Georgia · 33 cities · spring 2026

When to apply crabgrass preventer in Georgia

Last spring the soil reached 50°F aroundFeb 11Median of 33 cities; crabgrass temperatures (55°F) followed around Mar 1. Earliest: St. Marys Feb 8; latest: Athens Mar 1.
Today
Season over
33 of 33 cities
Window last spring
18 days
median gap from 50°F to 55°F
Soil today
63°F
median, 0–4 in
Never below 50°F
0
cities with no spring window

Last spring's pre-emergent window, largest Georgia cities

Each bar runs from the day the soil held 50°F to the day it held 55°F (2026).

FebMarAprMayAtlantaAtlanta: Feb 11 to Mar 1ColumbusColumbus: Feb 11 to Feb 12SavannahSavannah: Feb 11 to Mar 1AthensAthens: Mar 1 to Mar 2South FultonSouth Fulton: Mar 1 to Mar 2RoswellRoswell: Feb 12 to Mar 1MaconMacon: Feb 11 to Mar 1AlbanyAlbany: Feb 10 to Feb 12Warner RobinsWarner Robins: Feb 11 to Mar 1ValdostaValdosta: Feb 9 to Feb 12AugustaAugusta: Feb 11 to Mar 1GainesvilleGainesville: Mar 1 to Mar 5
FebMarAprMayAtlantaAtlanta: Feb 11 to Mar 1ColumbusColumbus: Feb 11 to Feb 12SavannahSavannah: Feb 11 to Mar 1AthensAthens: Mar 1 to Mar 2South FultonSouth Fulton: Mar 1 to Mar 2RoswellRoswell: Feb 12 to Mar 1MaconMacon: Feb 11 to Mar 1AlbanyAlbany: Feb 10 to Feb 12Warner Robi…Warner Robins: Feb 11 to Mar 1ValdostaValdosta: Feb 9 to Feb 12AugustaAugusta: Feb 11 to Mar 1GainesvilleGainesville: Mar 1 to Mar 5
Source: NOAA NCEP GFS analyses, 0–10 cm; 5-day mean held 10 days.

Every Georgia city

Spring 2026 dates and today's verdict.

CityHeld 50°F (2026)Held 55°F (2026)Soil todayToday
Atlanta, GAFeb 11Mar 164°FSeason over
Columbus, GAFeb 11Feb 1265°FSeason over
Savannah, GAFeb 11Mar 166°FSeason over
Athens, GAMar 1Mar 260°FSeason over
South Fulton, GAMar 1Mar 260°FSeason over
Roswell, GAFeb 12Mar 163°FSeason over
Macon, GAFeb 11Mar 164°FSeason over
Albany, GAFeb 10Feb 1264°FSeason over
Warner Robins, GAFeb 11Mar 164°FSeason over
Valdosta, GAFeb 9Feb 1265°FSeason over
Augusta, GAFeb 11Mar 167°FSeason over
Gainesville, GAMar 1Mar 558°FSeason over

Crabgrass seeds start to germinate once the top 2 to 4 inches of soil stay near 55°F for several days. A pre-emergent works as a barrier in the soil, so it has to be down and watered in before that: the usual advice is to apply it while the soil holds 50 to 55°F. The dates here are when the modelled soil began to hold each temperature last spring; this year's window will move with the weather, which is why each city page shows today's reading and the 7-day forecast.

Questions

When should I put down crabgrass preventer in Georgia?
When the soil holds 50 to 55°F. Last spring that was around Feb 11 to Mar 1 across 33 Georgia cities, earlier in the south and in cities.
Is it too late to apply pre-emergent?
Once the soil has held 55°F for a week or more, crabgrass is germinating and a pre-emergent will not stop the seedlings already up. Each city page says which side of that line it is on today.

Soil temperature today in Georgia →

Data: Global Forecast System (GFS) 0.25°, soil temperature 0–10 cm (TSOIL) (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)); GeoNames gazetteer (cities15000) (GeoNames).