Please provide advice on the riddance or control of creeping bent grass.

Creeping bent grass (Agrostis palustris), possibly your bête noire unless you tend a golf course putting green, is an invasive perennial grass. Thin, flat, and rough edged, this creeping native plant spreads through coveted bluegrass lawns by stolons (creeping stems) and by seeds. Small circular green patches in your lawn are the first signs of this invasive problem. As the stolons weave larger, more numerous, and denser verdant mats in your lawn, fewer bent grass roots grow in the soil. Thirsty for moisture during long hot summers, the green patches die and turn brown. Seeds from bent grass’ lily-of-the-valley-like seed heads scatter through the lawn every time it’s mowed. High humidity from frequent watering traps the seeds between bluegrass blades, keeping the seeds alive until they root and form new patches.

Ridding your lawn of bent grass takes time and patience. Small patches of creeping bent grass can be pulled or dug, taking care to grab as many of the roots and stolons as possible. This process should be repeated weekly or biweekly, otherwise remaining roots may sprout and cause further problems. Don’t put bent grass in your compost pile until it has first dried in the sun.

Spot treating with glyphosate (Roundup), a non-selective herbicide, can also control actively growing bent grass. Areas treated with glyphosate may be re-seeded seven days after you’ve applied the chemical. Remember, though, glyphosate will kill or damage all green plants it touches, including desirable lawn grasses and garden plants. (Herbicides that differentiate between types of grasses are not currently available to homeowners.)