SW Michigan Fruit Update
Check the Index for earlier postings
Southwest Michigan, April 6, 2009
Weather
A spring snowstorm brought heavy snow to the area, on April 6. Temperatures dropped just below 30. Cloudy windy conditions kept close to freezing. The overnight lows on April 6, April 7 and April 8 were not really low enough to cause damage to swollen buds. The coldest temperatures were in the morning of April 8, when we had clear skies and calm conditions. We would need temperatures below 23F or lower to cause freeze injury to most crops. The weather for the last week was mild, with highs in the 50s and 60s and lows above freezing. Buds continue to swell.
I will no longer post a large Growing Degree Table for MAWN stations in Southwest Michigan You can find that information at the Enviroweather website. Click on a station close to you. Here is a link to the SW Regions Growing Degree-Days since March 1 to April 6, 2009, and SW Regions Growing Degree Days on April 6, 2009 since April 1.
Southwest
Michigan Growing Degree Day Totals
|
Grapes, from April 1 |
|||
Location |
GDD 42 |
GDD 45 |
GDD 50 |
GDD 50 |
121 |
85 |
43 |
3 |
|
125 |
88 |
45 |
5 |
|
91 |
61 |
29 |
3 |
|
Tree fruit
Fruit tree buds are swelling. Growers still have the opportunity to apply dormant sprays to reduce overwintering disease inoculum.
Apricot buds are still with an inflated red calyx. None of the buds have burst.
Peaches buds are swelling. No green tissue is exposed.
Both sweet cherries and tart cherries fruit buds and noticeably swollen and green tissue of the bud scales is visible, most buds are at green side. We are entering the waterbud stage when flower buds lose a lot of the resistance to cold and are damaged by temperatures in the Early sweet cherries are at green tip. Copper can still be applied to sweet cherries as a dormant spray to reduce bacterial canker.
In Plums, European plums buds are swollen, not yet at white side. Oriental plum buds are at white side, and showing some green at the tip.
Apples are at green tip. Scab spores are available for infection. Growers should be ready to apply scab sprays as green tissue appears.
Pears buds are beginning to swell. Pear Psylla eggs are being laid.
Small fruit
In small fruit now is the window for lime sulfur applications in blueberries, grapes and brambles to suppress diseases that overwinter on the plant.
Blueberry fruit buds are beginning to swell, but leaf buds have not moved. It is too early to look for mummyberry mushrooms the soils are too cool.
Grape buds are tight and dormant. Growers are tying canes.
In Strawberries growth is just beginning, there are few new leaves emerged. Growers are applying herbicides and putting down straw mulch.
Raspberries are dormant. Now is the window for Lime Sulfur applications to suppress anthracnose.
Cranberries are dormant.
Miscellaneous
Growers are pruning and clearing brush.
The Fruit Code-A-Phones in Van Buren (269) 657-8217 and Berrien (269) 944-4126 ext 1, will be working and updated by April 1. The first Monday Fruit IPM Update meeting will be, Monday April 13, at the Fruit Acres Farm in Berrien County.
MSU Fruit Specific Websites
