Soil temperature in Quincy, Massachusetts

Soil temperature

65°F18.3°C

at 6cm — germination depth

Cooling over the next 11 days.

Seeding conditions are open — soil is 18.3°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 Quincy, Massachusetts is currently 18.3°C, and falling about 19.6°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 18.3°C at 6cm and holding above 12.5°C.

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–8pm, on the basis that rain earlier today, ground firm.

The next recommended window in Quincy opens at 9am on Wednesday 2 September, because that is when the dew has burnt off — earlier than that and you are cutting wet grass. Underfoot, the ground reads as firm after 0mm rain over the last week.

See the full mowing forecast for Quincy

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 18.2°C cooling to 0.0°C

Tuesday 1 September: Not worth it. No — grass wet, rain earlier today.

Tuesday 1 SeptemberConfident

No — grass wet, rain earlier today.

Poor:Grass wetness
Grass wetrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 1.00
Good:Temperature
Temperature18°C
Good:Wind
Wind light6 km/h

Limiting factor:grass wetness

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

Wednesday 2 September · 9am–8pmConfident

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

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm2mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 1.00
Good:Temperature
Temperature16°C
Good:Wind
Wind light7 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts once the dew has burnt off

Limiting factor:none

Thursday 3 September: Good. 11am–3pm — cool — 25°C

Thursday 3 September · 11am–3pmConfident

11am–3pm — cool — 25°C

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm2mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.97
Marginal:Temperature
Temperature19°C
Good:Wind
Wind light16 km/h
Sociable hours
Fine by the neighboursstarts once the dew has burnt off

Limiting factor:temperature

Friday 4 September: Good. 8am–2pm — rain earlier today, ground firm

Friday 4 September · 8am–2pmConfident

8am–2pm — 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 0.81
Marginal:Temperature
Temperature19°C
Good:Wind
Wind light7 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:none

Saturday 5 September: Good. 8am–midday — no rain since Thursday, ground firm

Saturday 5 September · 8am–middayReasonably confident

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

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain since Thursday
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm4mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 1.00
Good:Temperature
Temperature18°C
Good:Wind
Wind light13 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:none

Sunday 6 September: Good. 10am–8pm — rain earlier today, ground firm

Sunday 6 September · 10am–8pmReasonably confident

10am–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 0.88
Good:Temperature
Temperature15°C
Good:Wind
Wind light15 km/h
Sociable hours
Fine by the neighboursstarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:none

Monday 7 September: Good. 10am–8pm — no rain since Sunday, ground firm

Monday 7 September · 10am–8pmReasonably confident

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

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain since Sunday
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm5mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.94
Good:Temperature
Temperature15°C
Good:Wind
Wind light9 km/h
Sociable hours
Fine by the neighboursstarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:none

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

Tuesday 8 September · 8am–6pmReasonably confident

8am–6pm — no rain since Sunday, ground firm

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain since Sunday
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm4mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.95
Marginal:Temperature
Temperature17°C
Good:Wind
Wind light14 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

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 dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm3mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.94
Good:Temperature
Temperature17°C
Good:Wind
Wind light15 km/h

Limiting factor:none

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

Thursday 10 SeptemberLow confidence this far out

No — ground frozen.

Marginal:Grass wetness
Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm4mm rain over the last week
Good:Growth
Growing wellgrowth potential 0.96
Good:Temperature
Temperature20°C
Good:Wind
Wind light10 km/h

Limiting factor:grass wetness

Nearby

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