Ability of centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides [Munro] Hack.) to spread by stolons: Effects of soil, fertilizer, shade and edging

The ability of centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides [Munro] Hack.) to spread by stolons was evaluated in two experiments. Circular gaps (1 m diameter) were created in a monoculture of centipedegrass by removing the vegetation, and re‐invasion of the gaps by stolons originating from the surrounding vegetation was monitored for about 14 weeks. The treatments were three types of substrates (−F, river sand; 0F, original soil; +F, original soil + fertilizer) × two levels of light intensities (−L, 50% sunlight; L, full sunlight) in the gaps for Experiment 1, and four heights (0 [no wall], 1, 3 and 5 cm above ground) of walls edging the gaps for Experiment 2. A summer drought provided an opportunity to examine the effect of severe water stress on stolon development. In Experiment 1, the number of stolons re‐invading the gaps did not differ among the treatments. The elongation and branching of the re‐invading stolons were depressed in the −F gaps, showing no significant responses to the fertilizer application (+F) or shading (−L). In Experiment 2, the number, elongation and branching of re‐invading stolons decreased as the height of the edging wall increased. Across the two experiments, none of the treatments was successful in blocking centipedegrass spread by stolons. Even during the drought, the grass spread stolons on a substrate poor in nutrients and moisture, and over an edging of at least a 5 cm height. Such an ability of centipedegrass is favorable to rapid establishment of the grass after seeding or vegetative planting and also to quick self‐restoration of damaged or denuded patches formed in an established sward or turf. At the same time, the ability places a great difficulty in controlling the escape of the grass from planted areas to prevent or minimize naturalization and subsequent environmental impacts.