Northwest Michigan fruit regional report – April 23, 2013
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EmailA little side green observed in sweets and Balatons, but most crops still quiet throughout the northwest region.
Again for this week, things are quiet across the region and crops have not moved much since our last observations. We are about two weeks behind normal, which is similar to most areas of Michigan according to Michigan State University Extension. Orchards have been drying out with a few dry days, so growers are taking this opportunity to get into the orchard and clean up the brush, and pruning is continuing in most orchards. Growers with sweet cherries are still waiting for a good window for pruning, particularly with all the bacterial canker we had last year (2012).
We had warm temperatures on Monday, April 22, which was a welcome treat for everyone. The daytime high reached 64 degree Fahrenheit and the low only dipped down to the low 50s. We had about a half-inch of rain last Thursday (April 18) here at the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center, but since that day we have had dry conditions; rain is predicted for today, April 23.
We have accumulated 35GDD base 42 and 7GDD base 50 as of yesterday afternoon (April 22); again, these accumulations are behind our 22-year average, which are 163GDD base 42 and 68GDD base 50.
