The Best Temperature to Grow Grass

Considerations

• Plant grass in the spring or fall, working around the danger of frost. Warm-season grass seed needs warmer soil to germinate, between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Cool-season grass thrives in a soil temperature between 50 and 65 F.

Time Frame

• For the correct germination temperature, sow warm-season grass in the spring. If you absolutely cannot, some types, such as Bermuda grass and zoysia grass, tolerate sowing in the autumn, 90 days before the first expected frost in northern states. You can push that to at least 60 days before the first frost in southern states.

Considerations

• It's likely there will be some temperature fluctuations during germination. Warmer is always preferred, but sometimes it can't be helped. Cool season grass can still grow in soil that gets as cool as 45 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, but warm season grass seed needs the soil to be 55 to 65 F. According to the Garden Counselor, soil temperatures are usually cooler than air temperatures.