Missouri · 21 cities · spring 2026

When to apply crabgrass preventer in Missouri

Last spring the soil reached 50°F aroundMar 21Median of 21 cities; crabgrass temperatures (55°F) followed around Mar 22. Earliest: Springfield Mar 1; latest: Columbia Mar 22.
Today
Season over
21 of 21 cities
Window last spring
1 days
median gap from 50°F to 55°F
Soil today
58°F
median, 0–4 in
Never below 50°F
0
cities with no spring window

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

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

FebMarAprMayKansas CityKansas City: Mar 21 to Mar 22St. LouisSt. Louis: Mar 21 to Mar 22SpringfieldSpringfield: Mar 1 to Mar 22ColumbiaColumbia: Mar 22 to Apr 12Lee's SummitLee's Summit: Mar 21 to Mar 22O'FallonO'Fallon: Mar 22 to Apr 11Saint JosephSaint Joseph: Mar 22 to Apr 12JoplinJoplin: Mar 1 to Mar 22Jefferson CityJefferson City: Mar 22 to Mar 22Cape GirardeauCape Girardeau: Mar 4 to Mar 22WildwoodWildwood: Mar 22 to Mar 22SedaliaSedalia: Mar 22 to Mar 22
FebMarAprMayKansas CityKansas City: Mar 21 to Mar 22St. LouisSt. Louis: Mar 21 to Mar 22SpringfieldSpringfield: Mar 1 to Mar 22ColumbiaColumbia: Mar 22 to Apr 12Lee's SummitLee's Summit: Mar 21 to Mar 22O'FallonO'Fallon: Mar 22 to Apr 11Saint JosephSaint Joseph: Mar 22 to Apr 12JoplinJoplin: Mar 1 to Mar 22Jefferson C…Jefferson City: Mar 22 to Mar 22Cape Girard…Cape Girardeau: Mar 4 to Mar 22WildwoodWildwood: Mar 22 to Mar 22SedaliaSedalia: Mar 22 to Mar 22
Source: NOAA NCEP GFS analyses, 0–10 cm; 5-day mean held 10 days.

Every Missouri city

Spring 2026 dates and today's verdict.

CityHeld 50°F (2026)Held 55°F (2026)Soil todayToday
Kansas City, MOMar 21Mar 2259°FSeason over
St. Louis, MOMar 21Mar 2261°FSeason over
Springfield, MOMar 1Mar 2258°FSeason over
Columbia, MOMar 22Apr 1256°FSeason over
Lee's Summit, MOMar 21Mar 2259°FSeason over
O'Fallon, MOMar 22Apr 1158°FSeason over
Saint Joseph, MOMar 22Apr 1255°FSeason over
Joplin, MOMar 1Mar 2259°FSeason over
Jefferson City, MOMar 22Mar 2257°FSeason over
Cape Girardeau, MOMar 4Mar 2258°FSeason over
Wildwood, MOMar 22Mar 2257°FSeason over
Sedalia, MOMar 22Mar 2257°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 Missouri?
When the soil holds 50 to 55°F. Last spring that was around Mar 21 to Mar 22 across 21 Missouri 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 Missouri →

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