SW Michigan Fruit Update
Southwest Michigan, March 18, 2008
Weather
The winter seemed be long and snowy. The beginning of the winter was snowy but lows were seldom much below 20F. A several mid winter thaws melted the early snow in January. A cold snap occurred in late January with lows around zero. February was cold and snowy. Temperatures were close to zero several times in the last three weeks of February. This may have caused little damage to fruit buds. Conditions look very good in the region. The snow has melted off open areas but snowy areas remain and lows have generally been below freezing. Many lakes still have ice. Soils moisture is good. The ground recently thawed so the surface is no longer muddy except where the water table is high. Growing Degree Day (GDD) accumulations are low for this time of year. We have just started to warm up with highs above freezing each day. We are about average with the last 10 years in Growing Degree Days. We are behind the development of the last ten years. Cool weather continues to slow development. With no movement there is little danger of spring freeze damage.
Growing Degree Days below are take from the Enviroweather website. The links are to the MAWN site for each weather station. You can follow the links and bookmark them for your reference later in the growing season. The GDD do not always match because I try to correct for missing days so my number will be higher than some stations.
Southwest
Michigan Growing Degree Day Totals
|
|||
Location |
GDD 42 |
GDD 45 |
GDD 50 |
Start Up on March 6, 2008 |
|||
35 |
25 |
13 |
|
34 |
24 |
12 |
|
34 |
24 |
12 |
|
29 |
21 |
10 |
|
33 |
22 |
11 |
|
39 |
26 |
14 |
|
38 |
27 |
14 |
|
31 |
22 |
11 |
|
Southwest
Michigan Growing Degree Day Totals
|
|||
Location |
GDD 42 |
GDD 45 |
GDD 50 |
22 |
13 |
5 |
|
20 |
13 |
4 |
|
18 |
11 |
3 |
|
17 |
10 |
4 |
|
14 |
7 |
9 |
|
17 |
11 |
9 |
|
19 |
11 |
3 |
|
15 |
10 |
3 |
|
13 |
6 |
2 |
|
Tree fruit
Tree fruits show little
movement. Growers have reported some movement in apricots and Japanese plums in the
extreme south. Growers still have the opportunity to apply dormant sprays to reduce
overwintering disease inoculum.
Apricots are dormant. Southern sites may be at have started to move last week when we had highs in the 50s.
Peaches are dormant.
Both sweet and tart cherriesare dormant.
In Plums, Oriental plum buds moved last week during the warm weather but European plums are dormant.
Apples are dormant. Growers need be ready for apple scab. Because of the mild winter, we expect scab spores from the leaf litter will be ready as soon as green tissue is available for infection. Growers should be ready to apply scab sprays.
Pears buds are dormant. Pear Psylla adults should emerge soon when warm weather returns.
Small fruit
Small fruit are still dormant. Now is the window for Lime Sulfur applications in blueberries, grapes and brambles to suppress diseases that overwinter on the plant.
Miscellaneous
The first Monday Fruit Update meeting will be, Monday April 7, at the Fruit Acres Farm in Berrien County.
Southwest Michigan, 2008 Fruit IPM Meetings
The Monday Fruit IPM update meetings will be at Annette and Randy Bjorge’s Fruit Acres in Berrien County again this year. The weekly meetings will begin on April 7 and run until July 10. There will be no Monday meetings on Memorial Day, May 26. The meeting will run from 5 to 6:30 PM. Each meeting will be a review of the current fruit pest situation in Berrien County with displays of insects and fruit collected that day from area fruit plantings. Bill Shane, Greg Vlaming and Mark Longstroth will share the results of their scouting and discuss current and upcoming pest events and emergences. (Each week will change with changing pest complex). The meeting dates are April 7, 14, 21, 28, May 6, 12, 19, June 2, 9, 16, 23, July 7, 21, August 4 and August 18. One RUP credit is available for private pesticide applicators and commercial with a fruit certification (1C).
