What to do in Lubbock now
Lubbock 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 Lubbock Intl Ap; each status uses this year's soil estimates.
Cool-season: tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue
- Crabgrass pre-emergent Closed Mar 2 Typical: Feb 23 – Mar 202-inch soil held 55°F for a week from Mar 2, so crabgrass was sprouting. Next window: about Feb 23 – Mar 20, 2027.
- Seed or overseed Seed now · about 12 days left Typical: Oct 10 – Nov 154-inch soil is 62°, inside the 55–70°F range where tall fescue and bluegrass sprout fastest. The window typically closes around Nov 15.
- Late-fall feeding Final feeding from about Nov 26 Typical: Nov 26 – Dec 12Not 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 26) and before it reaches 40°F (typically Dec 12).
Warm-season: bermudagrass, zoysia, St. Augustine, centipede, bahia
- Crabgrass pre-emergent Closed Mar 2 Typical: Feb 23 – Mar 202-inch soil held 55°F for a week from Mar 2, so crabgrass was sprouting. Next window: about Feb 23 – Mar 20, 2027.
- Seed or sod Wait for late spring Typical: Apr 26 – Oct 10Warm-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 26.
- Fall pre-emergent (Poa annua) Germinating since Oct 17 Typical: By Oct 94-inch soil fell below 70°F on Oct 17, when annual bluegrass begins to sprout. A pre-emergent now only stops later flushes; plan to apply by about Oct 9 next year.
- Dormancy and last feeding Expected about Nov 15 Typical: Around Nov 15Warm-season grass slows and browns once 4-inch soil stays under 55°F, typically Nov 15. Make the last nitrogen feeding at least a month before that.
The last 60 days and the week ahead
Lubbock soil is 4° warmer than normal for Nov 3, warmer than on 75% of those dates since 2005, and 2° warmer than a year ago.
The green line is our estimate of the daily average soil temperature 2 inches down, driven by temperatures at Lubbock Intl Ap, 13.1 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 | 62° | 63° | 79° / 55° | 63° |
| Oct 22 | 63° | 64° | 79° / 54° | 62° |
| Oct 23 | 64° | 65° | 77° / 56° | 62° |
| Oct 24 | 64° | 65° | 71° / 54° | 61° |
| Oct 25 | 64° | 65° | 69° / 60° | 61° |
| Oct 26 | 63° | 64° | 63° / 56° | 60° |
| Oct 27 | 62° | 64° | 66° / 57° | 59° |
| Oct 28 | 63° | 64° | 70° / 58° | 58° |
| Oct 29 | 63° | 64° | 73° / 54° | 57° |
| Oct 30 | 61° | 63° | 61° / 53° | 57° |
| Oct 31 | 60° | 62° | 64° / 52° | 56° |
| Nov 1 | 60° | 62° | 70° / 52° | 56° |
| Nov 2 | 62° | 63° | 77° / 53° | 56° |
| Nov 3 | 60° | 62° | 65° / 47° | 56° |
| Nov 4 (forecast) | 59° | 61° | 66° / 49° | 57° |
| Nov 5 (forecast) | 56° | 59° | 60° / 40° | 57° |
| Nov 6 (forecast) | 55° | 57° | 61° / 42° | 57° |
| Nov 7 (forecast) | 53° | 56° | 58° / 42° | 57° |
| Nov 8 (forecast) | 53° | 55° | 62° / 42° | 56° |
| Nov 9 (forecast) | 53° | 55° | 65° / 45° | 56° |
| Nov 10 (forecast) | 54° | 56° | 66° / 47° | 55° |
Which grass grows in Lubbock
With January averaging 41°F, Lubbock 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.
Lubbock 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 | 41° | 42° | 41° |
| Feb | 44° | 45° | 45° |
| Mar | 53° | 54° | 53° |
| Apr | 62° | 63° | 61° |
| May | 71° | 72° | 70° |
| Jun | 81° | 82° | 79° |
| Jul | 83° | 85° | 81° |
| Aug | 83° | 84° | 80° |
| Sep | 75° | 77° | 72° |
| Oct | 64° | 66° | 62° |
| Nov | 52° | 54° | 50° |
| Dec | 43° | 45° | 42° |
Soil: average of our daily estimates, 2005–2025. Air: NOAA 1991–2020 normals for the station.
Typical lawn dates in Lubbock
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 7 | Mar 16 |
| Crabgrass model: 250 growing degree days | Jan 28 | Jan 13 |
| Pre-emergent window opens (2-inch soil 50°F) | Feb 23 | Feb 9 |
| Crabgrass begins to sprout (2-inch soil 55°F) | Mar 20 | Mar 2 |
| Cool-season lawns start growing (4-inch soil 55°F) | Mar 17 | Feb 19 |
| Warm-season seeding opens (4-inch soil 65°F) | Apr 26 | Mar 26 |
| Cool-season seeding opens (4-inch soil under 70°F) | Oct 10 | Oct 18 |
| Cool-season seeding ends (4-inch soil under 55°F) | Nov 15 | not yet |
| Warm-season grass goes dormant (4-inch under 55°F) | Nov 15 | not yet |
| First fall freeze (32°F) | Oct 29 | not yet |
| Roots stop feeding (4-inch soil under 40°F) (in 11 of 21 years) | Dec 12 | not yet |
Checked against a real sensor
Measured nearby: 58°F at 2 inches on Nov 3, at the USDA SCAN site “Reese Center”, 9 miles away.
Our estimate for Lubbock on Nov 3 is 60°F; the sensor read 55°F at 4 inches against our 62°F. Sensor sites sit in open, unwatered ground outside town, so they often run a few degrees apart from city lawns; use them as a check on the trend.
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 KLBB (LUBBOCK INTL AP), daily data since 1947. Forecast: National Weather Service, LUB office, issued Nov 4, 2026, 7:00 AM EST. Last observed day: Nov 3, 2026.
Lubbock questions
What is the soil temperature in Lubbock today? Our estimate for Nov 3 is 60°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 Lubbock? Apply when 2-inch soil holds about 50°F and before it holds 55°F. That has typically been Feb 23 to Mar 20 in Lubbock. For 2026 the window closed on Mar 2.
When can I seed bermudagrass in Lubbock? 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 26.
Is it too late to fertilize in Lubbock? Expected about Nov 15. Warm-season grass slows and browns once 4-inch soil stays under 55°F, typically Nov 15. Make the last nitrogen feeding at least a month before that.
When is the last frost in Lubbock? The last 32°F night of spring has typically come around Apr 7, and as late as Apr 21 in 1 year in 10. The first fall freeze typically arrives around Oct 29.
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.