Critical spring temperatures for tree fruit bud stages

Mark Longstroth, Michigan State University Extension - April 12, 2011

Michigan and Washington State data to help judge the potential for injury.

View the data in the table below or view as a pdf file.

Pome Fruit
Apples	Silver tip	Green Tip	½ inch green	Tight Cluster		First Pink		Full Pink		First Bloom		Full Bloom	Post Bloom
Old temp 10% kill 90% kill	16 15 2	16 18 10	22 23 15	27 27 21		27 28 24		28 28 25		28 28 25		29 28 25	29 28 25
Pears	Bud Swell	Bud Burst		Tight cluster		First White		Full White		First Bloom		Full Bloom	Post Bloom
Old temp 10% kill 90% kill	18 15 0	23 20 6		24 24 15		28 25 19		29 26 22		29 27 23		29 28 24	30 28 24
Stone Fruit
Apricots	Bud Swell	Bud Burst	Red Tip		First White		First Bloom		Full Bloom		In the Shuck		Green Fruit
Old temp 10% kill 90% kill	-- 15 --	23 20 0	-- 22 9		25 24 14		-- 25 19		28 27 22		-- 27 24		31 28 25
Peaches	Bud Swell	Calyx Green	Calyx Red				First Pink		First Bloom		Full Bloom		Post Bloom
Old temp 10% kill 90% kill	23 18 1	-- 21 5	-- 23 9				25 25 15		-- 26 21		27 27 24		30 28 25
European Plums	Bud Swell	Side White	Tip Green		Tight Cluster		First White		First Bloom		Full Bloom		Post Bloom
Old temp 10% kill 90% kill	-- 14 0	-- 17 3	-- 20 7		-- 24 16		23 26 22		27 27 23		27 28 23		30 28 23
Sweet Cherries	Bud Swell	Side Green	Green Tip	Tight Cluster		Open Cluster		First White		First Bloom		Full Bloom	Post Bloom
Old temp 10% kill 90% kill	23 17 5	23 22 9	25 25 14	28 26 17		28 27 21		29 27 24		29 28 25		29 28 25	30 28 25
Tart Cherries	Bud Swell	Side Green	Green Tip	Tight Cluster		Open Cluster		First White		First Bloom		Full Bloom
10% kill 90% kill	15 0	24 10	26 22	26 24		28 24		28 24		28 24		28 24

Old standard temperature is the lowest temperature that can be endured for 30 minutes without damage. This chart also shows the temperature that will kill 10 % and 90 % of normal fruit buds. These numbers were taken from Washington State University (WSU), and Michigan State University Extension (MSU) bulletins.

Apple - WSU EB0913
Pears - WSU EB0978
Cherries - WSU EB1128
Peaches - WSU EB0914
Apricots - WSU EB1240
Concord Grapes - WSU EB1615
Tart Cherries - MSU Research. Rpt. 220

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).