Southeast Michigan fruit update – April 22, 2025
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EmailThe region is seeing warm weather and bud movement.
Welcome to the third 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 warmup we have had over the last week has considerably pushed forward a lot of our fruit bud development. At this time last year, many of our apple trees and most of our other fruit trees were already blooming, allowing for damage from frost on April 24, 2024. We are fortunately not as advanced this year, which greatly reduces our risk for frost damage.
Many of you will have already done spring weed control, but if not, this 2020 Michigan State University Extension article on spring herbicide applications lists some available options.
This year, our weekly integrated pest management (IPM) updates will be separated into two meetings: a small fruit meeting for southern Michigan on Tuesday evenings (register for small fruit IPM meetings) and a statewide tree fruit IPM update on Wednesdays at noon (register for tree fruit IPM meetings). It is a good opportunity to hear from experts, ask questions and receive restricted use pesticide (RUP) credits. See the latest weekly fruit meetings for southern Michigan on MSU’s Kaltura Media Space (these may take a few days to upload after the meetings are held).
Fruit-by-fruit conditions
Apples
We are starting to see early flowering apples at first pink in the warmer parts of the region, though many apples remain in silver or green tip in cooler regions. At half-inch green, the critical temperatures are 23 degrees Fahrenheit for 10% kill and 15 F for 90% kill. At tight cluster, the critical temperatures are 27 F for 10% kill and 21 F for 90% kill. At first pink, the critical temperatures are 28 F for 10% kill and 24 F for 90% kill.
Blueberries
We are seeing early pink in blueberries in Britton and Fenton. We are still in the risk period for mummy berry and it is time to start paying attention to phomopsis. FRAC 3 fungicides are reported to be efficacious for both mummy berry and phomopsis. At early pink bud, we see damage when temperatures drop to the 23-25 F range.
Brambles
We are seeing first leaves in raspberries and blackberries.
Cherries
We are seeing open cluster to first white in tart cherries and green tip to tight cluster in sweet cherries.
Tart: At tight cluster, the critical temperatures for tart cherries are 26 F for 10% kill and 24 F for 90% kill. At open cluster and first white, the critical temperatures for tart cherries are 28 F for 10% kill and 24 F for 90% kill.
Sweet: At green tip, the critical temperatures for sweet cherries are 25 F for 10% kill and 14 F for 90% kill. At tight cluster, the critical temperatures for sweet cherries are 26 F for 10% kill and 17 F for 90% kill.
Grapes
First swell and sap flow has been reported in southeast Michigan. At first swell, the critical temperatures are 13 F for 10% kill and -3 F for 90% kill.
Strawberries
Many growers in the region are removing straw as more leaves grow into crowns. Early season fungicides should focus on controlling leaf spot.
Peaches and nectarines
Peaches in Romeo are at the red calyx stage. At red calyx the critical temperatures are 23 F for 10% kill and 9 F for 90% kill.
Pears
Pears in the region are approaching tight cluster and first white. At tight cluster, critical temperatures are 15-24 F for 10% kill and 15 F for 90% kill. At first white, critical temperatures are 25 F for 10% kill and 19 F for 90% kill.
Plums
European plums in Romeo were observed at tip green while Japanese plums in the same orchard were at full bloom. At tip green, the critical temperatures for European plums are 20 F for 10% kill and 7 F for 90% kill. Prune out black knot and dispose of the knots by burning or removing from the orchard. Sanitation is an important step in managing this disease.
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).
Black stem borer: Females start to search for new sites to deposit eggs around 100 growing degree days (GDD)50. The main control is to target emerging females at that point.
European red mite: Control for European red mite usually begins at tight cluster in apples and should be completed before the pink stage.
Green fruit worm: Catches continue in Fennville. These can be controlled with insecticides post-bloom.
Oriental fruit moth: Most of the region is in the egg-deposition control point where you can use of ovicidal products from 100-150 GDD45.
Pear psylla: Egg hatch continues to climb.
Red banded leaf roller: Catches are increasing in Fennville.
Rosy apple aphid: Egg hatch is usually complete around the half-inch green stage and control is best applied around tight cluster. There is still time for this in later varieties and in cooler parts of the region.
San Jose scale: A delayed dormant oil spray between green tip and pink can be used to control scale. After this period the next time to control is when crawlers emerge in early summer.
Spotted tentiform leafminer: Control for spotted tentiform leafminer is usually not necessary, but may be useful in problem areas beginning at tight cluster in apples
Disease conditions
Apple scab: While a biofix has been set, we have not yet experienced the extended wetting periods associated with scab risk. There is a forecasted risk for infection on Saturday, April 26. Early control of scab is important for reducing secondary scab infections that can affect fruit.
Black knot: There is still time to prune out and burn black knot in plums and sour cherries. Fungicides may be used for limited control to supplement pruning and sanitation efforts.
Brown rot: This disease affects stone fruit and can proliferate during bloom, but we have not reached bloom yet. Fungicides may be necessary to control if bloom is during a warm period, especially in orchards that have had brown rot presence in previous seasons.
Cherry leaf spot: We are not expecting cherry leaf spot risk in the next week. See this 2013 article on cherry leaf spot management.
Fire blight: If you have blooming pears, there is potential for fire blight infection on April 26 and 27, though the risk is low.
Grape black rot: Control for grape black rot usually begins at 1-inch shoot length, but we are just seeing first swell in the region. See this 2014 article for grape black rot management options and consult E0154.
Mummy berry: We are still in the season for mummy berry infections. See E2846 for control methods.
Phomopsis: In blueberries, the Phomopsis fungus is active from bud swell until after harvest.
Powdery mildew of apple and pear: You can start to include products labeled for powdery mildew in sprays starting at tight cluster.
Seasonal weather update
In the last week, southeast Michigan saw on average over 9 hours of rain accumulating to roughly 0.5 inches of precipitation. We are ahead of the five-year average in both time and amount of rainfall.
| Liquid Precipitation Accumulation Mar. 1- Apr. 21, 2025, issued Apr. 22, 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station (County) | Rainfall Total (in.) Current | Hours with Rainfall Current | Rainfall Total Average (5 Yr.) | Hours with Rainfall Average (5 Yr.) |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 4.5 | 103 | 4.5 | 96 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 5.0 | 102 | 4.2 | 91 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 5.1 | 101 | 4.7 | 101 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 4.9 | 88 | 4.1 | 94 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 5.8 | 106 | 4.7 | 100 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 4.4 | 94 | . | . |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 6.1 | 108 | 4.4 | 92 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 5.6 | 104 | 4.4 | 100 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 5.6 | 104 | 3.7 | 100 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 4.0 | 97 | 4.5 | 94 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 3.6 | 123 | 3.7 | 88 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 6.4 | 102 | 4.0 | 91 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 4.7 | 97 | 4.1 | 89 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 5.0 | 85 | 4.1 | 94 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 5.0 | 101.0 | 4.2 | 94.6 |
| Difference in Liquid Precipitation Accumulation from Mar. 1 observed Apr. 14 and Apr. 21, 2025; issued Apr. 22, 2025 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall Total (in.) | Rainfall Total (in.) | Hours with Rainfall | Hours with Rainfall | |||
| Station (County) | 14-Apr | 21-Apr | Difference | 14-Apr | 21-Apr | Difference |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 4.3 | 4.5 | 0.1 | 99 | 103 | 4.0 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 4.9 | 5.0 | 0.1 | 97 | 102 | 5.0 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 5.0 | 5.1 | 0.1 | 94 | 101 | 7.0 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 4.4 | 4.9 | 0.4 | 82 | 88 | 6.0 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 5.0 | 5.8 | 0.9 | 97 | 106 | 9.0 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 3.8 | 4.4 | 0.5 | 85 | 94 | 9.0 |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 5.9 | 6.1 | 0.3 | 99 | 108 | 9.0 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 4.9 | 5.6 | 0.6 | 93 | 104 | 11.0 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 4.6 | 5.6 | 1.0 | 94 | 104 | 10.0 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 3.4 | 4.0 | 0.5 | 82 | 97 | 15.0 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 3.1 | 3.6 | 0.4 | 102 | 123 | 21.0 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 5.8 | 6.4 | 0.6 | 93 | 102 | 9.0 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 4.2 | 4.7 | 0.5 | 90 | 97 | 7.0 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 4.3 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 75 | 85 | 10.0 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 4.5 | 5.0 | 0.5 | 91.6 | 101.0 | 9.4 |
In the short term, we are expecting scattered showers on Wednesday, April 23, and fairer, dryer conditions on Thursday. Storms are expected on Friday. The weekend should be dry. We expect to see overnight lows dropping to the 30s and 40s over the weekend, but we don’t expect frost.
In the medium term, we are expecting both temperatures and precipitation totals to be above normal. The long lead outlooks are calling for both temperature and precipitation to be near normal.
Our regional average growing degree day accumulation is very close to the five-year average. Read this Michigan State University Extension article to learn more about degree days: Understanding growing degree-days.
| Degree Day Accumulation Mar. 1-Apr. 21, 2025 Forecast from April 22-27, 2025; issued Apr. 22, 2025 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station (County) | Degree Days Base 42°F Current | Degree Days Base 42°F Average (5 Yr.) | Degree Days Base 42°F Forecast | Degree Days Base 45°F Current | Degree Days Base 45°F Average (5 Yr.) | Degree Days Base 45°F Forecast | Degree Days Base 50°F Current | Degree Days Base 50°F Average (5 Yr.) | Degree Days Base 50°F Forecast |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 260 | 240 | 374 | 198 | 179 | 292 | 117 | 106 | 180 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 324 | 309 | 447 | 250 | 236 | 352 | 154 | 145 | 225 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 287 | 263 | 401 | 219 | 198 | 314 | 131 | 119 | 196 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 223 | 228 | 318 | 166 | 169 | 241 | 94 | 99 | 142 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 294 | 270 | 403 | 227 | 204 | 316 | 139 | 124 | 199 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 204 | 232 | 295 | 148 | 176 | 220 | 83 | 108 | 127 |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 281 | 270 | 405 | 215 | 206 | 319 | 131 | 127 | 204 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 241 | 249 | 340 | 179 | 188 | 258 | 102 | 113 | 154 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 273 | 258 | 373 | 210 | 196 | 291 | 128 | 119 | 180 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 173 | 201 | 258 | 126 | 151 | 192 | 71 | 91 | 110 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 185 | 205 | 252 | 134 | 154 | 183 | 74 | 92 | 100 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 237 | 254 | 334 | 177 | 193 | 254 | 100 | 116 | 150 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 253 | 240 | 360 | 190 | 179 | 277 | 113 | 105 | 170 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 221 | 217 | 303 | 163 | 163 | 227 | 91 | 98 | 129 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 247 | 245 | 347 | 186 | 185 | 267 | 109 | 112 | 162 |
| Difference in Degree Day Accumulation from Mar. 1, 2025 observed Apr. 14 and Apr. 21, 2025; issued April 22, 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 |
| Apr. 14 | Apr. 21 | Difference | Apr. 14 | Apr. 21 | Difference | Apr. 14 | Apr. 21 | Difference | |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 194 | 260 | 66.0 | 146 | 198 | 52.0 | 84 | 117 | 33.0 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 241 | 324 | 83.0 | 183 | 250 | 67.0 | 110 | 154 | 44.0 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 218 | 287 | 69.0 | 165 | 219 | 54.0 | 96 | 131 | 35.0 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 162 | 223 | 61.0 | 118 | 166 | 48.0 | 65 | 94 | 29.0 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 220 | 294 | 74.0 | 168 | 227 | 59.0 | 101 | 139 | 38.0 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 144 | 204 | 60.0 | 102 | 148 | 46.0 | 55 | 83 | 28.0 |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 213 | 281 | 68.0 | 161 | 215 | 54.0 | 95 | 131 | 36.0 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 177 | 241 | 64.0 | 129 | 179 | 50.0 | 71 | 102 | 31.0 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 207 | 273 | 66.0 | 158 | 210 | 52.0 | 94 | 128 | 34.0 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 122 | 173 | 51.0 | 87 | 126 | 39.0 | 47 | 71 | 24.0 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 131 | 185 | 54.0 | 93 | 134 | 41.0 | 50 | 74 | 24.0 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 173 | 237 | 64.0 | 126 | 177 | 51.0 | 69 | 100 | 31.0 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 186 | 253 | 67.0 | 138 | 190 | 52.0 | 79 | 113 | 34.0 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 164 | 221 | 57.0 | 120 | 163 | 43.0 | 65 | 91 | 26.0 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 182 | 247 | 65 | 135 | 186 | 51 | 77 | 109 | 32 |
Watch Jeff Andresen's weekly 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.
