Greenlees Park - Green Couch
Greenlees Park - Green Couch
Scientific name:
Cynodon dactylon
Other names:
Species common name: Green couch, Bermudagrass (USA).
Cultivar name: Greenlees Park.
Origin:
Selected in 1965 by pioneering turf breeder Rod Riley for use in bowling greens, for its superior persistence during a period of wet years. Named after the Greenlees Park Bowling Club, Concord, Sydney, Australia where Riley was a greenkeeper.
Global growing areas: Widely grown in Australia. Used in South-East Asia.
IP protection: None.
Details
- Texture: Medium to fine.
- Description: Regarded as a semi-dwarf variety which can be managed at low mowing heights. Dark green. Leaf width 2.0-2.8 mm, long leaves (averaging 75 mm) (data from ´Plateau´ PBR description). Stolons average 1 mm thick, with rhizomes 1.2 mm thick. Shoot emergence angle is 19° from the horizontal. High shoot density and horizontal growth habit gives a flat, firm and dense surface. Rapid lateral extension growth.
- Use: Lawns (residential/commercial/industrial), streetscapes, sports grounds, golf fairways, parkland and soil stabilisation. Has been mown low (particularly in New South Wales, Australia) for use on golf tees, bowling greens, tennis courts and cricket wickets. Not used as a greens cultivar in Queensland, where thatch accumulation is higher than in New South Wales.
- Mowing height: May be mown with a rotary mower, but performs best when a cylinder mower is used. Inclined to form a heavy thatch layer. May scalp if not regularly mowed.
- Lawn use: Summer: 10-12 mm; winter: 15-18 mm; bowling and golf greens 5 mm.
- Method of propagation: Vegetative sod, plugs, sprigging of stolons.
- Preferred soil types: Best on sandy loams, pH 5.0 to 7.5 preferred.
Comments:
Australia´s first single strain of green couch. Lower maintenance than some green couches, with only moderate inputs of water, fertiliser and mowing needed for an acceptable surface. Can produce high levels of seed heads under low fertility conditions. Seed head production is low when well fertilised. Seed heads produce no pollen, making it a suitable grass for asthmatics. With repeated multiplication, there are a number of genetically different strains of green couch now sold under this cultivar name.
Tolerances:
- Heat: Excellent. Preferred temperature range is 20-35°C.
- Cold: Winter colour poor. Enters an early winter dormancy, but holds colour in warmer climates. Browns under frosty conditions.
- Shade: Poor. Requires full sun.
- Drought: Moderate to high drought tolerance. Develops a deep fibrous root system. Recovers rapidly after water deprivation.
- Salinity: Medium salinity tolerance.
- Wear: Moderate to high wear tolerance. Forms a hard wearing surface. Repairs rapidly.
- Herbicide sensitivity: Tolerant of a broad range of herbicides registered for green couch, aiding weed management. A useful degree of tolerance to diluted glyphosate.
- Pests and diseases: Susceptible to army worm and sod webworm. Soil borne diseases include Spring Dead Spot (Leptosphaeria spp.) and disease caused by Pythium sp. Leaf diseases include Bipolaris sp. and Dreschlera sp. (Helminthosporium diseases), triggered by high humidity in the thatch. Resistant to take-all patch caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. avenae.
Photos used on this page are not necessarily photos from DEEDI
For more information and updates on warm season turfgrasses, their production and management please go to http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/turf
For updates on Greenless Park please go to http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/26_14987.htm
