Tennessee · 25 cities · spring 2026

When to apply crabgrass preventer in Tennessee

Last spring the soil reached 50°F aroundMar 2Median of 25 cities; crabgrass temperatures (55°F) followed around Mar 5. Earliest: Memphis Feb 11; latest: Bristol Mar 6.
Today
Season over
25 of 25 cities
Window last spring
3 days
median gap from 50°F to 55°F
Soil today
54°F
median, 0–4 in
Never below 50°F
0
cities with no spring window

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

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

FebMarAprMayNashvilleNashville: Mar 1 to Mar 4MemphisMemphis: Feb 11 to Mar 1KnoxvilleKnoxville: Mar 2 to Mar 5ChattanoogaChattanooga: Mar 1 to Mar 3ClarksvilleClarksville: Mar 2 to Mar 6MurfreesboroMurfreesboro: Mar 2 to Mar 5FranklinFranklin: Mar 1 to Mar 3JacksonJackson: Mar 1 to Mar 3Johnson CityJohnson City: Mar 5 to Apr 13KingsportKingsport: Mar 5 to Apr 13ColliervilleCollierville: Feb 13 to Mar 1ClevelandCleveland: Mar 2 to Mar 5
FebMarAprMayNashvilleNashville: Mar 1 to Mar 4MemphisMemphis: Feb 11 to Mar 1KnoxvilleKnoxville: Mar 2 to Mar 5ChattanoogaChattanooga: Mar 1 to Mar 3ClarksvilleClarksville: Mar 2 to Mar 6MurfreesboroMurfreesboro: Mar 2 to Mar 5FranklinFranklin: Mar 1 to Mar 3JacksonJackson: Mar 1 to Mar 3Johnson CityJohnson City: Mar 5 to Apr 13KingsportKingsport: Mar 5 to Apr 13ColliervilleCollierville: Feb 13 to Mar 1ClevelandCleveland: Mar 2 to Mar 5
Source: NOAA NCEP GFS analyses, 0–10 cm; 5-day mean held 10 days.

Every Tennessee city

Spring 2026 dates and today's verdict.

CityHeld 50°F (2026)Held 55°F (2026)Soil todayToday
Nashville, TNMar 1Mar 460°FSeason over
Memphis, TNFeb 11Mar 162°FSeason over
Knoxville, TNMar 2Mar 558°FSeason over
Chattanooga, TNMar 1Mar 357°FSeason over
Clarksville, TNMar 2Mar 656°FSeason over
Murfreesboro, TNMar 2Mar 554°FSeason over
Franklin, TNMar 1Mar 359°FSeason over
Jackson, TNMar 1Mar 357°FSeason over
Johnson City, TNMar 5Apr 1354°FSeason over
Kingsport, TNMar 5Apr 1352°FSeason over
Collierville, TNFeb 13Mar 159°FSeason over
Cleveland, TNMar 2Mar 556°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 Tennessee?
When the soil holds 50 to 55°F. Last spring that was around Mar 2 to Mar 5 across 25 Tennessee 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 Tennessee →

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