South Carolina · 14 cities · spring 2026

When to apply crabgrass preventer in South Carolina

Last spring the soil reached 50°F aroundFeb 28Median of 14 cities; crabgrass temperatures (55°F) followed around Mar 2. Earliest: Columbia Feb 12; latest: Greenville Mar 2.
Today
Season over
14 of 14 cities
Window last spring
2 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 South Carolina cities

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

FebMarAprMayColumbiaColumbia: Feb 12 to Mar 1CharlestonCharleston: Feb 12 to Mar 1Rock HillRock Hill: Mar 1 to Mar 5GreenvilleGreenville: Mar 2 to Mar 6SummervilleSummerville: Feb 13 to Mar 2SumterSumter: Feb 28 to Mar 2Hilton Head IslandHilton Head Island: Feb 12 to Mar 1FlorenceFlorence: Mar 1 to Mar 2SpartanburgSpartanburg: Mar 2 to Mar 6Myrtle BeachMyrtle Beach: Feb 14 to Mar 2AikenAiken: Feb 12 to Mar 2AndersonAnderson: Mar 1 to Mar 6
FebMarAprMayColumbiaColumbia: Feb 12 to Mar 1CharlestonCharleston: Feb 12 to Mar 1Rock HillRock Hill: Mar 1 to Mar 5GreenvilleGreenville: Mar 2 to Mar 6SummervilleSummerville: Feb 13 to Mar 2SumterSumter: Feb 28 to Mar 2Hilton Head…Hilton Head Island: Feb 12 to Mar 1FlorenceFlorence: Mar 1 to Mar 2SpartanburgSpartanburg: Mar 2 to Mar 6Myrtle BeachMyrtle Beach: Feb 14 to Mar 2AikenAiken: Feb 12 to Mar 2AndersonAnderson: Mar 1 to Mar 6
Source: NOAA NCEP GFS analyses, 0–10 cm; 5-day mean held 10 days.

Every South Carolina city

Spring 2026 dates and today's verdict.

CityHeld 50°F (2026)Held 55°F (2026)Soil todayToday
Columbia, SCFeb 12Mar 166°FSeason over
Charleston, SCFeb 12Mar 166°FSeason over
Rock Hill, SCMar 1Mar 562°FSeason over
Greenville, SCMar 2Mar 659°FSeason over
Summerville, SCFeb 13Mar 264°FSeason over
Sumter, SCFeb 28Mar 264°FSeason over
Hilton Head Island, SCFeb 12Mar 165°FSeason over
Florence, SCMar 1Mar 263°FSeason over
Spartanburg, SCMar 2Mar 660°FSeason over
Myrtle Beach, SCFeb 14Mar 265°FSeason over
Aiken, SCFeb 12Mar 262°FSeason over
Anderson, SCMar 1Mar 659°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 South Carolina?
When the soil holds 50 to 55°F. Last spring that was around Feb 28 to Mar 2 across 14 South 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 South 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).