Dallas
Apply ASAP73°F↓ cooling
Soil has cooled to 75°F, so winter weeds are sprouting. Pre-emergent still stops later flushes.
Winter weeds are sprouting now
Texas Weed Watch · updated Nov 3, 1:18 AM CT
When to apply pre-emergent in Texas
Live soil temperatures for Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Amarillo and El Paso, updated every three hours. Weeds sprout by soil temperature, not by the calendar, so the right week moves from year to year.
Texas lawns get pre-emergent twice a year: in spring for crabgrass and other summer weeds, and in fall for winter weeds.
Spring pre-emergentNext season
Typically Jan 27 – Mar 23
Stops crabgrass and other summer weeds before they sprout.
Fall pre-emergentThis season
Typically by Sep 17 – Oct 18
Stops winter weeds (annual bluegrass, henbit, chickweed) before they sprout.
Skip it if you are overseeding this fall.
Right now · fall pre-emergent season
Winter weeds are germinating — apply now if you haven't across Texas
Soil is 59–77°F now. They keep coming up in flushes into winter, so pre-emergent still helps. Overseeding this fall? Skip pre-emergent — it stops grass seed too.
Soil temperature by city
Soil 2 inches down, 5-day average: solid line = the last two weeks, dashed = the six-day forecast. Shaded = below 75°F, where winter weeds sprout — pre-emergent has to be down before the line gets there.
Houston
Apply ASAP77°F↓ cooling
Soil already dipped to 75°F, so the first winter weeds are sprouting. Pre-emergent still stops later flushes.
Winter weeds are sprouting now
San Antonio
Apply ASAP74°F↓ cooling
Soil has cooled to 75°F, so winter weeds are sprouting. Pre-emergent still stops later flushes.
Winter weeds are sprouting now
Austin
Apply ASAP72°F↓ cooling
Soil has cooled to 75°F, so winter weeds are sprouting. Pre-emergent still stops later flushes.
Winter weeds are sprouting now
Amarillo
Apply ASAP59°F↓ cooling
Soil has cooled to 75°F, so winter weeds are sprouting. Pre-emergent still stops later flushes.
Winter weeds are sprouting now
El Paso
Apply ASAP67°F↓ cooling
Soil has cooled to 75°F, so winter weeds are sprouting. Pre-emergent still stops later flushes.
Winter weeds are sprouting now
Texas pre-emergent calendar
Spring pre-emergent stops crabgrass. The window runs from the typical day soil warms to 50°F to the day it holds 55°F, when crabgrass starts germinating (2016–2025). Fall pre-emergent stops winter weeds: have it down a week before soil usually cools to 75°F, when they start germinating.
| City | Spring pre-emergent (crabgrass) | Fall pre-emergent (winter weeds) |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas | Feb 14 – Feb 27 | Apply by Oct 4 |
| Houston | Jan 27 – Feb 4 | Apply by Oct 13 |
| San Antonio | Jan 28 – Feb 15 | Apply by Oct 18 |
| Austin | Feb 2 – Feb 20 | Apply by Oct 13 |
| Amarillo | Mar 9 – Mar 23 | Apply by Sep 17 |
| El Paso | Feb 5 – Feb 25 | Apply by Oct 4 |
These are typical-year dates (the median of 2016–2025); any one year can run a couple of weeks earlier or later, which is what the live readings above are for. For your exact yard, check soil temperature by ZIP.
Recommended gear
Fall pre-emergents
Granular or liquid. Follow the label rate, and water it in.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, MeasureLawn earns from qualifying purchases.
Amazon
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Scotts Halts Crabgrass & Grassy Weed Preventer
Beginner friendlyPendimethalingranularcovers ~5,000 sq ft / 0.11 ac$24.97as of Nov 2, 10:00 AM UTC · may change
Amazon
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The Andersons Barricade Professional-Grade Granular
Beginner friendly0.48% Prodiaminegranularcovers ~12,880 sq ft / 0.30 ac$79.88as of Nov 2, 10:00 AM UTC · may change
Amazon
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Dimension 2EW (Dithiopyr)
Liquid concentrate; 64 oz half gallon; mix with water and spray
Dithiopyrliquidcovers ~91,428 sq ft / 2.1 ac$158.00as of Nov 2, 10:00 AM UTC · may change
What people in Texas are identifying
The lawn weeds most often identified with our photo identifier in Texas over the last 60 days, as a share of 81 identifications.
- 1Prostrate Spurge21.0%
- 2Wild Asters (Frost and Heath)12.3%
- 3Nutsedge7.4%
- 4Bermudagrass (in Cool-Season Lawns)6.2%
- 5Purslane6.2%
Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each weed's page.
Weeds to watch in Texas this fall
Questions about Texas
When should I apply crabgrass pre-emergent in Texas?
Put crabgrass pre-emergent down as soil warms to 50°F, before it holds 55°F and crabgrass starts germinating. In a typical year (2016–2025) that window is Feb 14 – Feb 27 in Dallas; Jan 27 – Feb 4 in Houston; Jan 28 – Feb 15 in San Antonio; Feb 2 – Feb 20 in Austin; Mar 9 – Mar 23 in Amarillo; Feb 5 – Feb 25 in El Paso.
When should I apply fall pre-emergent in Texas?
Winter weeds such as annual bluegrass, henbit and chickweed start germinating as soil cools to about 75°F in late summer and fall, and most come up once it is below 70°F. Have fall pre-emergent down before they start: typically by Oct 4 in Dallas; by Oct 13 in Houston; by Oct 18 in San Antonio; by Oct 13 in Austin; by Sep 17 in Amarillo; by Oct 4 in El Paso. Skip it if you are overseeding this fall, because it stops grass seed too.
What is the soil temperature in Texas right now?
As of Nov 3, 1:18 AM CT: Dallas 73°F, Houston 77°F, San Antonio 74°F, Austin 72°F, Amarillo 59°F, El Paso 67°F (5-day average, about 2.4 inches down). Winter weeds are germinating — apply now if you haven't across Texas.
How the readings and dates are made, and their limits: Weed Watch method. Soil data: Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0); typical dates: NASA POWER.