Oklahoma · 21 cities · spring 2026

When to apply crabgrass preventer in Oklahoma

Last spring the soil reached 50°F aroundFeb 9Median of 21 cities; crabgrass temperatures (55°F) followed around Feb 10. Earliest: Lawton Feb 7; latest: Tulsa Feb 10.
Today
Season over
21 of 21 cities
Window last spring
1 days
median gap from 50°F to 55°F
Soil today
63°F
median, 0–4 in
Never below 50°F
0
cities with no spring window

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

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

FebMarAprMayOklahoma CityOklahoma City: Feb 9 to Feb 10TulsaTulsa: Feb 10 to Feb 28NormanNorman: Feb 8 to Feb 10LawtonLawton: Feb 7 to Feb 9EnidEnid: Feb 10 to Mar 21StillwaterStillwater: Feb 9 to Feb 28MuskogeeMuskogee: Feb 10 to Feb 28BartlesvilleBartlesville: Feb 10 to Mar 6ShawneeShawnee: Feb 8 to Feb 10ArdmoreArdmore: Feb 7 to Feb 9Ponca CityPonca City: Feb 10 to Mar 21BixbyBixby: Feb 9 to Feb 28
FebMarAprMayOklahoma Ci…Oklahoma City: Feb 9 to Feb 10TulsaTulsa: Feb 10 to Feb 28NormanNorman: Feb 8 to Feb 10LawtonLawton: Feb 7 to Feb 9EnidEnid: Feb 10 to Mar 21StillwaterStillwater: Feb 9 to Feb 28MuskogeeMuskogee: Feb 10 to Feb 28BartlesvilleBartlesville: Feb 10 to Mar 6ShawneeShawnee: Feb 8 to Feb 10ArdmoreArdmore: Feb 7 to Feb 9Ponca CityPonca City: Feb 10 to Mar 21BixbyBixby: Feb 9 to Feb 28
Source: NOAA NCEP GFS analyses, 0–10 cm; 5-day mean held 10 days.

Every Oklahoma city

Spring 2026 dates and today's verdict.

CityHeld 50°F (2026)Held 55°F (2026)Soil todayToday
Oklahoma City, OKFeb 9Feb 1062°FSeason over
Tulsa, OKFeb 10Feb 2862°FSeason over
Norman, OKFeb 8Feb 1063°FSeason over
Lawton, OKFeb 7Feb 964°FSeason over
Enid, OKFeb 10Mar 2160°FSeason over
Stillwater, OKFeb 9Feb 2862°FSeason over
Muskogee, OKFeb 10Feb 2863°FSeason over
Bartlesville, OKFeb 10Mar 661°FSeason over
Shawnee, OKFeb 8Feb 1063°FSeason over
Ardmore, OKFeb 7Feb 966°FSeason over
Ponca City, OKFeb 10Mar 2160°FSeason over
Bixby, OKFeb 9Feb 2863°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 Oklahoma?
When the soil holds 50 to 55°F. Last spring that was around Feb 9 to Feb 10 across 21 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma →

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