New Mexico · 12 cities · spring 2026

When to apply crabgrass preventer in New Mexico

Last spring the soil reached 50°F aroundFeb 10Median of 12 cities; crabgrass temperatures (55°F) followed around Feb 27. Earliest: Las Cruces Feb 1; latest: Santa Fe Mar 12.
Today
Season over
12 of 12 cities
Window last spring
18 days
median gap from 50°F to 55°F
Soil today
56°F
median, 0–4 in
Never below 50°F
0
cities with no spring window

Last spring's pre-emergent window, largest New Mexico cities

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

FebMarAprMayAlbuquerqueAlbuquerque: Feb 26 to Feb 27Las CrucesLas Cruces: Feb 1 to Feb 6Enchanted HillsEnchanted Hills: Feb 27 to Mar 13Santa FeSanta Fe: Mar 12 to Mar 20RoswellRoswell: Feb 6 to Feb 9FarmingtonFarmington: Feb 28 to Mar 18ClovisClovis: Feb 9 to Feb 27HobbsHobbs: Feb 6 to Feb 9AlamogordoAlamogordo: Feb 9 to Feb 27CarlsbadCarlsbad: Feb 5 to Feb 8GallupGallup: Mar 12 to Mar 19Los LunasLos Lunas: Feb 10 to Feb 27
FebMarAprMayAlbuquerqueAlbuquerque: Feb 26 to Feb 27Las CrucesLas Cruces: Feb 1 to Feb 6Enchanted H…Enchanted Hills: Feb 27 to Mar 13Santa FeSanta Fe: Mar 12 to Mar 20RoswellRoswell: Feb 6 to Feb 9FarmingtonFarmington: Feb 28 to Mar 18ClovisClovis: Feb 9 to Feb 27HobbsHobbs: Feb 6 to Feb 9AlamogordoAlamogordo: Feb 9 to Feb 27CarlsbadCarlsbad: Feb 5 to Feb 8GallupGallup: Mar 12 to Mar 19Los LunasLos Lunas: Feb 10 to Feb 27
Source: NOAA NCEP GFS analyses, 0–10 cm; 5-day mean held 10 days.

Every New Mexico city

Spring 2026 dates and today's verdict.

CityHeld 50°F (2026)Held 55°F (2026)Soil todayToday
Albuquerque, NMFeb 26Feb 2757°FSeason over
Las Cruces, NMFeb 1Feb 663°FSeason over
Enchanted Hills, NMFeb 27Mar 1354°FSeason over
Santa Fe, NMMar 12Mar 2049°FSeason over
Roswell, NMFeb 6Feb 960°FSeason over
Farmington, NMFeb 28Mar 1852°FSeason over
Clovis, NMFeb 9Feb 2754°FSeason over
Hobbs, NMFeb 6Feb 960°FSeason over
Alamogordo, NMFeb 9Feb 2756°FSeason over
Carlsbad, NMFeb 5Feb 862°FSeason over
Gallup, NMMar 12Mar 1949°FSeason over
Los Lunas, NMFeb 10Feb 2756°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 New Mexico?
When the soil holds 50 to 55°F. Last spring that was around Feb 10 to Feb 27 across 12 New Mexico 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 New Mexico →

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