Southeast Michigan fruit update – July 22, 2025
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EmailFirst plums are being harvested while berries and early peaches continue. Apple harvest prediction dates available.
Welcome to the 16th in-season fruit article update for southeast Michigan for the 2025 season. Throughout the season these updates will include information about the weather in the past week and the upcoming week, a fruit-by-fruit guide to current conditions with appropriate pest and disease updates, and other relevant observations.
General observations
The last week was hot with periods of high rainfall. We expect there to be a period of very high heat in southeast Michigan through the weekend into early next week. Temperatures in the next week are expected to stay in the 80s with the chance for storms Wednesday and Thursday, July 23-24. Growers in the region are pushing through blueberries and raspberries, with cherries mostly finished. Harvest has started with the earliest apples and peaches. Spot picking has started in some blackberries.
Our weekly integrated pest management updates wrapped up in June. You can watch recordings of the fruit meetings for southern Michigan on MSU’s Kaltura Media Space at the small fruit channel and the tree fruit channel.
Fruit-by-fruit conditions
Apples
Fruit is expanding and growers should be somewhere between their fifth and sixth cover spray for the season. While we have passed primary scab season, there is severe risk for powdery mildew infections all week.
Table 1. Normal and 2025 peak harvest dates for varieties for southeast Michigan.
|
Variety |
Normal |
Predicted |
Last Year |
|
Paulared |
22-Aug |
18-Aug |
7-Aug |
|
Zestar |
22-Aug |
18-Aug |
7-Aug |
|
Gingergold |
23-Aug |
19-Aug |
9-Aug |
|
Gala |
8-Sep |
4-Sep |
24-Aug |
|
McIntosh |
13-Sep |
9-Sep |
26-Aug |
|
Honeycrisp |
16-Sep |
12-Sep |
29-Aug |
|
Empire |
20-Sep |
17-Sep |
7-Sep |
|
Jonathan |
23-Sep |
22-Sep |
10-Sep |
|
Jonagold |
23-Sep |
20-Sep |
10-Sep |
|
Fuji |
25-Sep |
22-Sep |
13-Sep |
|
Golden Delicious |
29-Sep |
26-Sep |
13-Sep |
|
Red Delicious |
1-Oct |
29-Sep |
17-Sep |
|
Idared |
6-Oct |
2-Oct |
24-Sep |
|
Rome |
11-Oct |
7-Oct |
24-Sep |
|
Braeburn |
23-Oct |
19-Oct |
9-Oct |
|
Goldrush |
31-Oct |
27-Oct |
15-Oct |
Blueberries
Farms in the region are in the middle blueberry harvest. The main concern now is spotted wing drosophila.
Brambles
Harvest of summer raspberries continues while blackberries in warm areas can be spot picked. Black raspberry harvest has started. Fall raspberries are starting to flower at some locations, with some already showing fruit.
Cherries
Harvest has largely concluded.
Grapes
Many grapes in the region are at bunch closure. Fruit set seems good. There is a high risk of powdery mildew infection all week from July 22-29. Conditions will encourage the spread of existing downy mildew, but we do not anticipate risk for new infection. Black rot infection risk is not anticipated this week.
Peaches and nectarines
Peaches in the region are at the stage of expansion after pit hardening. Some are starting to take on color and early cultivars are already being harvested.
Pears
Pears in the region are expanding and have passed June drop, with pears in Hartland ranging from 55-60 millimeters (mm) in diameter.
Plums
Harvest has started for early golden plums in Romeo. Shiro and Methley plums in Romeo were starting to take on color.
Strawberries
Harvest has largely wrapped up in the region. Yield was spotty, with some farms having a normal yield and others with low yield. Renovation should proceed as soon after harvest as possible. Read this 2023 article on strawberry renovation.
Insect conditions
More in-depth information can be found by watching the latest weekly fruit meetings on MSU’s Kaltura Media Space (these may take a few days to upload after the meetings).
Aphids: Green apple aphids and woolly apple aphids are present but seem to be under control with woolly apple aphids primarily on trunks but starting to move to terminals.
Apple maggot: Catches have been reported on baited red balls for roughly three weeks. Catches at Fennville climbed very quickly and remain high.
Codling moth: Codling moth counts remain relatively low southeast Michigan and are declining in Fennville. Some codling moth stings have been observed regionally. See this article for best management practices.
Grape Berry moth: Counts are down in southeast Michigan and at the Trevor Nichols Research Center in Fennville. Read this article on early season grape berry moth control.
Obliquebanded leafroller: Catches are down, with counts mostly below five in southeast Michigan and Fennville. Not much damage has been observed.
Oriental fruit moth: Counts remain low in southeast Michigan and continue dropping at the Trevor Nichols Research Center.
Pear psylla: Adults have been observed regionally along with some damage. Egg hatch is just about finished.
San Jose scale: Crawlers have mostly waxed up, meaning that larvicidal sprays will no longer be effective. Counts of males are climbing at Fennville.
Spotted wing drosophila: Females have been caught in southeast Michigan cherry orchards. The hot and humid conditions are likely to encourage their growth. If you have susceptible crops, assess fruit for larvae.
Disease conditions
Apple scab: Models indicate no remaining spores at the end of primary scab season. Very little scab has been reported, indicating low risk for secondary scab.
Brown rot: Fungicides may be used again about three weeks before harvest in stone fruit (some plums and early peaches at this point).
Cherry leaf spot: We do not anticipate risk for additional cherry leaf spot infections. See this 2013 article on cherry leaf spot management.
Fire blight: Strikes have been reported in orchards with susceptible varieties and a history of fire blight, but these seem to be isolated.
Grape black rot: Control for grape black rot usually begins at 1-inch shoot length. We do not anticipate risk for new infections. See this 2014 article for grape black rot management options and consult E0154.
Grape downy mildew: We do not anticipate risk for new infections.
Phomopsis: The Phomopsis fungus is active in blueberries from bud swell until after harvest.
Powdery mildew of apple and pear: Some powdery mildew has already been reported, though treatments seem to have been effective at keeping it under control. Anticipated risk is high to severe in the next week from July 22-20.
Powdery mildew of grape: Severe risk is anticipated from July 22-29.
Seasonal weather update
In the last week, southeast Michigan has seen on average 4.4 hours of rain accumulating to about 0.4 inches of precipitation. We are about 1.6 inches ahead of the five-year average in amount and 8 hours of rainfall ahead of the average.
| Liquid Precipitation Accumulation Mar. 1- July 21, 2025, issued July 21, 2025 | ||||
| Station (County) | Rainfall Total (in.) Current | Hours with Rainfall Current | Rainfall Total Average (5 Yr.) | Hours with Rainfall Average (5 Yr.) |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 12.9 | 231 | 13.3 | 234 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 14.4 | 225 | 13.4 | 228 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 13.7 | 242 | 13.7 | 225 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 16.2 | 223 | 13.0 | 231 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 15.0 | 281 | 13.9 | 230 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 12.1 | 211 | . | . |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 13.4 | 236 | 13.6 | 231 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 13.2 | 224 | 11.8 | 216 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 16.6 | 240 | 13.1 | 237 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 11.4 | 221 | 12.2 | 215 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 13.4 | 274 | 10.9 | 212 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 16.7 | 238 | 11.7 | 209 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 19.1 | 222 | 14.7 | 228 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 13.4 | 210 | 11.4 | 243 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 14.4 | 234.1 | 12.8 | 226.1 |
| Difference in Liquid Precipitation Accumulation from Mar. 1 observed July 15 and July 21, 2025; issued July 21, 2025 | ||||||
| Rainfall Total (in.) | Rainfall Total (in.) | Hours with Rainfall | Hours with Rainfall | |||
| Station (County) | 15-Jul | 21-Jul | Difference | 15-Jul | 21-Jul | Difference |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 12.8 | 12.9 | 0.1 | 227 | 231 | 4.0 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 14.1 | 14.4 | 0.4 | 220 | 225 | 5.0 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 13.5 | 13.7 | 0.2 | 238 | 242 | 4.0 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 15.8 | 16.2 | 0.4 | 217 | 223 | 6.0 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 15.0 | 15.0 | 0.0 | 280 | 281 | 1.0 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 11.7 | 12.1 | 0.3 | 206 | 211 | 5.0 |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 13.4 | 13.4 | 0.0 | 232 | 236 | 4.0 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 12.7 | 13.2 | 0.5 | 218 | 224 | 6.0 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 15.8 | 16.6 | 0.7 | 235 | 240 | 5.0 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 11.4 | 11.4 | 0.0 | 218 | 221 | 3.0 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 13.2 | 13.4 | 0.2 | 270 | 274 | 4.0 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 16.4 | 16.7 | 0.4 | 232 | 238 | 6.0 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 16.8 | 19.1 | 2.4 | 218 | 222 | 4.0 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 13.3 | 13.4 | 0.2 | 206 | 210 | 4.0 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 14.0 | 14.4 | 0.4 | 229.8 | 234.1 | 4.4 |
In the short term, we are expecting hot and humid conditions with potential storms on Friday, July 25, and showers on Saturday. High temperatures will mostly stay in the mid-80s to low 90s with lows mostly staying in the mid-60s to low 70s.
In the medium term, we are expecting above normal temperatures and precipitation to be a little above normal. The long lead outlooks are calling for temperature to be above normal and precipitation to be near normal.
Around the region our growing degree day numbers have remained close to the four-year average. In the last week we gained an average of 144 growing degree days at base 50 in the region. Read this Michigan State University Extension article to learn more about degree days: Understanding growing degree-days.
| Degree Day Accumulation Mar. 1-July 21, 2025 Forecast from July 22-July 27, 2025; issued July 21, 2025 | |||||||||
| Station (County) | Degree Days Base 42°F Current | Degree Days Base 42°F Average (4 Yr.) | Degree Days Base 42°F Forecast | Degree Days Base 45°F Current | Degree Days Base 45°F Average (4 Yr.) | Degree Days Base 45°F Forecast | Degree Days Base 50°F Current | Degree Days Base 50°F Average (4 Yr.) | Degree Days Base 50°F Forecast |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 2249 | 2187 | 2483 | 1936 | 1879 | 2148 | 1458 | 1417 | 1635 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 2503 | 2413 | 2734 | 2171 | 2089 | 2381 | 1665 | 1599 | 1840 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 2331 | 2249 | 2560 | 2011 | 1937 | 2219 | 1523 | 1468 | 1696 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 2080 | 2089 | 2296 | 1774 | 1785 | 1969 | 1320 | 1331 | 1480 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 2383 | 2318 | 2617 | 2063 | 2004 | 2275 | 1573 | 1529 | 1751 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 2228 | 2212 | 2457 | 1920 | 1906 | 2128 | 1458 | 1445 | 1631 |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 2379 | 2326 | 2611 | 2060 | 2014 | 2271 | 1577 | 1543 | 1753 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 2343 | 2313 | 2576 | 2027 | 2001 | 2238 | 1549 | 1527 | 1726 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 2218 | 2175 | 2437 | 1908 | 1870 | 2105 | 1436 | 1413 | 1598 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 2027 | 2043 | 2251 | 1732 | 1747 | 1935 | 1292 | 1305 | 1460 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 2017 | 2074 | 2241 | 1721 | 1778 | 1924 | 1284 | 1335 | 1452 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 2252 | 2266 | 2476 | 1938 | 1955 | 2141 | 1464 | 1484 | 1631 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 2248 | 2208 | 2476 | 1933 | 1897 | 2140 | 1458 | 1429 | 1630 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 2127 | 2106 | 2342 | 1823 | 1807 | 2016 | 1368 | 1360 | 1527 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 2242 | 2213 | 2468 | 1930 | 1905 | 2135 | 1459 | 1442 | 1629 |
| Difference in Degree Day Accumulation from Mar. 1, 2025 observed July 15 and July 21, 2025; issued July 21, 2025 | |||||||||
| Station (County) | Degree Days Base 42°F | Degree Days Base 42°F | Degree Days Base 42°F | Degree Days Base 45°F | Degree Days Base 45°F | Degree Days Base 45°F | Degree Days Base 50°F | Degree Days Base 50°F | Degree Days Base 50°F |
| 15-Jul | 21-Jul | Difference | 15-Jul | 21-Jul | Difference | 15-Jul | 21-Jul | Difference | |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 2080 | 2249 | 169.0 | 1785 | 1936 | 151.0 | 1337 | 1458 | 121.0 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 2322 | 2503 | 181.0 | 2008 | 2171 | 163.0 | 1531 | 1665 | 134.0 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 2162 | 2331 | 169.0 | 1859 | 2011 | 152.0 | 1401 | 1523 | 122.0 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 1931 | 2080 | 149.0 | 1644 | 1774 | 130.0 | 1219 | 1320 | 101.0 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 2203 | 2383 | 180.0 | 1900 | 2063 | 163.0 | 1441 | 1573 | 132.0 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 2059 | 2228 | 169.0 | 1769 | 1920 | 151.0 | 1337 | 1458 | 121.0 |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 2202 | 2379 | 177.0 | 1901 | 2060 | 159.0 | 1449 | 1577 | 128.0 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 2169 | 2343 | 174.0 | 1871 | 2027 | 156.0 | 1423 | 1549 | 126.0 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 2057 | 2218 | 161.0 | 1764 | 1908 | 144.0 | 1322 | 1436 | 114.0 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 1868 | 2027 | 159.0 | 1591 | 1732 | 141.0 | 1181 | 1292 | 111.0 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 1853 | 2017 | 164.0 | 1575 | 1721 | 146.0 | 1168 | 1284 | 116.0 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 2085 | 2252 | 167.0 | 1789 | 1938 | 149.0 | 1344 | 1464 | 120.0 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 2081 | 2248 | 167.0 | 1784 | 1933 | 149.0 | 1339 | 1458 | 119.0 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 1966 | 2127 | 161.0 | 1680 | 1823 | 143.0 | 1255 | 1368 | 113.0 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 2074 | 2242 | 168 | 1780 | 1930 | 150 | 1339 | 1459 | 120 |
Watch Jeff Andresen's biweekly agricultural weather forecast reports.
More information and reports on normal weather conditions and departures from normal can be found on the NOAA Climate Prediction Center website, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals website, NOAA Climate Normals Quick Access Page (which may be searched by region), and Midwest Regional Climate Center website.
