Guides
Regional answers for lawn timing and snow, built on live soil temperatures and snowfall and on university extension research.
Colorado
- When to apply crabgrass pre-emergent in Denver (2027)
Apply pre-emergent in Denver when 0–4 inch soil holds 50–55°F, usually ahead of crabgrass germination. Live soil temps and the research behind the window.
- Pre-emergent timing at altitude: Colorado Springs, Castle Rock and Monument
Higher Front Range towns warm later than Denver. Time crabgrass pre-emergent to your own soil temperature, not the Denver calendar.
- Ice melt and concrete in Colorado: what to use and what to avoid
Colorado's freeze-thaw cycles are hard on concrete. Which deicers are least damaging, what to do with new concrete, and what works at each temperature.
- Denver snow this season vs. normal
How much snow Denver has had since July 1 compared with the 1991–2020 normal for today's date, updated daily from the nearest long-record station.
- Fall lawn fertilizer in Colorado: when and how much
CSU's schedule for Colorado lawns: a mid-August to mid-September feeding, then a final round in October to early November while grass is still green.
- Winter watering for Colorado lawns: when and how
CSU says to water lawns during dry fall and winter spells, only when air and soil are above 40°F with no snow cover, at midday, about once or twice a month.
- Overseeding a Colorado lawn: fall timing by soil temperature
Late summer into early fall is the best time to seed cool-season grass in Colorado. How soil temperature tells you when the window closes.
Upper Midwest and Great Lakes
- Ice melt that works below zero: a Minnesota guide
Rock salt stalls below about 15°F pavement temperature. What works in Minnesota cold, according to the Minnesota Stormwater Manual and MnDOT.
- When to apply crabgrass pre-emergent in Michigan
MSU's window for Michigan lawns: 250–500 growing degree days from Feb 15, or soil holding 50–55°F. Live soil temps for Grand Rapids and beyond.
- Crabgrass preventer timing in Minnesota and Wisconsin
Upper Midwest springs are late and short. Time crabgrass preventer by soil temperature, and why UMN advises keeping it separate from fertilizer.
- Crabgrass preventer timing in Indiana and Ohio
Purdue's guidance: crabgrass germinates around 60°F soil for 3–5 days; apply 1–2 weeks before. Live soil temperatures for Indianapolis, Columbus and more.
- Grub control timing in Ohio and Indiana: preventive vs. curative
Purdue says early-to-mid July is almost always optimum for preventive grub control. When curative treatment makes sense, and when to skip it.
- Fall lawn fertilizer timing in the Midwest
Mid-September and late October/early November: what Purdue, Iowa State and Minnesota recommend, and how soil temperature tells you the season is over.
- Fall broadleaf weed control in the Midwest
Purdue puts fall broadleaf herbicide in mid-October with air above 50°F. Why fall beats spring for dandelions, clover and creeping Charlie.
- Dormant seeding: seeding a lawn in late fall
Missed fall seeding? UMass explains dormant seeding once soil is in the low 40s so seed sprouts in spring. How to time it with live soil temperatures.
Northeast
- Lake-effect snow season in Buffalo: how it works and how totals vary
Why lake-effect bands bury one Buffalo suburb and miss the next, when the season peaks, and how to track your own totals.
- Crabgrass pre-emergent timing in Pennsylvania and New England
From Philadelphia to Portland, Maine, spring arrives weeks apart. Time crabgrass pre-emergent by local soil temperature, not a regional date.
- When to overseed a lawn in the Northeast
Penn State says late summer is the best time to seed. How soil temperature tells you when the fall window is closing from Pennsylvania to Maine.
Anywhere
- How snowfall is measured, and why totals differ
Official snowfall is measured on a snowboard, cleared no more than four times a day. Why your yard, the airport and our map can all read differently.
- Soil temperature for lawn care: the numbers that time each job
The soil temperatures that trigger crabgrass pre-emergent, seeding, root growth and the last fertilizer round, with the university research behind each.
- Per-push, seasonal or inch-cap: which snow contract fits
How the three common snow removal contract types work and who each one favors.