What is the soil temperature in Calgary, Alberta?

Soil temperature at 6cm in Calgary, Alberta is currently 24.9°C. Too cold to seed — 24.9°C at 6cm and not warming.

Soil temperature in Calgary, Alberta

Soil temperature

24.9°C77°F

at 6cm — germination depth

Cooling over the next 11 days.

Too cold to seed — 24.9°C at 6cm and not warming.

Most cool-season lawns in the northern US and Canada are bluegrass, tall fescue, or a mix of the two. We assume that, and use12.5°C as the seeding threshold.

I know what grass I have

The differences are small. Ryegrass is the quickest off the mark; bluegrass is the slowest and wants the warmest soil. Everything else sits between.

Soil temperature at 6cm for reliable germination. Sources onthe method page.
Species	Soil temp	Days
Perennial ryegrass	8°C	5–10
Red / chewings fescue	8–10°C	10–14
Tall fescuelikely yours	10–12°C	10–14
Browntop bentColonial bentgrass	10–12°C	14–21
Smooth-stalked meadow grassKentucky bluegrasslikely yours	12–13°C	14–28

Soil temperature at 6cm in Calgary, Alberta is currently 24.9°C, and falling about 18.5°C over the next 11 days. That depth matters because it is where grass seed sits and where roots start working, and it lags air temperature by days — which is why a warm afternoon here tells you very little on its own.

Lawns in this area are typically Kentucky bluegrass with tall fescue, the usual mix for cool-season lawns at this latitude. That blend needs the soil to hold above 12.5°C before seed germinates reliably. Too cold to seed — 24.9°C at 6cm and not warming.

7 of the next 10 days are good mowing days. The other 3 are held back by wet grass or soft ground. The best weekend slot right now is Sunday 10am–9pm, on the basis that growing slowly — growth potential 0.27.

The next recommended window in Calgary opens at 6pm on Tuesday 1 September, and holds while conditions stay put. Underfoot, the ground reads as firm after 0mm rain over the last week.

See the full mowing forecast for Calgary

The next 10 days

Column height is how mowable the day is; the lighter band is the best stretch within it. The line is soil temperature at 6cm. It crosses the seeding threshold inside this forecast.

12.5°C — seeding

Soil at 6cm 24.0°C cooling to 0.0°C

Tuesday 1 September · 6pm–9pmConfident

6pm–9pm — temperature — 22°C

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryno rain in over a week
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.84
Good:Temperature: Temperature22°C
Good:Wind: Wind light15 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but fine

Limiting factor:temperature

Wednesday 2 September · 8am–2pmConfident

8am–2pm — no rain in over a week, ground firm

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryno rain in over a week
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.97
Good:Temperature: Temperature13°C
Good:Wind: Wind light2 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:none

Thursday 3 September · 8am–9pmConfident

8am–9pm — grass dry — rain earlier today

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm1mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.61
Good:Temperature: Temperature10°C
Good:Wind: Wind light4 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but finestarts once the dew has burnt off

Limiting factor:grass wetness

Friday 4 SeptemberConfident

No — 0.6mm of rain falling.

Poor:Grass wetness: Grass dampraining now
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm2mm rain over the last week
Marginal:Growth: Growing slowlygrowth potential 0.30
Good:Temperature: Temperature12°C
Good:Wind: Wind light9 km/h

Limiting factor:grass wetness

Saturday 5 September · 5pm–8pmReasonably confident

5pm–8pm — ground soft — 14mm rain over the last week

Marginal:Grass wetness: Grass dryrain earlier today
Poor:Ground firmness: Ground soft14mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth: Growing slowlygrowth potential 0.21
Good:Temperature: Temperature11°C
Good:Wind: Wind light6 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but fine

Limiting factor:ground firmness

Sunday 6 September · 10am–9pmReasonably confident

10am–9pm — growing slowly — growth potential 0.27

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryno rain since Friday
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm36mm rain over the last week
Marginal:Growth: Growing slowlygrowth potential 0.27
Good:Temperature: Temperature12°C
Good:Wind: Wind light7 km/h
Sociable hours: Fine by the neighboursstarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:growth

Monday 7 September · 8am–1pmReasonably confident

8am–1pm — no rain since Friday, ground firm

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryno rain since Friday
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm36mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing steadilygrowth potential 0.38
Good:Temperature: Temperature11°C
Good:Wind: Wind light4 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but finestarts at first light

Limiting factor:none

Tuesday 8 September · 8am–7pmReasonably confident

8am–7pm — rain earlier today, ground firm

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm36mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing steadilygrowth potential 0.38
Good:Temperature: Temperature11°C
Good:Wind: Wind light7 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but finestarts at first light

Limiting factor:none

Wednesday 9 SeptemberLow confidence this far out

No — ground frozen.

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm36mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.63
Good:Temperature: Temperature12°C
Good:Wind: Wind light4 km/h

Limiting factor:grass wetness

Thursday 10 SeptemberLow confidence this far out

No — ground frozen.

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryno rain since Wednesday
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm36mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.87
Good:Temperature: Temperature13°C
Good:Wind: Wind light8 km/h

Limiting factor:none

Nearby

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