What to do in Knoxville now
Knoxville 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 Knoxville Ap; each status uses this year's soil estimates.
Cool-season: tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue
- Crabgrass pre-emergent Closed Mar 6 Typical: Mar 1 – Mar 212-inch soil held 55°F for a week from Mar 6, so crabgrass was sprouting. Next window: about Mar 1 – Mar 21, 2027.
- Seed or overseed Seed now · about 1 day left Typical: Oct 4 – Nov 44-inch soil is 62°, inside the 55–70°F range where tall fescue and bluegrass sprout fastest. The window typically closes around Nov 4.
- Late-fall feeding Final feeding from about Nov 20 Typical: Nov 20 – Dec 11Not 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 20) and before it reaches 40°F (typically Dec 11).
Warm-season: bermudagrass, zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede, bahia
- Crabgrass pre-emergent Closed Mar 6 Typical: Mar 1 – Mar 212-inch soil held 55°F for a week from Mar 6, so crabgrass was sprouting. Next window: about Mar 1 – Mar 21, 2027.
- Seed or sod Wait for late spring Typical: Apr 29 – Oct 4Warm-season seed needs 4-inch soil at 65°F or more, and seedlings need the rest of summer to establish. Next window opens about Apr 29.
- Fall pre-emergent (Poa annua) Germinating since Oct 18 Typical: By Oct 34-inch soil fell below 70°F on Oct 18, when annual bluegrass begins to sprout. A pre-emergent now only stops later flushes; plan to apply by about Oct 3 next year.
- Dormancy and last feeding Expected about Nov 4 Typical: Around Nov 4Warm-season grass slows and browns once 4-inch soil stays under 55°F, typically Nov 4. Make the last nitrogen feeding at least a month before that.
The last 60 days and the week ahead
Knoxville soil is 7° warmer than normal for Nov 3, warmer than on 83% of those dates since 2005, and 13° warmer than a year ago.
The green line is our estimate of the daily average soil temperature 2 inches down, driven by temperatures at Knoxville Ap, 17.3 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 | 59° | 61° | 74° / 42° | 59° |
| Oct 22 | 59° | 61° | 73° / 43° | 58° |
| Oct 23 | 59° | 61° | 73° / 44° | 58° |
| Oct 24 | 58° | 60° | 71° / 42° | 58° |
| Oct 25 | 58° | 60° | 71° / 43° | 57° |
| Oct 26 | 58° | 59° | 71° / 44° | 57° |
| Oct 27 | 58° | 60° | 74° / 43° | 57° |
| Oct 28 | 59° | 60° | 73° / 48° | 57° |
| Oct 29 | 59° | 60° | 75° / 45° | 57° |
| Oct 30 | 60° | 61° | 78° / 46° | 56° |
| Oct 31 | 61° | 62° | 75° / 55° | 56° |
| Nov 1 | 60° | 61° | 60° / 53° | 55° |
| Nov 2 | 60° | 61° | 74° / 49° | 55° |
| Nov 3 | 61° | 62° | 78° / 49° | 55° |
| Nov 4 (forecast) | 63° | 63° | 72° / 62° | 54° |
| Nov 5 (forecast) | 63° | 63° | 73° / 52° | 54° |
| Nov 6 (forecast) | 61° | 63° | 71° / 47° | 54° |
| Nov 7 (forecast) | 58° | 60° | 61° / 38° | 54° |
| Nov 8 (forecast) | 55° | 58° | 60° / 38° | 54° |
| Nov 9 (forecast) | 53° | 56° | 62° / 38° | 54° |
| Nov 10 (forecast) | 53° | 56° | 66° / 40° | 53° |
Which grass grows in Knoxville
With January averaging 39°F, Knoxville 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.
Knoxville 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 | 40° | 41° | 39° |
| Feb | 43° | 44° | 43° |
| Mar | 51° | 52° | 51° |
| Apr | 60° | 61° | 60° |
| May | 69° | 70° | 68° |
| Jun | 77° | 79° | 75° |
| Jul | 81° | 82° | 79° |
| Aug | 80° | 81° | 78° |
| Sep | 74° | 76° | 72° |
| Oct | 62° | 64° | 60° |
| Nov | 50° | 52° | 49° |
| Dec | 43° | 44° | 42° |
Soil: average of our daily estimates, 2005–2025. Air: NOAA 1991–2020 normals for the station.
Typical lawn dates in Knoxville
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) | Mar 27 | Mar 19 |
| Crabgrass model: 250 growing degree days | Feb 3 | Jan 22 |
| Pre-emergent window opens (2-inch soil 50°F) | Mar 1 | Feb 20 |
| Crabgrass begins to sprout (2-inch soil 55°F) | Mar 21 | Mar 6 |
| Cool-season lawns start growing (4-inch soil 55°F) | Mar 17 | Mar 6 |
| Warm-season seeding opens (4-inch soil 65°F) | Apr 29 | Apr 6 |
| Cool-season seeding opens (4-inch soil under 70°F) | Oct 4 | Oct 18 |
| Cool-season seeding ends (4-inch soil under 55°F) | Nov 4 | not yet |
| Warm-season grass goes dormant (4-inch under 55°F) | Nov 4 | not yet |
| First fall freeze (32°F) | Nov 2 | not yet |
| Roots stop feeding (4-inch soil under 40°F) (in 13 of 21 years) | Dec 11 | 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 KTYS (KNOXVILLE AP), daily data since 1910. Forecast: National Weather Service, MRX office, issued Nov 4, 2026, 6:06 AM EST. Last observed day: Nov 3, 2026.
Knoxville questions
What is the soil temperature in Knoxville today? Our estimate for Nov 3 is 61°F at 2 inches and 62°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 Knoxville? Apply when 2-inch soil holds about 50°F and before it holds 55°F. That has typically been Mar 1 to Mar 21 in Knoxville. For 2026 the window closed on Mar 6.
When can I seed bermudagrass in Knoxville? 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 Apr 29.
Is it too late to fertilize in Knoxville? Expected about Nov 4. Warm-season grass slows and browns once 4-inch soil stays under 55°F, typically Nov 4. Make the last nitrogen feeding at least a month before that.
When is the last frost in Knoxville? The last 32°F night of spring has typically come around Mar 27, and as late as Apr 16 in 1 year in 10. The first fall freeze typically arrives around Nov 2.
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.