Windsor Green - Green Couch
Scientific name: Cynodon dactylon.
Other names: Species common names: Green couch (Australia); Bermudagrass (USA).
Cultivar Name: Windsor Green.
Origin: Selected radiation-induced mutant from ´Wintergreen´ couch grass. First multiplied from a single node sport for field observation in 1987 at Richmond, New South Wales. Breeder: Peter McMaugh, Sydney.
Global growing areas: Australia, New Zealand, Asia (including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand) and the Middle East.
Availability in Australia: From licensed turf growers.
IP protection: Australian PBR certificate #312 (granted 17 January 1994).
Details
- Texture: Fine and dense.
- Description: Bright emerald green upright leaves. Leaf length 27-105 mm. Leaf width 0.5-2.5 mm. Very high stolon density. Thick stolons. Potential for 4 shoots off each node. (Data from PBR growing trial)
- Use: Sportsfields, domestic and commercial lawns, golf course fairways and roughs, parks and general landscaping.
- Mowing height: Best at 15-20 mm. Down to under 6 mm (with a cylinder mower).
- Method of propagation: Vegetative sod, sprigging.
- Preferred soil types: Sandy to clay loams (pH 6-8) maintained with good nitrogen fertility (as per other Cynodon dactylon cultivars).
Comments
Seed head production low to medium relative to other green couch cultivars. Lateral extension rate is slow. Spreads more by stolons than rhizomes.
Tolerances
- Heat: Good.
- Cold: Maintains good turf quality during winter from southern Queensland to Victoria. Top growth killed by heavy frosts. Good winter colour retention under light frosts.
- Shade: Poor. Best in full sun like all Cynodon dactylon genotypes. Requires a minimum of 70% full sunlight to avoid loss of sward density.
- Drought: Good
- Salinity: Low-moderate. Among the least salt-tolerant of the green couch cultivars tested to date.
- Wear: High. Withstands abrasion due to high fibre content, but recovery can be slow.
- Herbicide sensitivity: DSMA and MSMA can be used to remove other grasses. A wide range of herbicides can be safely used to remove broadleaf weeds. Use only registered herbicides in accordance with the label
- Pests and diseases: Lawn grubs (army worm, sod webworm) during summer and autumn. Moderately susceptible to couch mite.
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 Windsor Green please go to http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/26_4208.htm
