Soil temperature in Elgin, Scotland

Soil temperature

12.8°C55°F

at 6cm — germination depth

Cooling over the next 11 days.

Seeding conditions are open — soil is 12.8°C at 6cm and holding above 9°C.

Almost every UK and Irish lawn is a ryegrass and fescue mix, whether it was sown or turfed. We assume that, and use9°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.
SpeciesSoil tempDays
Perennial ryegrasslikely yours8°C5–10
Red / chewings fescuelikely yours8–10°C10–14
Tall fescue10–12°C10–14
Browntop bentColonial bentgrass10–12°C14–21
Smooth-stalked meadow grassKentucky bluegrass12–13°C14–28

Soil temperature at 6cm in Elgin, Scotland is currently 12.8°C, and falling about 1.8°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 perennial ryegrass with fescue, which is what most lawns round here are sown with. That blend needs the soil to hold above 9°C before seed germinates reliably. Seeding conditions are open — soil is 12.8°C at 6cm and holding above 9°C.

8 of the next 10 days are good mowing days. The best weekend slot right now is Saturday 8am–9pm, on the basis that rain earlier today, ground firm.

The next recommended window in Elgin opens at 8am on Wednesday 2 September, because anything earlier is the hour your neighbours will remember. Underfoot, the ground reads as firm after 20mm rain over the last week.

See the full mowing forecast for Elgin

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.

9°C — seeding

Soil at 6cm 14.2°C cooling to 13.1°C

Wednesday 2 September: Good. 8am–9pm — rain earlier today, ground firm

Wednesday 2 September · 8am–9pmConfident

8am–9pm — rain earlier today, ground firm

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm20mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing steadilygrowth potential 0.47
Good:Temperature
Temperature11°C
Good:Wind
Wind light6 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:none

Thursday 3 September: Good. midday–5pm — rain earlier today, ground firm

Thursday 3 September · midday–5pmConfident

midday–5pm — rain earlier today, ground firm

Marginal:Grass wetness
Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm20mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.70
Good:Temperature
Temperature15°C
Good:Wind
Wind light16 km/h
Sociable hours
Fine by the neighboursstarts once the dew has burnt off

Limiting factor:none

Friday 4 September: Good. 8am–11am — rain earlier today, ground firm

Friday 4 September · 8am–11amConfident

8am–11am — rain earlier today, ground firm

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm26mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.64
Good:Temperature
Temperature13°C
Good:Wind
Wind light18 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:none

Saturday 5 September: Good. 8am–9pm — rain earlier today, ground firm

Saturday 5 September · 8am–9pmConfident

8am–9pm — rain earlier today, ground firm

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm14mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.57
Good:Temperature
Temperature12°C
Good:Wind
Wind light18 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:none

Sunday 6 September: Marginal. No — 0.1mm of rain falling.

Sunday 6 SeptemberReasonably confident

No — 0.1mm of rain falling.

Poor:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain since Friday
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm10mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.51
Good:Temperature
Temperature13°C
Good:Wind
Wind light6 km/h

Limiting factor:none

Monday 7 September: Marginal. No — 0.8mm of rain falling.

Monday 7 SeptemberReasonably confident

No — 0.8mm of rain falling.

Poor:Grass wetness
Grass drydried off since a shower 0 hours ago
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm24mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing steadilygrowth potential 0.41
Good:Temperature
Temperature12°C
Good:Wind
Wind light19 km/h

Limiting factor:grass wetness

Tuesday 8 September: Good. 1pm–2pm — growing slowly — growth potential 0.33

Tuesday 8 September · 1pm–2pmReasonably confident

1pm–2pm — growing slowly — growth potential 0.33

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm27mm rain over the last week
Marginal:Growth
Growing slowlygrowth potential 0.33
Good:Temperature
Temperature10°C
Good:Wind
Wind light19 km/h
Sociable hours
Fine by the neighboursstarts once the rain has passed

Limiting factor:growth

Wednesday 9 September: Good. 2pm–8pm — growing slowly — growth potential 0.29

Wednesday 9 September · 2pm–8pmReasonably confident

2pm–8pm — growing slowly — growth potential 0.29

Good:Grass wetness
Grass drydried off since a shower 0 hours ago
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm31mm rain over the last week
Marginal:Growth
Growing slowlygrowth potential 0.29
Good:Temperature
Temperature11°C
Good:Wind
Wind light23 km/h
Sociable hours
Fine by the neighboursstarts once the rain has passed

Limiting factor:growth

Thursday 10 September: Good. 8am–8pm — growing slowly — growth potential 0.31

Thursday 10 September · 8am–8pmLow confidence this far out

8am–8pm — growing slowly — growth potential 0.31

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm33mm rain over the last week
Marginal:Growth
Growing slowlygrowth potential 0.31
Good:Temperature
Temperature10°C
Good:Wind
Wind light16 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:growth

Friday 11 September: Good. 8am–8pm — growing slowly — growth potential 0.32

Friday 11 September · 8am–8pmLow confidence this far out

8am–8pm — growing slowly — growth potential 0.32

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain since Wednesday
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm26mm rain over the last week
Marginal:Growth
Growing slowlygrowth potential 0.32
Good:Temperature
Temperature10°C
Good:Wind
Wind light10 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:growth

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