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Initial screening of warm‐season grasses for cultivation in cool, short season growing areas has been focused on frost and chilling tolerance. Adoption of warm‐season grasses in these areas has resulted in an increase in degree‐day modeling of their growth. These predictive models are dependent on accurate determination of the basal temperatures for growth. In this study, base temperatures for seedling growth were estimated for switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman), Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans L. Nash), and prairie sandreed [Calamovilfa longifolia (Hook) Scribn.]. Seedlings at the two‐leaf stage were grown at 4, 8, 12, 16, and 24°C in growth chambers for 4 wk with representative harvests every week. Relative growth rates were calculated for each species at each temperature and these were used, in conjunction with regression techniques, to estimate base …