Germany Pollen Calendar: What's in Season, Month by Month
It's September, and ragweed is usually at its peak in Germany. Another 4 types are still in the air too, including grasses (overall), ribwort plantain and nettle.
These windows are what a typical year looks like; the weather nudges them earlier or later. For what's actually in the air today, check the live pollen count for Berlin or find your city.
Trees
Trees start early in Germany. Hazel and alder can be airborne in January (in mild winters even around New Year) and peak in February and March. Birch, the country's most important tree allergen, dominates April, with ash alongside it and oak carrying the season into June.
Grasses
Grasses are Germany's biggest allergen by number of sufferers. The season runs mid-May into September, with June and July the roughest stretch. Rye, one of the officially forecast taxa, spikes in May and June near fields and is covered here within the overall grass row.
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grasses (overall) | in season | peak | peak | in season | in season | |||||||
| Timothy grass | in season | peak | peak | in season |
Weeds
Weeds close out the year. Nettle produces huge counts all summer, though it bothers relatively few people. Mugwort, Germany's most important weed allergen, flies from July to September, and ragweed follows from August into October in its hotspot regions.
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ribwort plantain | in season | peak | peak | peak | in season | |||||||
| Nettle | in season | peak | peak | in season | ||||||||
| Mugwort | peak | peak | in season | |||||||||
| Ragweed | peak | peak | in season |
When does pollen season start and end in Germany?
In a typical year the German pollen season runs from January to October as three overlapping waves. Hazel and alder open it in the depths of winter and peak in February and March; birch takes over from late March to May and dominates April; grasses run mid-May into September, peaking in June and July; and the weeds, mugwort from July and ragweed from August, carry the tail into October. Only November and December are usually quiet. Timing shifts across the country by two to three weeks. The mild southwest, the Upper Rhine valley, starts earliest; the northeast (Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) and the uplands start latest; warm years pull everything forward. Ragweed is a regional story: exposure is significant mainly in the Upper Rhine valley, Lusatia and southern Brandenburg, Berlin, and parts of Bavaria and Hesse. These windows show a typical year; for what’s actually flying today, check the live pollen count for Berlin or find your city.
What about rye, beech and the yellow pine dust?
Rye (Roggen) is the most allergenic cereal and one of Germany’s eight officially forecast pollen types. Its May to June flowering hits hardest near fields, and it is covered within the grass row here. Beech and hornbeam bloom in April and May and cross-react with birch; beech spikes strongly in mast years. The yellow dust from pine that coats cars in May and June, the so-called Schwefelregen, looks dramatic but is only weakly allergenic; if your symptoms flare then, grasses or late birch are the more likely cause. Where a row uses a representative species for a group counted collectively in Germany (birch, oak, elm, poplar, grasses), the season shown is for the group.
Frequently asked questions
When does pollen season end in Germany?
Mugwort and ragweed carry the German season into October, ragweed until the first frost in its hotspot regions. After that the air stays fairly clear until hazel and alder return in January.
When is grass pollen season in Germany?
Grass pollen season in Germany runs from mid-May into September, peaking in June and July. First counts can appear in late April in warm regions like the Upper Rhine valley.
When does birch pollen peak in Germany?
Birch pollen season in Germany typically runs from late March to May, peaking in April. Birch is Germany's most important tree allergen.