Kentucky · 16 cities · spring 2026

When to apply crabgrass preventer in Kentucky

Last spring the soil reached 50°F aroundMar 6Median of 16 cities; crabgrass temperatures (55°F) followed around Apr 12. Earliest: Murray Mar 1; latest: Meads Mar 30.
Today
Season over
16 of 16 cities
Window last spring
37 days
median gap from 50°F to 55°F
Soil today
55°F
median, 0–4 in
Never below 50°F
0
cities with no spring window

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

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

FebMarAprMayLouisvilleLouisville: Mar 6 to Mar 22LexingtonLexington: Mar 23 to Apr 13MeadsMeads: Mar 30 to Apr 12Bowling GreenBowling Green: Mar 4 to Apr 11OwensboroOwensboro: Mar 5 to Apr 11RichmondRichmond: Mar 6 to Apr 12GeorgetownGeorgetown: Mar 23 to Apr 13HopkinsvilleHopkinsville: Mar 3 to Mar 23ElizabethtownElizabethtown: Mar 6 to Apr 12FrankfortFrankfort: Mar 23 to Apr 13PaducahPaducah: Mar 2 to Mar 23MadisonvilleMadisonville: Mar 4 to Mar 23
FebMarAprMayLouisvilleLouisville: Mar 6 to Mar 22LexingtonLexington: Mar 23 to Apr 13MeadsMeads: Mar 30 to Apr 12Bowling Gre…Bowling Green: Mar 4 to Apr 11OwensboroOwensboro: Mar 5 to Apr 11RichmondRichmond: Mar 6 to Apr 12GeorgetownGeorgetown: Mar 23 to Apr 13HopkinsvilleHopkinsville: Mar 3 to Mar 23Elizabethto…Elizabethtown: Mar 6 to Apr 12FrankfortFrankfort: Mar 23 to Apr 13PaducahPaducah: Mar 2 to Mar 23MadisonvilleMadisonville: Mar 4 to Mar 23
Source: NOAA NCEP GFS analyses, 0–10 cm; 5-day mean held 10 days.

Every Kentucky city

Spring 2026 dates and today's verdict.

CityHeld 50°F (2026)Held 55°F (2026)Soil todayToday
Louisville, KYMar 6Mar 2259°FSeason over
Lexington, KYMar 23Apr 1353°FSeason over
Meads, KYMar 30Apr 1255°FSeason over
Bowling Green, KYMar 4Apr 1155°FSeason over
Owensboro, KYMar 5Apr 1156°FSeason over
Richmond, KYMar 6Apr 1253°FSeason over
Georgetown, KYMar 23Apr 1353°FSeason over
Hopkinsville, KYMar 3Mar 2356°FSeason over
Elizabethtown, KYMar 6Apr 1255°FSeason over
Frankfort, KYMar 23Apr 1354°FSeason over
Paducah, KYMar 2Mar 2357°FSeason over
Madisonville, KYMar 4Mar 2357°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 Kentucky?
When the soil holds 50 to 55°F. Last spring that was around Mar 6 to Apr 12 across 16 Kentucky 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 Kentucky →

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