SW Michigan Fruit Update
Southwest Michigan, April 8, 2008
Weather
Mild temperatures with highs near 60 and lows in the 40s allowed plants to get off to a good start. Growing Degree Day (GDD) accumulations are still behind most of the last 10 years in Growing Degree Days. Fruit buds on most crops are swollen. There is little danger of spring freeze damage at this time. We would need temperatures below 20F to cause damage at this time. No rain fell last week, but light rain fell across the area Tuesday morning.
Southwest
Michigan Growing Degree Day Totals
|
Grapes, from April 1 |
|||
Location |
GDD 42 |
GDD 45 |
GDD 50 |
GDD 50 |
80 |
52 |
24 |
14 |
|
76 |
50 |
22 |
14 |
|
67 |
43 |
19 |
13 |
|
68 |
44 |
20 |
13 |
|
56 |
35 |
15 |
11 |
|
68 |
44 |
19 |
14 |
|
73 |
48 |
21 |
15 |
|
57 |
38 |
18 |
11 |
|
55 |
34 |
15 |
11 |
|
Tree fruit
Tree fruit buds are moving. We expect to see green tissue by the end of the week. Growers still have the opportunity to apply dormant sprays to reduce overwintering disease inoculum. Mark Whalon reports that plum curculio adults were active on April 1 in East Lansing.
Apricots are at red bud.
Peaches buds are at swollen bud. It is too late to spray for peach leaf curl. Recent rains were certainly infections for this disease. No green tissue is exposed.
Both sweet and tart cherriesare early bud swell. In warmer sites, hints of green can be seen at the tips and sides of a few buds. The window for applying copper as a dormant spray to sweet cherries is ending. Copper can still be applied to tart cherries, which can tolerate copper very well.
In Plums, Oriental plum buds are at white side but European plums show only a little movement.
Apples
are at silver tip. We expect to see green tip by the
weekend and apples will be susceptible to 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 swelling. Pear Psylla adults should emerge soon when warm weather returns.
Small fruit
Small fruit have broken dormancy, but we are still in the window for Lime Sulfur applications in blueberries, grapes and brambles to suppress diseases that overwinter on the plant.
Blueberry fruit buds are swollen and leaf buds are beginning to move. It is time to look for mummyberry mushrooms. Mushroom development should begin about the time green tissue shows on the leaf buds. We really need several warm days to warm up the soil.
Grape buds are still tight. It does look like there was some movement in early vineyards. Some of the wood in juice grape vineyards looks weak from the large crop last year.
New strawberry leaves are emerging. Growers are applying herbicides and putting down straw mulch.
Raspberry and Blackberry buds are swollen. Now is the window for Lime Sulfur applications to suppress anthracnose.
Cranberry beds are coloring up but the tip buds are still tight.
Miscellaneous
Growers are clearing brush. Quite a bit of copper has been applied to stone fruit.
The next Monday Fruit Update meeting will be, Monday April 14, at the Fruit Acres Farm in Berrien County.
