What to do in Johnson City now
Johnson City is in the transition zone, where both cool- and warm-season lawns grow. Dates are typical for this spot, worked out from 23 years of weather at Bristol Ap; each status uses this year's soil estimates.
Cool-season: tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue
- Crabgrass pre-emergent Closed Mar 9 Typical: Mar 15 – Apr 42-inch soil held 55°F for a week from Mar 9, so crabgrass was sprouting. Next window: about Mar 15 – Apr 4, 2027.
- Seed or overseed Seed now · last days Typical: Sep 26 – Oct 29The window usually closes by Oct 29, but this fall has kept 4-inch soil at 60°. Seed only if you can keep it moist, and expect slower germination as soil cools.
- Late-fall feeding Final feeding from about Nov 8 Typical: Nov 8 – Dec 9Not too late. Feed on your normal fall schedule; the last feeding of the year goes down when 4-inch soil falls to about 50°F (typically Nov 8) and before it reaches 40°F (typically Dec 9).
Warm-season: bermudagrass, zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede, bahia
- Crabgrass pre-emergent Closed Mar 9 Typical: Mar 15 – Apr 42-inch soil held 55°F for a week from Mar 9, so crabgrass was sprouting. Next window: about Mar 15 – Apr 4, 2027.
- Seed or sod Wait for late spring Typical: May 7 – Sep 26Warm-season seed needs 4-inch soil at 65°F or more, and seedlings need the rest of summer to establish. Next window opens about May 7.
- Fall pre-emergent (Poa annua) Germinating since Sep 29 Typical: By Sep 234-inch soil fell below 70°F on Sep 29, when annual bluegrass begins to sprout. A pre-emergent now only stops later flushes; plan to apply by about Sep 23 next year.
- Dormancy and last feeding Any day now Typical: Around Oct 29Warm-season grass slows and browns once 4-inch soil stays under 55°F, typically Oct 29. Make the last nitrogen feeding at least a month before that.
The last 60 days and the week ahead
Johnson City soil is 8° warmer than normal for Nov 3, warmer than on 87% of those dates since 2005, and 14° warmer than a year ago.
The green line is our estimate of the daily average soil temperature 2 inches down, driven by temperatures at Bristol Ap, 15.4 km from the city center. The dashed part runs the National Weather Service forecast through the same model. Hover or tap for any day.
2-inch soil, estimated From the NWS forecast Normal Normal range (8 years in 10)
Show the numbers
| Date | 2-inch soil | 4-inch soil | Air high / low | Normal (2 in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 21 | 56° | 59° | 75° / 34° | 56° |
| Oct 22 | 55° | 58° | 73° / 36° | 55° |
| Oct 23 | 55° | 57° | 73° / 35° | 55° |
| Oct 24 | 55° | 57° | 71° / 38° | 55° |
| Oct 25 | 54° | 57° | 70° / 37° | 55° |
| Oct 26 | 54° | 56° | 71° / 36° | 54° |
| Oct 27 | 55° | 57° | 78° / 36° | 54° |
| Oct 28 | 55° | 57° | 73° / 38° | 54° |
| Oct 29 | 55° | 57° | 75° / 38° | 54° |
| Oct 30 | 56° | 58° | 78° / 39° | 53° |
| Oct 31 | 57° | 58° | 75° / 43° | 53° |
| Nov 1 | 58° | 59° | 67° / 52° | 52° |
| Nov 2 | 59° | 60° | 75° / 52° | 52° |
| Nov 3 | 60° | 60° | 79° / 43° | 52° |
| Nov 4 (forecast) | 61° | 62° | 71° / 59° | 51° |
| Nov 5 (forecast) | 62° | 62° | 73° / 52° | 51° |
| Nov 6 (forecast) | 60° | 61° | 69° / 43° | 51° |
| Nov 7 (forecast) | 56° | 58° | 59° / 33° | 51° |
| Nov 8 (forecast) | 53° | 55° | 60° / 32° | 51° |
| Nov 9 (forecast) | 51° | 54° | 61° / 33° | 50° |
| Nov 10 (forecast) | 50° | 53° | 65° / 35° | 50° |
Which grass grows in Johnson City
With January averaging 36°F, Johnson City sits in the transition zone. Tall fescue is the common cool-season choice; bermudagrass and zoysia are the common warm-season ones. Use the switch above to see the calendar for yours.
Johnson City soil through the year
Weekly 2-inch estimates for 2026 so far against 2025 and the normal for each week. The red lines mark 50°F, when crabgrass pre-emergent should be down, and 65°F, when warm-season seed sprouts well.
2026 2025 Normal (2005–2025) 8 years in 10
Normal by month
| Month | 2 in | 4 in | Air |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38° | 39° | 36° |
| Feb | 40° | 41° | 40° |
| Mar | 48° | 49° | 47° |
| Apr | 57° | 58° | 56° |
| May | 65° | 67° | 65° |
| Jun | 74° | 75° | 72° |
| Jul | 78° | 79° | 76° |
| Aug | 77° | 78° | 75° |
| Sep | 71° | 73° | 69° |
| Oct | 59° | 61° | 57° |
| Nov | 47° | 49° | 46° |
| Dec | 41° | 42° | 39° |
Soil: average of our daily estimates, 2005–2025. Air: NOAA 1991–2020 normals for the station.
Typical lawn dates in Johnson City
Each date is when the soil estimate (or the air, for freezes) crossed the threshold, year by year since 2005. “Early” and “late” are the 10th and 90th percentile years, so 8 years in 10 fall between them.
| Event | Typical | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Last spring freeze (32°F) | Apr 14 | May 15 |
| Crabgrass model: 250 growing degree days | Feb 9 | Feb 15 |
| Pre-emergent window opens (2-inch soil 50°F) | Mar 15 | Mar 6 |
| Crabgrass begins to sprout (2-inch soil 55°F) | Apr 4 | Mar 9 |
| Cool-season lawns start growing (4-inch soil 55°F) | Apr 4 | Mar 10 |
| Warm-season seeding opens (4-inch soil 65°F) | May 7 | May 21 |
| Cool-season seeding opens (4-inch soil under 70°F) | Sep 26 | Sep 30 |
| Cool-season seeding ends (4-inch soil under 55°F) | Oct 29 | not yet |
| Warm-season grass goes dormant (4-inch under 55°F) | Oct 29 | not yet |
| First fall freeze (32°F) | Oct 24 | not yet |
| Roots stop feeding (4-inch soil under 40°F) (in 17 of 21 years) | Dec 9 | not yet |
Where these numbers come from
There is no soil sensor in most cities, so we estimate it. Shallow soil follows air temperature with a lag of a few days, and runs a little warmer than the air in fall. We fitted that relationship to 190 USDA soil-sensor stations; on years held out of the fit, the estimate was off by 3.3°F on an average day, and it put the spring 55°F date within a median of 3 days. Read the methodology.
Weather: RCC ACIS station KTRI (BRISTOL AP), daily data since 1937. Forecast: National Weather Service, MRX office, issued Nov 4, 2026, 6:06 AM EST. Last observed day: Nov 3, 2026.
Johnson City questions
What is the soil temperature in Johnson City today? Our estimate for Nov 3 is 60°F at 2 inches and 60°F at 4 inches, as a daily average. Early-morning soil runs a few degrees cooler than that, and afternoon soil warmer.
When should I put down crabgrass pre-emergent in Johnson City? Apply when 2-inch soil holds about 50°F and before it holds 55°F. That has typically been Mar 15 to Apr 4 in Johnson City. For 2026 the window closed on Mar 9.
When can I seed bermudagrass in Johnson City? Wait for late spring. Warm-season seed needs 4-inch soil at 65°F or more, and seedlings need the rest of summer to establish. Next window opens about May 7.
Is it too late to fertilize in Johnson City? Any day now. Warm-season grass slows and browns once 4-inch soil stays under 55°F, typically Oct 29. Make the last nitrogen feeding at least a month before that.
When is the last frost in Johnson City? The last 32°F night of spring has typically come around Apr 14, and as late as May 1 in 1 year in 10. The first fall freeze typically arrives around Oct 24.
Why 2 inches and 4 inches? Crabgrass and most weed seeds sprout in the top inch or two, so pre-emergent timing follows 2-inch soil. Grass seed and roots respond to the slightly steadier soil at about 4 inches.
How accurate is this? It is a model, not a probe in your yard. Expect about 3–4°F of difference on a given day; shade, slope, mulch and irrigation all move real soil. The dates and trends are more reliable than any single day.