Soil temperature in Eugene, Oregon

Soil temperature

68°F19.9°C

at 6cm — germination depth

Cooling over the next 11 days.

Seeding conditions are open — soil is 19.9°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.
SpeciesSoil tempDays
Perennial ryegrass8°C5–10
Red / chewings fescue8–10°C10–14
Tall fescuelikely yours10–12°C10–14
Browntop bentColonial bentgrass10–12°C14–21
Smooth-stalked meadow grassKentucky bluegrasslikely yours12–13°C14–28

Soil temperature at 6cm in Eugene, Oregon is currently 19.9°C, and falling about 17.7°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 19.9°C at 6cm and holding above 12.5°C.

6 of the next 10 days look workable. The other 4 are held back by wet grass or soft ground. The best weekend slot right now is Sunday 10am–8pm, on the basis that no rain since Friday, ground firm.

The next recommended window in Eugene opens at 5pm 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 Eugene

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 19.5°C cooling to 0.0°C

Tuesday 1 September: Good. 5pm–8pm — no rain in the record, ground firm

Tuesday 1 September · 5pm–8pmConfident

5pm–8pm — no rain in the record, ground firm

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain in the record
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.95
Good:Temperature
Temperature22°C
Good:Wind
Wind light13 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but fine

Limiting factor:none

Wednesday 2 September: Good. 8am–9am — no rain in the record, ground firm

Wednesday 2 September · 8am–9amConfident

8am–9am — no rain in the record, ground firm

Poor:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain in the record
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.68
Good:Temperature
Temperature14°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: Good. 8am–10am — grass slightly damp — rain earlier today

Thursday 3 September · 8am–10amConfident

8am–10am — grass slightly damp — rain earlier today

Good:Grass wetness
Grass drydried off since a shower 0 hours ago
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm11mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.52
Good:Temperature
Temperature12°C
Good:Wind
Wind light9 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts once the dew has burnt off

Limiting factor:grass wetness

Friday 4 September: Not worth it. No — 0.6mm of rain falling.

Friday 4 SeptemberConfident

No — 0.6mm of rain falling.

Poor:Grass wetness
Grass wetraining now
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm13mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing steadilygrowth potential 0.38
Good:Temperature
Temperature11°C
Good:Wind
Wind light4 km/h

Limiting factor:grass wetness

Saturday 5 September: Good. 1pm–8pm — rain earlier today, ground firm

Saturday 5 September · 1pm–8pmReasonably confident

1pm–8pm — rain earlier today, ground firm

Marginal:Grass wetness
Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm26mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.62
Good:Temperature
Temperature10°C
Good:Wind
Wind light3 km/h
Sociable hours
Fine by the neighboursstarts once the dew has burnt off

Limiting factor:none

Sunday 6 September: Good. 10am–8pm — no rain since Friday, ground firm

Sunday 6 September · 10am–8pmReasonably confident

10am–8pm — no rain since Friday, ground firm

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain since Friday
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm28mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.73
Good:Temperature
Temperature12°C
Good:Wind
Wind light3 km/h
Sociable hours
Fine by the neighboursstarts once the dew has burnt off

Limiting factor:none

Monday 7 September: Marginal. No — 0.1mm of rain falling.

Monday 7 SeptemberReasonably confident

No — 0.1mm of rain falling.

Poor:Grass wetness
Grass wetraining now
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm28mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.62
Good:Temperature
Temperature13°C
Good:Wind
Wind light3 km/h

Limiting factor:grass wetness

Tuesday 8 September: Good. 1pm–6pm — rain earlier today, ground firm

Tuesday 8 September · 1pm–6pmReasonably confident

1pm–6pm — rain earlier today, ground firm

Marginal:Grass wetness
Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm32mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.70
Good:Temperature
Temperature11°C
Good:Wind
Wind light1 km/h
Sociable hours
Fine by the neighboursstarts once the dew has burnt off

Limiting factor:none

Wednesday 9 September: Not worth it. No — ground frozen.

Wednesday 9 SeptemberLow confidence this far out

No — ground frozen.

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain since Monday
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm32mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.72
Good:Temperature
Temperature11°C
Good:Wind
Wind light1 km/h

Limiting factor:grass wetness

Thursday 10 September: Not worth it. No — ground frozen.

Thursday 10 SeptemberLow confidence this far out

No — ground frozen.

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain since Monday
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm21mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.94
Marginal:Temperature
Temperature12°C
Good:Wind
Wind light1 km/h

Limiting factor:grass wetness

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