What is the soil temperature in Nanaimo, British Columbia?

Soil temperature at 6cm in Nanaimo, British Columbia is currently 23.1°C. Seeding conditions are open — soil is 23.1°C at 6cm and holding above 12.5°C.

Soil temperature in Nanaimo, British Columbia

Soil temperature

23.1°C74°F

at 6cm — germination depth

Cooling over the next 11 days.

Seeding conditions are open — soil is 23.1°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 Nanaimo, British Columbia is currently 23.1°C, and falling about 18.9°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 23.1°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 rain earlier today, ground firm.

The next recommended window in Nanaimo opens at 6pm on Tuesday 1 September, and holds while conditions stay put. Underfoot, the ground reads as firm after 2mm rain over the last week.

See the full mowing forecast for Nanaimo

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 22.7°C cooling to 0.0°C

Tuesday 1 September · 6pm–8pmConfident

6pm–8pm — no rain since Thursday, ground firm

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryno rain since Thursday
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm2mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.97
Good:Temperature: Temperature21°C
Good:Wind: Wind light11 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but fine

Limiting factor:none

Wednesday 2 September · 8am–8pmConfident

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

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryno rain since Thursday
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm2mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.92
Good:Temperature: Temperature15°C
Good:Wind: Wind light13 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:none

Thursday 3 September · 7pm–8pmConfident

7pm–8pm — grass slightly damp — rain 1 hour ago

Poor:Grass wetness: Grass dryno rain since Thursday
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm2mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.64
Good:Temperature: Temperature14°C
Good:Wind: Wind light15 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but finestarts once the rain has passed

Limiting factor:grass wetness

Friday 4 September · midday–8pmConfident

midday–8pm — dried off since a shower 1 hour ago, ground firm

Good:Grass wetness: Grass drydried off since a shower 0 hours ago
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm4mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.58
Good:Temperature: Temperature12°C
Good:Wind: Wind light5 km/h
Sociable hours: Fine by the neighboursstarts once the rain has passed

Limiting factor:none

Saturday 5 September · 8am–8pmReasonably confident

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

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm4mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.82
Good:Temperature: Temperature11°C
Good:Wind: Wind light7 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:none

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 firm4mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.98
Good:Temperature: Temperature13°C
Good:Wind: Wind light8 km/h
Sociable hours: Fine by the neighboursstarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:none

Monday 7 September · 8am–8pmReasonably confident

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

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryno rain since Friday
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm4mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 1.00
Good:Temperature: Temperature16°C
Good:Wind: Wind light6 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:none

Tuesday 8 September · 8am–6pmReasonably confident

8am–6pm — grass dry — no rain since Friday

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryno rain since Friday
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm4mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.81
Good:Temperature: Temperature14°C
Good:Wind: Wind light3 km/h
Sociable hours: A bit early or late, but finestarts once the dew has burnt off

Limiting factor:grass wetness

Wednesday 9 SeptemberLow confidence this far out

No — ground frozen.

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryno rain since Friday
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm4mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.71
Good:Temperature: Temperature12°C
Good:Wind: Wind light7 km/h

Limiting factor:grass wetness

Thursday 10 SeptemberLow confidence this far out

No — ground frozen.

Good:Grass wetness: Grass dryno rain since Friday
Good:Ground firmness: Ground firm4mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth: Growing wellgrowth potential 0.97
Good:Temperature: Temperature15°C
Good:Wind: Wind light5 km/h

Limiting factor:none

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