Grass Seed Germination Temperature Chart (by Grass Type)
James ThorntonLawn Equipment & Maintenance Expert | 20 YearsAs an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Grass seed germinates by soil temperature, not air temperature. Cool-season seed (tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, fine fescue) sprouts best in soil of 50 to 70°F at about 1 inch deep. Warm-season seed (bermuda, centipede, zoysia, bahia) waits for 65 to 70°F soil or warmer.
The germination temperature chart below gives the soil temperature and the days to sprout for each grass. Then measure your own soil. A probe thermometer does the job. So does the soil temperature map for your ZIP code.
Cool-season seed: plant when morning soil at 1 inch reads 50 to 70°F, per University of Maryland Extension. Purdue Extension says to start frequent watering once soil passes 55°F.
Warm-season seed: wait for 65°F at 4 inches for bermuda (NC State Extension) and about 70°F for centipede and other warm-season seed. Below about 50°F, cool-season seed sits and waits. In November, that's dormant seeding.
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Grass seed germination temperature chart
Find your grass. Read the temperature. Expect the days column only when soil sits in range and the top inch stays damp.
| Grass type | Season | Soil temp for good germination | Days to germinate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perennial ryegrass | Cool | 50 to 70°F | 5 to 10 |
| Annual ryegrass | Cool | 50 to 70°F | 5 to 10 |
| Tall fescue | Cool | 50 to 70°F | 7 to 14 (14 to 21 at 55°F) |
| Fine fescue (red, hard) | Cool | 50 to 70°F | 7 to 14 |
| Kentucky bluegrass | Cool | 50 to 70°F | 14 to 30 (18 to 28 at 55°F) |
| Bermudagrass | Warm | 65°F or warmer at 4 inches | 10 to 30 |
| Buffalograss | Warm | Above 60°F | 14 to 30 |
| Centipede | Warm | About 70°F | 21 to 28 |
| Zoysia (seeded) | Warm | About 70°F | See the seed bag (UMD does not recommend zoysia from seed) |
| Bahia | Warm | About 70°F | See the seed bag |
Sources: cool-season start range from University of Maryland Extension (50 to 70°F at about 1 inch). The 55°F watering trigger and the 55°F day counts from Purdue Extension AY-20. Bermuda from NC State Extension. Warm-season 70°F from NC State Extension, Pamlico County. Buffalograss from Dyck Arboretum. Centipede days from the USDA Forest Service. Tall fescue days from University of Maryland Extension, Lawn Grasses Grown in Maryland. Other day ranges from UC IPM. No sourced day count for seeded zoysia or bahia. Check the bag.
Ryegrass is the fast one. Bluegrass is the slow one. Day 12 with no bluegrass up is normal. Don't reseed yet. In a mix, keep watering until the slowest seed is up.
What is the lowest temperature grass seed will germinate?
For cool-season seed, plan on 50°F soil at seed depth as the floor. That's the bottom of the University of Maryland range. Purdue says to water new seed often once soil passes 55°F, three to four times a day.
Below 50°F, seed doesn't die right away. It waits. Sprouting gets slow and patchy, and seed sits exposed to birds and washouts. Warm-season seed is fussier. Bermuda wants 65°F at 4 inches. Centipede and most other warm-season seed want about 70°F.
Will grass seed germinate in 60 degree weather?
Depends on the soil. The forecast doesn't tell you. A 60°F afternoon in March can sit on ground still in the 40s. Cold seed. Nothing happens. A 60°F day in late September often sits on soil still warm from summer. Cool-season seed comes up fast. Check the number with a thermometer or the soil temperature tool.
Air warms fast. Soil warms slow. It also cools slow, which is why early fall beats spring for cool-season seed. For warm-season grass, 60°F weather is too cool. Wait for soil in the upper 60s and climbing.
How to measure soil temperature for seeding
- Use a probe thermometer. A metal-stem soil thermometer. Cheap. Works.
- Go to seed depth. About 1 inch for cool-season seed. NC State reads bermuda at 4 inches, so use 4 inches for bermuda.
- Read in the morning. Before the sun hits the spot. That's the low for the day.
- Read 3 to 5 days in a row. Average them. One reading means little. A trend tells you which way the soil is moving.
- Read where you'll seed. Shade and north slopes run cooler than open sun.
No thermometer? The soil temperature tool shows current and forecast soil temps for your ZIP code.
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REOTEMP Waterproof Soil Thermometer (5 inch stem)
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Seeding in November: dormant seeding
Soil under 50°F and dropping? Normal seeding is done for the year. Seed that sprouts now has no time to build roots before a freeze.
The other move is dormant seeding. You sow onto cold soil on purpose, and the seed sits until spring. Purdue Extension backs it: the seed lies dormant until soil warms in April or May, and freeze and thaw cracks the soil and works the seed in. In Indiana, Purdue puts the window from about Thanksgiving to March.
The sources split on risk. University of Maryland warns that unsprouted fall seed dies over winter, except Kentucky bluegrass. So bluegrass-heavy mixes are the safest dormant seed. And wait until the soil stays too cold to sprout. Seed that sprouts in a December warm spell gets killed by the next freeze.
Dormant seeding is for cool-season grass in cold-winter areas. Skip it for warm-season grass. Bermuda and centipede seed wait for late spring soil.
Calendar vs soil thermometer
The calendar tells you which month to watch. The thermometer tells you which day to seed. Use both.
Generic charts say "seed cool-season grass mid-August to mid-October." That's the University of Maryland window, and a good start. Shade, slope, clay and a cold fall can move your real start a week or more. Measure.
Warm-season grass has a calendar limit too. University of Maryland plants it mid-May into June, and warns that grass planted too early or too late can be chilled into dormancy or run out of time to establish. NC State says bermuda soil usually hits 65°F around early May in North Carolina. A September reading of 75°F doesn't make it a good time to seed bermuda.
For seeding and fertilizer timing by soil temperature through the year, see the soil temperature guide for seeding and fertilizing.
Don't seed cool-season grass into hot soil either. Seed sown in late spring comes up fast, then meets summer heat with short roots. Early fall is the better window. Read more in overseeding best practices and the bermuda seed planting guide.
- The ranges above come from the extension sources listed under the chart. Your county extension office can give the seeding dates for your area.
- The seed bag and its tag list the species and the germination percent for that lot. Follow the bag's seeding rate.
- If a spot failed before, test the soil before you spend on more seed. Cold soil is one cause of a failed seeding. There are others.
- Many crabgrass preventers also stop grass seed from sprouting. Planning a spring seeding? Read the preventer's label for its seeding rules first.
Seeding by soil temperature: the steps
- Know your grass. Cool-season or warm-season. Wrong grass, wrong row. Not sure? Identify it first.
- Find your row in the chart. Note the temperature range.
- Measure for 3 to 5 mornings. At seed depth, where you'll seed. Or check the soil temperature tool.
- Seed when the average is in range. Cool-season: early fall, soil cooling from summer. Warm-season: late spring, soil warming.
- Set the rate. Use the bag rate or the seeding rate calculator.
- Keep the top inch damp. Light watering, often, until it's up. Count days from the chart before you panic.
- Still bare after the top of the day range? Upload a photo of the bare area before you spend on more seed.
Thermometer. Morning reading. Right row. Seed. Done.
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Cool-season seed (tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, fine fescue) germinates best in soil of 50 to 70°F at about 1 inch deep, per University of Maryland Extension. Purdue Extension starts frequent watering once soil passes 55°F. Bermuda needs 65°F or warmer at 4 inches (NC State Extension), and centipede and most other warm-season seed need about 70°F.
Tall fescue germinates in soil of 50 to 70°F at about 1 inch deep (University of Maryland Extension), usually in 7 to 14 days. In cool spring soil around 55°F, Purdue Extension gives 14 to 21 days.
Plan on 50°F soil at seed depth as the floor for cool-season seed. Below that, seed mostly waits, and sprouting is slow and patchy. Warm-season seed needs 65 to 70°F soil.
It depends on the soil temperature. In early spring, 60°F days can sit on soil still in the 40s, and seed waits. In early fall, soil is often still warm from summer, and cool-season seed comes up fast. For warm-season grass, 60°F is too cool.
Perennial and annual ryegrass take 5 to 10 days, tall fescue 7 to 14, fine fescue 7 to 14, Kentucky bluegrass 14 to 30, bermuda 10 to 30, and centipede 21 to 28 days in good soil temperature and moisture. Cooler soil takes longer: at 55°F, Purdue Extension gives 14 to 21 days for tall fescue and 18 to 28 for Kentucky bluegrass.
Perennial and annual ryegrass germinate in soil of 50 to 70°F, the cool-season range from University of Maryland Extension, and they are the fastest common lawn grasses at 5 to 10 days.
In cold-winter areas, soil is usually under 50°F by November, so normal seeding is done. You can dormant seed cool-season grass instead: the seed waits and sprouts when soil warms in spring. Purdue Extension gives Thanksgiving to March for Indiana. Wait until the soil stays cold, and favor Kentucky bluegrass mixes, since University of Maryland says other unsprouted fall seed dies over winter. Do not dormant seed warm-season grass.
