Species common names
Green couch (Australia), Bermudagrass (USA)

Cultivar name
CT-2

Other brand names
Marketed internationally by the Greg Norman Turf Company as GN-1

97

Bred in a controlled crossing program in California (34°N latitude) by Hubert F Whiting

USA, Australia (available in Australia from licensed growers)

US Plant Patent No. 6841

Australian Patent No. 610167

Texture
Fine

Description
Low-growing lightly pubescent variety with dark green leaves. Spreads rapidly by fine reddish-coloured stolons and rhizomes. Produces less thatch but forms a more open surface than denser cultivars like Grand Prix, Riley´s Super Sport, Windsor Green, Wintergreen and Winter Gem

Use
Golf course fairways and tees, sportsfields, lawns, parks and general landscaping

Mowing height
Best at 15-25 mm

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)

Heat
Good

Cold
Good winter colour retention in the absence of frosts, but in southern Australia (e.g. Melbourne) loses quality during winter relative to other varieties selected from colder climates

Shade
Poor shade tolerance

Drought
Good tolerance of dry conditions

Salinity
Medium-low salinity tolerance. Among the poorest of the green couch cultivars tested for salt tolerance

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, but more sensitive than other green couch cultivars to high rates of some broadleaf herbicides (e.g. fluroxypyr). Use only registered herbicides in accordance with the label

Lawn grubs (army worm, sod webworm) during summer and autumn

• Greg Norman Turf Company
• Ford, P, Nickson, D, Fitzgerald, P and Loch, D (2006) Evaluation of saline tolerant grasses and reclaimed water use for golf course irrigation. Milestone Report No. 3, Smart Water Fund (Round 2) project. Victorian Golf Association. 20 pp.