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Michigan Grapes
Fruit Growth Stage Reference -- Grapes
| Concord | Chardonnay | Description |
| Dormant | Dormant | No visible indication of growth. |
| Scale Crack | Scale Crack | Scale Crack (SC), is the first visible indication of growth. A small crack occurs between the hard outermost bud scales as the bud begins to swell. |
| Early Bud Swell | Early Bud Swell | During First Swell (S-1), the bud has swollen out of the hard outer bud scale and is globular, light brown (doe-colored), and fuzzy. No green or pink is visible as of yet. |
| Late Bud Swell | Late Bud Swell | When Full Swell (S-2) occurs, the bud has elongated (about 1.5 to 2 times as long as wide) one or more bulges of leaf tissue are visible and appear green or pink. The bud remains closed around the growing point. |
| Bud Burst | Bud Burst | During the fourth step, Bud Burst (B), the leaves have separated at the tip, usually exposing the growing point. No leaf is, as yet, at a right angle to the growing stem. |
| 1-3" shoots | 1-3" shoots | Expanded Shoot (ES) is the final step and occurs when the stem is 4-6 cm in length with 1-3 small leaves at right angles to the stem. |
| 4-8 " shoots | 4-8 " shoots | Shoots are 4 to 8 inches long. |
| 10-16 " shoots | 10-16 " shoots | Shoots are more than 8 inches long. Flower Clusters are clearly visible. Many Growers talk about the number of leaves out perpendicular to the shoot. |
| First Bloom | First Bloom | First flowers open. |
| Bloom | Bloom | Most of the flowers are open. |
| Buckshot Berries | Buckshot Berries | Berries are the size of buckshot pellets. |
| Berry touch | Berry touch | Berry Touch or cluster tightening is when the berries begin to touch and it becomes impossible to protect the interior of the berry bunch from pests and diseases. |
| Green Fruit | Green Fruit | Berries are green and hard. |
| Veraison | Veraison | Berries soften and change color as they begin to ripen. |
| Colored Fruit | Soft Fruit | Berries are soft and ripe colored as sugar content and berry size increase. |
| Harvest | Harvest | The grapes are sweet enough to eat or use for juice or wine. |
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