When to put down crabgrass preventer on a tall fescue lawn in North Carolina?

The answer

Preemergent weed control for tall fescue in North Carolina runs from Mar 1 to Mar 31, per NC State Extension (2021). Preemergent herbicide for crabgrass, goosegrass and foxtail. The calendar says it is best applied in early March, sooner in the Piedmont and coastal regions; the whole month is shown.

Full calendar: North Carolina lawn care calendar · Tall fescue in other states · Lawn schedule by ZIP

All North Carolina windows for tall fescue

The North Carolina calendar on this site lists seeding Aug 15 to Oct 1, fertilizing Sep 15 to Nov 30 and Feb 1 to Feb 28, weed control Mar 1 to Mar 31, mowing Mar 1 to Nov 30 at 2.5 to 3.5 in and watering Mar 1 to Nov 30 for tall fescue.

Where the dates come from

NC State Extension: AG-367, Tall Fescue Lawn Maintenance Calendar (July 2021). Read on 2026-10-29.

What to check for North Carolina

The weed control dates for tall fescue above (Mar 1 to Mar 31) apply to North Carolina as a whole, so the north and south of the state are not told apart.

Other grasses in North Carolina

For bermudagrass, the North Carolina calendar gives Feb 15 to Mar 15 for weed control.

Weed control tall fescue in other states

• Virginia: Mar 1 to Apr 30 and Aug 15 to Sep 15, per Virginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech), 2025.
• Georgia: Feb 1 to Mar 31, per University of Georgia Cooperative Extension (2023).
• Pennsylvania: Mar 15 to May 15, per Penn State Extension.
• Ohio: Apr 1 to Apr 25, per Ohio State University Extension, Lake County (2007).
• Kentucky: Apr 1 to Apr 30, per University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (2014).
• Indiana: Apr 1 to Apr 30 and Oct 1 to Oct 31, per Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service (1998).
• Maryland: Mar 1 to Apr 30, per University of Maryland Extension (2026).
• New Jersey: Apr 1 to Apr 30 and Jun 1 to Jun 15, per Rutgers Cooperative Extension (NJAES), 2019.