What is the soil temperature in Duluth, Minnesota?

Soil temperature at 6cm in Duluth, Minnesota is currently 22.5°C. Seeding conditions are open — soil is 22.5°C at 6cm and holding above 12.5°C.

Soil temperature in Duluth, Minnesota

Soil temperature

73°F22.5°C

at 6cm — germination depth

Cooling over the next 11 days.

Seeding conditions are open — soil is 22.5°C at 6cm and holding above 12.5°C.

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 Duluth, Minnesota is currently 22.5°C, and falling about 20.0°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. Seeding conditions are open — soil is 22.5°C at 6cm and holding above 12.5°C.

8 of the next 10 days are good mowing days. The best weekend slot right now is Saturday 8am–8pm, on the basis that no rain since Friday, ground firm.

The next recommended window in Duluth opens at 7pm on Tuesday 1 September, and holds while conditions stay put. Underfoot, the ground reads as firm after 7mm rain over the last week.

See the full mowing forecast for Duluth

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 22.5°C cooling to 0.0°C

Tuesday 1 September · 7pm–8pmConfident

7pm–8pm — heat stress — 27°C

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryno rain since Monday
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm7mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.89
Marginal:Temperature: Heat stress27°C
Good:Wind: Wind light17 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but fine

Limiting factor:temperature

Wednesday 2 September · 8am–8pmConfident

8am–8pm — no rain since Monday, ground firm

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryno rain since Monday
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm7mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.90
Good:Temperature: Temperature18°C
Good:Wind: Wind light8 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:none

Thursday 3 September · 8am–5pmConfident

8am–5pm — no rain since Monday, ground firm

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryno rain since Monday
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm7mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 1.00
Good:Temperature: Temperature17°C
Good:Wind: Wind light16 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:none

Friday 4 September · 5pm–8pmConfident

5pm–8pm — grass dry — rain earlier today

Poor:Grass wetness: Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm8mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.89
Good:Temperature: Temperature16°C
Good:Wind: Wind light15 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but finestarts once the dew has burnt off

Limiting factor:grass wetness

Saturday 5 September · 8am–8pmReasonably confident

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

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryno rain since Friday
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm19mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.97
Good:Temperature: Temperature16°C
Good:Wind: Wind light10 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:none

Sunday 6 September · 3pm–8pmReasonably confident

3pm–8pm — grass dry — rain earlier today

Poor:Grass wetness: Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm18mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.99
Good:Temperature: Temperature17°C
Good:Wind: Wind light5 km/h
Sociable hours: Fine by the neighboursstarts once the dew has burnt off

Limiting factor:grass wetness

Monday 7 September · 2pm–8pmReasonably confident

2pm–8pm — dried off since a shower 2 hours ago, ground firm

Marginal:Grass wetness: Grass drydried off since a shower 2 hours ago
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm23mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 1.00
Good:Temperature: Temperature19°C
Good:Wind: Wind light5 km/h
Sociable hours: Fine by the neighboursstarts once the rain has passed

Limiting factor:none

Tuesday 8 September · 8am–5pmReasonably confident

8am–5pm — rain earlier today, ground firm

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm19mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing steadilygrowth potential 0.46
Good:Temperature: Temperature12°C
Good:Wind: Wind light24 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:none

Wednesday 9 SeptemberLow confidence this far out

No — ground frozen.

Poor:Grass wetness: Grass drydried off since a shower 2 hours ago
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm19mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.79
Good:Temperature: Temperature16°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 dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm27mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing steadilygrowth potential 0.48
Good:Temperature: Temperature12°C
Good:Wind: Wind light14 km/h

Limiting factor:none

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