North Carolina · 39 cities · spring 2026

When to apply crabgrass preventer in North Carolina

Last spring the soil reached 50°F aroundMar 2Median of 39 cities; crabgrass temperatures (55°F) followed around Mar 6. Earliest: Wilmington Jan 6; latest: Boone Apr 13.
Today
Season over
39 of 39 cities
Window last spring
4 days
median gap from 50°F to 55°F
Soil today
59°F
median, 0–4 in
Never below 50°F
0
cities with no spring window

Last spring's pre-emergent window, largest North Carolina cities

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

FebMarAprMayCharlotteCharlotte: Mar 1 to Mar 5RaleighRaleigh: Mar 2 to Mar 6GreensboroGreensboro: Mar 5 to Mar 7DurhamDurham: Mar 5 to Mar 7Winston-SalemWinston-Salem: Mar 5 to Mar 31FayettevilleFayetteville: Mar 1 to Mar 5WilmingtonWilmington: Jan 6 to Mar 4AshevilleAsheville: Mar 5 to Apr 13GreenvilleGreenville: Mar 2 to Mar 6ConcordConcord: Mar 2 to Mar 7GastoniaGastonia: Mar 2 to Mar 6JacksonvilleJacksonville: Mar 1 to Mar 5
FebMarAprMayCharlotteCharlotte: Mar 1 to Mar 5RaleighRaleigh: Mar 2 to Mar 6GreensboroGreensboro: Mar 5 to Mar 7DurhamDurham: Mar 5 to Mar 7Winston-Sal…Winston-Salem: Mar 5 to Mar 31FayettevilleFayetteville: Mar 1 to Mar 5WilmingtonWilmington: Jan 6 to Mar 4AshevilleAsheville: Mar 5 to Apr 13GreenvilleGreenville: Mar 2 to Mar 6ConcordConcord: Mar 2 to Mar 7GastoniaGastonia: Mar 2 to Mar 6JacksonvilleJacksonville: Mar 1 to Mar 5
Source: NOAA NCEP GFS analyses, 0–10 cm; 5-day mean held 10 days.

Every North Carolina city

Spring 2026 dates and today's verdict.

CityHeld 50°F (2026)Held 55°F (2026)Soil todayToday
Charlotte, NCMar 1Mar 564°FSeason over
Raleigh, NCMar 2Mar 662°FSeason over
Greensboro, NCMar 5Mar 758°FSeason over
Durham, NCMar 5Mar 758°FSeason over
Winston-Salem, NCMar 5Mar 3158°FSeason over
Fayetteville, NCMar 1Mar 563°FSeason over
Wilmington, NCJan 6Mar 464°FSeason over
Asheville, NCMar 5Apr 1352°FSeason over
Greenville, NCMar 2Mar 660°FSeason over
Concord, NCMar 2Mar 758°FSeason over
Gastonia, NCMar 2Mar 658°FSeason over
Jacksonville, NCMar 1Mar 563°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 North Carolina?
When the soil holds 50 to 55°F. Last spring that was around Mar 2 to Mar 6 across 39 North Carolina 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 North Carolina →

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