent per lOOO scjuare feet is enougk for tke resowing of an established lawn. After sowing give the ground another light raking, followed by a light rolling and sprinkling. Covering tke ground to a deptk of one-eigkt of an inck with compost or rick dirt will not only kelp tke germination of the seed but greatly benefit the soil as well. N A T I VE G R A SS M I X T U R ES A treatise on lawns would be incomplete without reference to native grasses. Regardless of the fine results obtainable with Bent, the great majority of people will depend upon native lawn mixtures. If our reputation as seedsmen is of any consequence, it is because we have always had the desire to sell purer seed than anyone else. In the case oi lawn seed it was not hard to realize our ambition. Lawn mixtures that were closely examined and analyzed showed that the c hief motive in many cases was to give as much bulk as possible for the money. Chaff fairly bulged from every package, making tke purckaser feel tkat ke was getting a wonderful bargain. In reality, the amount of pure viable seed that would grow, or rather that anyone would want to grow, could have been put in a package kalf tke size. N ot only that hut in the mixtures were varieties that had no business being there. Cheapness and cjuick growing ability gave them the preference. Scott's Lawn Seed ma de its debut as a practically weedless mixture ana still enjoys that distinction. Lvery grass put into it represents the highest standard of Quality. Of as great is the fact that the original formula, varied only in recent years to include Creeping Bent, comprises jonly grasses that make for a good, permanent lawn. importance S C O T T 'S T U RF B U I L D ER Soil experts tell us that grass requires a different type of food from other vegetation. Several years ago we began the manufacture of Scott's Turf Builder with the express idea of making the best grass fertilizer. Turf Builder is not all mineral like most plant foods. It is half vegetable matter, this being derived from the ground soybeans and other legume seeds, thus insuring both c(uick and lasting fertilization. Turf Builder contains two and one-half times as much Nitrog en as most plant foods and consequently much less of it is needed. The slightly high er cost per pound is more than offset by the high er concentration. Application should be made at the rate of ten pounds per lOOO square feet on an old lawn and twenty pounds when preparing the ground for new seeding. The is fed regularly on Turf B uilder possesses a noticeably rich color and gives every evidence of well being. A nd the healthy, vigorous lawn is of course much better able to hold its own against weeds. Further particulars and a sample of Turf Builder will be furnished upon request. lawn that S C O TT P R O D U C TS For Lawns—Creeping (for all open areas); Shade Mixture; Bent Seed; Turf Builder (grass food). Bent Stolons; Regular Mixture For Golf Courses—Creeping Bent Stolons for greens; Grass o e ed of all varieties for greens, fairways, rough, etc.; Turf Builder and A m m o n i um Sulpkate for grass feed ine. Scott s S e ed is also made into special mixtures for Cemeteries, Parks, Sckool Grounds, Athletic Fields, P o lo Fields, Airports, and every otker purpose. S C O TT P U B L I C A T I O NS T h is kooklet was puhlisked primarily to explain tke merits of Bent. No tke important features of lawn making suck as drainage, grading, soil attempt kas keen made to discuss in detail preparation, weed eradication, etc. T k o se wko wisk suck infor- mation skould ask for our kooklet "Lawns" wkick is sent witkout ckar£e or okli gation. small kooklet of condensed facts akout tke meckanics A m o ng otker £>uklications of tkis company are tke following: Lawns—A of lawn making and care. Lawn C a r e —A bulletin puklisked five times yearly containing timely and up-to-tke-minute information on grass culture. If you are not receiving tkese kulletins ask to ke put on our mailing list. There is no ckarge. ¥e are distrikutors of seed for golf courses and skall ke glad to furnisk kelpful in new construction or maintenance of estaklisked courses. O ne fourtk of all tke golf cluks in tke country have sowed ocott s oeed. information to any wko are interested O. M. S C O TT & S O NS C O. M A R YS V I L L E, O H IO