Soil temperature in Springfield, Missouri

Soil temperature

92°F33.1°C

at 6cm — germination depth

Cooling over the next 11 days.

Too warm to seed — the soil is heat-stressed. Wait for it to cool.

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 Springfield, Missouri is currently 33.1°C, and falling about 29.2°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. Too warm to seed — the soil is heat-stressed. Wait for it to cool.

8 of the next 10 days are good mowing days. The best weekend slot right now is Sunday midday–1pm, on the basis that growing slowly — growth potential 0.23.

The next recommended window in Springfield opens at 8am on Wednesday 2 September, because anything earlier is the hour your neighbours will remember. Underfoot, the ground reads as firm after 0mm rain over the last week.

See the full mowing forecast for Springfield

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 33.1°C cooling to 0.0°C

Tuesday 1 September: Good. No — growing slowly, growth potential 0.22.

Tuesday 1 SeptemberConfident

No — growing slowly, growth potential 0.22.

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain in over a week
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Growing slowlygrowth potential 0.22
Poor:Temperature
Heat stress35°C
Good:Wind
Wind light5 km/h

Limiting factor:growth

Wednesday 2 September: Good. 8am–9am — barely growing — growth potential 0.15

Wednesday 2 September · 8am–9amConfident

8am–9am — barely growing — growth potential 0.15

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain in over a week
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Barely growinggrowth potential 0.15
Poor:Temperature
Cool25°C
Good:Wind
Wind light10 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:growth

Thursday 3 September: Good. 8am–9am — barely growing — growth potential 0.14

Thursday 3 September · 8am–9amConfident

8am–9am — barely growing — growth potential 0.14

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain in over a week
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Barely growinggrowth potential 0.14
Poor:Temperature
Cool24°C
Good:Wind
Wind light9 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:growth

Friday 4 September: Good. 8am–9am — barely growing — growth potential 0.13

Friday 4 September · 8am–9amConfident

8am–9am — barely growing — growth potential 0.13

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain in over a week
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Barely growinggrowth potential 0.13
Poor:Temperature
Cool25°C
Good:Wind
Wind light9 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:growth

Saturday 5 September: Good. 8am–9am — barely growing — growth potential 0.10

Saturday 5 September · 8am–9amReasonably confident

8am–9am — barely growing — growth potential 0.10

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain in over a week
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Barely growinggrowth potential 0.10
Poor:Temperature
Cool25°C
Good:Wind
Wind light9 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:growth

Sunday 6 September: Good. midday–1pm — growing slowly — growth potential 0.23

Sunday 6 September · midday–1pmReasonably confident

midday–1pm — growing slowly — growth potential 0.23

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain in over a week
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Marginal:Growth
Growing slowlygrowth potential 0.23
Poor:Temperature
Cool25°C
Good:Wind
Wind light7 km/h
Sociable hours
Fine by the neighboursstarts once the rain has passed

Limiting factor:growth

Monday 7 September: Good. 7pm–8pm — growing slowly — growth potential 0.24

Monday 7 September · 7pm–8pmReasonably confident

7pm–8pm — growing slowly — growth potential 0.24

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm1mm rain over the last week
Marginal:Growth
Growing slowlygrowth potential 0.24
Poor:Temperature
Cool24°C
Good:Wind
Wind light11 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:growth

Tuesday 8 September: Good. 8am–9am — barely growing — growth potential 0.18

Tuesday 8 September · 8am–9amReasonably confident

8am–9am — barely growing — growth potential 0.18

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryrain earlier today
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm1mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Barely growinggrowth potential 0.18
Poor:Temperature
Cool24°C
Good:Wind
Wind light11 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts when it stops being antisocial

Limiting factor:growth

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 firm3mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Barely growinggrowth potential 0.03
Poor:Temperature
Heat stress29°C
Good:Wind
Wind light18 km/h

Limiting factor:growth

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 firm3mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Barely growinggrowth potential 0.13
Poor:Temperature
Cool24°C
Good:Wind
Wind light14 km/h

Limiting factor:growth

Nearby

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