Bermudagrass stolons and zoysiagrass rhizomes

One of the things I’ve noticed when growing grasses in pots is the striking difference between aboveground stolons produced by bermudagrass, and underground rhizomes produced by zoysiagrass.

These grasses were grown in pots and fertilized with N, P, and K. Red lines show the approximate ground level. The Tifeagle bermudagrass at left produced a mass of aboveground stolons. The three varieties of manilagrass (Zoysia matrella) at right all produced a mass of belowground rhizomes.

This difference in growth habit has implications for wear recovery, divot recovery, and surface preparation in general. It’s especially important to be aware of this when cutting sprigs.