Indiana · 29 cities · spring 2026
When to apply crabgrass preventer in Indiana
Last spring's pre-emergent window, largest Indiana cities
Each bar runs from the day the soil held 50°F to the day it held 55°F (2026).
- 50°F to 55°F
Every Indiana city
Spring 2026 dates and today's verdict.
| City | Held 50°F (2026) | Held 55°F (2026) | Soil today | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis, IN | Mar 22 | Apr 12 | 58°F | Season over |
| Fort Wayne, IN | Apr 13 | May 18 | 50°F | Season over |
| Evansville, IN | Mar 6 | Apr 11 | 58°F | Season over |
| South Bend, IN | Apr 12 | May 17 | 51°F | Season over |
| Bloomington, IN | Mar 23 | May 12 | 55°F | Season over |
| Hammond, IN | Apr 11 | Apr 13 | 53°F | Season over |
| Lafayette, IN | Apr 12 | May 16 | 53°F | Season over |
| Muncie, IN | Apr 12 | May 17 | 52°F | Season over |
| Terre Haute, IN | Mar 22 | Apr 12 | 56°F | Season over |
| Noblesville, IN | Mar 29 | May 12 | 54°F | Season over |
| Kokomo, IN | Apr 12 | May 12 | 53°F | Season over |
| Anderson, IN | Apr 11 | May 12 | 53°F | Season over |
| Columbus, IN | Mar 23 | Apr 13 | 55°F | Season over |
| Portage, IN | Apr 12 | May 16 | 52°F | Season over |
| Richmond, IN | Apr 11 | May 17 | 52°F | Season over |
| Goshen, IN | Apr 13 | May 18 | 50°F | Season over |
| Michigan City, IN | Apr 13 | May 18 | 51°F | Season over |
| Marion, IN | Apr 12 | May 16 | 52°F | Season over |
| Franklin, IN | Mar 23 | May 12 | 54°F | Season over |
| Greenfield, IN | Mar 30 | Apr 13 | 54°F | Season over |
| Seymour, IN | Mar 23 | Apr 13 | 55°F | Season over |
| Vincennes, IN | Mar 22 | Apr 12 | 57°F | Season over |
| Logansport, IN | Apr 12 | May 16 | 52°F | Season over |
| New Castle, IN | Apr 12 | May 17 | 52°F | Season over |
| Huntington, IN | Apr 12 | May 17 | 50°F | Season over |
| Frankfort, IN | Apr 12 | May 13 | 53°F | Season over |
| Crawfordsville, IN | Apr 12 | May 16 | 54°F | Season over |
| Lebanon, IN | Apr 11 | May 13 | 53°F | Season over |
| Jasper, IN | Mar 6 | Apr 12 | 56°F | Season 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 Indiana?
- When the soil holds 50 to 55°F. Last spring that was around Apr 11 to May 13 across 29 Indiana 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 Indiana →
Data: Global Forecast System (GFS) 0.25°, soil temperature 0–10 cm (TSOIL) (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)); GeoNames gazetteer (cities15000) (GeoNames).