Ground Temperatures and Fescue Germination

When most people talk about “temperature,” they’re referring to the air around them. But in lawn care, we also pay close attention to ground temperatures, and in many cases, they matter even more. One of the most important things affected by soil temperature is seed germination.

Fescue and Soil Temperature:

Fescue has an ideal temperature range for germination: it performs best when soil temperatures are between 50 and 65 degrees. This window typically occurs in September and October.

However, in 2016, soil temperatures remained high throughout most of September due to:

• One of the hottest summers on record in July and August

• A severe lack of rain in late summer and early fall

• Unseasonably warm weather lasting into October
  

“I don’t remember a time when it was this hot at Halloween!”

Local farmers reported that entire fields of cool-season crops, such as collard greens and kale, failed to germinate, even with irrigation, and required reseeding more than once.

What This Means for You:

Germination has been significantly affected.

If you aerated and seeded your lawn already, you may have noticed slower or less complete germination than in previous years.

What You Can Do:

Water is your best friend.
The seed may be sitting in place, ready to germinate once the conditions improve. Watering can help lower soil temperatures better than anything else. In fact, watering is the single most important thing you can do for your lawn right now. Even this late in the season, consistent watering can make a big difference.

If King GREEN performed your aeration and seeding and results are minimal, please call us. We’ll be happy to add more seed at no charge (re-aeration is not necessary or recommended).

Important: Make sure you're watering consistently. One of the worst things you can do is water diligently for a couple of weeks, get new grass growing, and then stop—leaving new seedlings to dry out.

(If you did your own seeding, you may want to add more seed now as well.)

Haven’t Seeded Yet?

You still can! The warm temperatures have extended the seeding window into November. Just know that while seed applied now will still germinate, there may not be much visible top growth before winter sets in.

Rest assured—root development continues through winter, and the lawn will begin to fill in beautifully when spring arrives.