College of Agriculture & Natural Resources

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  Southwest Michigan fruit update – Aug. 20, 2019

  Published on August 20, 2019
  Summer fruit harvest is winding down. Growers are beginning to harvest plums, pears and early apples.

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  Southwest Michigan fruit update – May 10, 2022

  Published on May 10, 2022
  Hot weather this week will speed up crop development.

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  Grand Rapids area apple maturity report – Oct. 9, 2019

  Published on October 9, 2019
  First harvest of early blocks of Honeycrisp and Gala will begin soon.

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  Southwest Michigan fruit update – June 27, 2023

  Published on June 27, 2023
  Tart cherry harvest should begin this week, as well as raspberries and blueberries.

• West Michigan tree fruit update – Aug. 8, 2017

  Published on August 8, 2017
  Insects don’t take a summer vacation – don’t let your guard down.

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  Grand Rapids area apple maturity report – Sept. 11, 2019

  Published on September 11, 2019
  First harvest of early blocks of Honeycrisp and Gala will begin soon.

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  West central Michigan apple maturity report – September 20, 2023

  Published on September 20, 2023
  Growers are continuing to pick Gala and Honeycrisp this week. Jonagold is ready.

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  Southwest Michigan fruit update – July 11, 2023

  Published on July 11, 2023
  With ripe fruit comes ripe rots and ripe insect pests.

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  Southwest Michigan fruit update – May 14, 2024 

  Published on May 14, 2024
  Spring is in full swing.

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  Click pruning for apples

  Published on February 9, 2022
  Click pruning is a technique developed for type-4 and tip-bearing varieties. We summarize when and how it can be used.

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  Southwest Michigan fruit update – 2020 review

  Published on November 24, 2020
  Freezes in April and May damaged many crops. A dry summer kept disease pressure down in most fruits. Crop quality and volumes were generally good.

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  Grand Rapids area apple maturity report – Aug. 3, 2022

  Published on August 3, 2022
  Early maturity testing results, early varieties just beginning to show signs of maturity in the Grand Rapids area.

• Dependable information for beginning farmers – where can it be found?

  Published on December 30, 2013
  Research-based information sources are a good place to start.

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  Apple replant disease and soil health assessments: A follow-up from the International Tree Fruit Association annual conference

  Published on March 7, 2022
  A summary of apple replant disease and bio-renovation strategies for disease management.

• Tools to help manage apple harvest

  Published on September 18, 2013
  Recommendations to assist spreading the harvest window in 2013.

• Southwest Michigan fruit regional report – May 21, 2013

  Published on May 21, 2013
  Warm, dry weather has fruit crops moving rapidly. Blueberries are blooming and grape bloom approaches.

• Use summer NAA to enhance return bloom on apple varieties

  Published on June 18, 2014
  Follow these guidelines when applying NAA on apple varieties to improve return bloom.

• Tree death and dieback are evident in apple following Michigan’s hard winter

  Published on June 24, 2014
  Winter-killed and winter-injured apple trees exhibiting dieback symptoms have been observed throughout Michigan. Dead and dying apple trees and branches should be removed and burned as this tissue can be colonized by secondary fungal pathogens.

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  Irrigation update for specialty crop producers on March 17

  Published on February 26, 2020
  Specialty Crop Irrigation Meeting in southwest Michigan offers an irrigation update for fruit, vegetable and ornamental crop producers with an emphasis on rules, regulations, legal requirements and scheduling.

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  Northwest Michigan apple maturity report – September 18, 2024

  Published on September 18, 2024
  Apples are ripening one to two weeks before most years, and growers are actively harvesting Honeycrisp. Other varieties will be right on the heels of this variety with ripening.