Soil temperature in Wichita, Kansas

Soil temperature

96°F35.4°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 Wichita, Kansas is currently 35.4°C, and falling about 31.9°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. Too warm to seed — the soil is heat-stressed. Wait for it to cool.

7 of the next 10 days are good mowing days. As for the weekend: nothing doing. conditions never quite get there.

The next recommended window in Wichita opens at 8am on Wednesday 2 September, because that is first light. Underfoot, the ground reads as firm after 0mm rain over the last week.

See the full mowing forecast for Wichita

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 33.3°C cooling to 0.0°C

Tuesday 1 September: Not worth it. No — barely growing, growth potential 0.15.

Tuesday 1 SeptemberConfident

No — barely growing, growth potential 0.15.

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain in the record
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Barely growinggrowth potential 0.15
Poor:Temperature
Heat stress29°C
Good:Wind
Wind light16 km/h

Limiting factor:growth

Wednesday 2 September: Good. 8am–9am — barely growing — growth potential 0.13

Wednesday 2 September · 8am–9amConfident

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

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain in the record
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Barely growinggrowth potential 0.13
Poor:Temperature
Cool26°C
Good:Wind
Wind light10 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts at first light

Limiting factor:growth

Thursday 3 September: Good. 8am–9am — barely growing — growth potential 0.12

Thursday 3 September · 8am–9amConfident

8am–9am — barely growing — growth potential 0.12

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain in the record
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Barely growinggrowth potential 0.12
Poor:Temperature
Heat stress26°C
Good:Wind
Wind light13 km/h
Sociable hours
A bit early or late, but finestarts at first light

Limiting factor:growth

Friday 4 September: Good. No — barely growing, growth potential 0.08.

Friday 4 SeptemberConfident

No — barely growing, growth potential 0.08.

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain in the record
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Barely growinggrowth potential 0.08
Poor:Temperature
Heat stress26°C
Good:Wind
Wind light16 km/h

Limiting factor:growth

Saturday 5 September: Good. No — barely growing, growth potential 0.04.

Saturday 5 SeptemberReasonably confident

No — barely growing, growth potential 0.04.

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain in the record
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Barely growinggrowth potential 0.04
Poor:Temperature
Heat stress29°C
Good:Wind
Wind light14 km/h

Limiting factor:growth

Sunday 6 September: Good. No — barely growing, growth potential 0.02.

Sunday 6 SeptemberReasonably confident

No — barely growing, growth potential 0.02.

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain in the record
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Barely growinggrowth potential 0.02
Poor:Temperature
Heat stress30°C
Good:Wind
Wind light9 km/h

Limiting factor:growth

Monday 7 September: Good. No — barely growing, growth potential 0.01.

Monday 7 SeptemberReasonably confident

No — barely growing, growth potential 0.01.

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain in the record
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Barely growinggrowth potential 0.01
Poor:Temperature
Heat stress32°C
Good:Wind
Wind light13 km/h

Limiting factor:growth

Tuesday 8 September: Good. No — barely growing, growth potential 0.01.

Tuesday 8 SeptemberReasonably confident

No — barely growing, growth potential 0.01.

Good:Grass wetness
Grass dryno rain in the record
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Barely growinggrowth potential 0.01
Poor:Temperature
Heat stress32°C
Good:Wind
Wind light15 km/h

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 in the record
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Barely growinggrowth potential 0.01
Poor:Temperature
Heat stress32°C
Good:Wind
Wind light17 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 in the record
Good:Ground firmness
Ground firm0mm rain over the last week
Poor:Growth
Barely growinggrowth potential 0.18
Poor:Temperature
Cool25°C
Good:Wind
Wind light20 km/h

Limiting factor:growth

Nearby

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These are town-centre figures. Yours will differ a little.

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