Soil Temperatures

Amy Timmerman, Extension Educator Author

03/30/2023 Added

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We are at the beginning of planting season. The biggest thing we need to look at now is soil temperatures.

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[00:00:00.740]This is Amy Timmerman with Nebraska Extension.
[00:00:03.952]Holy Cow! It is hard to believe that we in the
[00:00:06.402]last week of March and April is knocking on our door.
[00:00:09.307]With April knocking on our door that typically indicates
[00:00:12.787]we are at the beginning of planting season.
[00:00:15.272]For some of our fields we still have some snow
[00:00:18.267]present depending on where we are at.
[00:00:20.672]But, before we start getting out onto those fields and planting those seeds,
[00:00:24.293]the biggest thing we need to look at right now is soil temperatures.
[00:00:27.843]Soil temperatures is the first starting point for us to have a successful crop.
[00:00:32.657]When the soil temperatures are at optimal temperatures for the seeds
[00:00:35.897]that we are planting, the seeds are able to swell, germinate,
[00:00:39.757]and start growing like gang busters and give
[00:00:42.112]us the optimal yield that we are looking at.
[00:00:44.557]So how do we determine what our soil temperatures are?
[00:00:48.087]We have a great resource at cropwatch.unl.edu/soiltemperature.
[00:00:53.467]This data on here is from the Nebraska State
[00:00:56.480]Climate office and from Nebraska Mesonet.
[00:00:59.493]This is updated daily.
[00:01:01.513]If you go to the map you are able to look
[00:01:04.153]at various spots in the state where
[00:01:06.814]they're collecting data and they will give you
[00:01:09.002]daily average 4-inch bare soil temperatures
[00:01:12.053]and they will also provide weekly average
[00:01:14.153]4-inch bare soil temperatures.
[00:01:16.253]So, as we look in our area, we are ranging on average
[00:01:20.058]as of Wednesday, March 29
[00:01:24.166]anywhere from 32° to about 39 to 40° F
[00:01:29.454]depending on where you are at in the state.
[00:01:31.503]So this is a great place to go - look at it.
[00:01:34.453]However there are so many things that
[00:01:36.238]could impact your soil temperature.
[00:01:38.023]Are you a no-till?
[00:01:39.265]So how much coverage do we have on that field
[00:01:41.775]that is going to slow down
[00:01:43.335]that temperature warming up?
[00:01:46.075]Do I till my fields? Do I still have a lot of snow cover?
[00:01:50.075]So one of the easiest ways is for you to go
[00:01:52.075]out and collect your own soil temperatures.
[00:01:54.075]You don't need to go out and buy a special soil thermometer.
[00:01:57.425]You can get away with using a basic meat thermometer
[00:02:00.515]that you can buy from the grocery store.
[00:02:02.375]All you are going to do is take that thermometer out,
[00:02:04.885]stick it down in that soil profile, give it about 5 minutes to adjust
[00:02:08.219]to the climate and to the soil and to see what your temperatures are.
[00:02:13.115]For me, I'm located in O'Neill.
[00:02:15.278]On Monday, when I went out,
[00:02:16.518]when I was looking at bare tilled soil
[00:02:19.133]I was running about 37° F.
[00:02:21.748]When I looked at a no-till, that has
[00:02:24.293]been grazed by cattle, with some coverage yet,
[00:02:28.683]I'm running about 35° F.
[00:02:30.853]And so it gave me a really good idea where I'm at.
[00:02:33.673]That soil temp is going to give us an indication
[00:02:36.033]of how soon we are going to plant.
[00:02:37.648]If you are looking at spring planted forages
[00:02:39.718]such as oats, spring barley, spring wheat, spring triticale,
[00:02:43.653]those plants are going to germinate at 35° F.
[00:02:46.878]So we are right on the edge of getting those plants into the ground.
[00:02:51.384]If you are looking at a traditional corn and soybeans,
[00:02:54.454]we want to wait until those soil temperatures are about 50° F.
[00:02:57.514]So we need to give it a few more weeks
[00:02:59.334]and depending on what our weather cycles
[00:03:01.214]are going to be that soil may warm up very quickly
[00:03:03.924]or we may need to delay planting by a few days
[00:03:07.164]to a week to allow that soil to warm up
[00:03:09.746]to where we need to optimize that seed
[00:03:12.929]to be able to germinate and grow as quickly as possible.
[00:03:15.866]If you have any questions about soil temperatures,
[00:03:18.756]please reach out to your local extension educator.
[00:03:21.596]This has been Amy Timmerman with Nebraska Extension

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