Southeast Michigan fruit update- June 23, 2026
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EmailStrawberry harvest wraps up while cherry harvest is starting.
Welcome to the 13th in-season fruit article update for southeast Michigan for the 2026 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 has been cooler than usual with moderate precipitation, but we will be seeing a return to hot summer weather after some storms come through mid-week. Raspberry and cherry harvests are on the way while strawberry harvest is wrapping up. The first harvests of peaches and blueberries will likely start by the end of the month.
Our weekly video integrated pest management (IPM) updates have concluded for the season. See the recordings of the weekly fruit meetings for southern Michigan on MSU’s Kaltura Media Space, including the final June 23 meeting.
Fruit-by-fruit conditions
Apples: Apples in the region are sizing up, with considerable variation in diameter depending on region and cultivar. June drop is in progress in the area.
Blueberries: Fruit are sizing up and coloring. There may be a few precocious berries ready to eat.
Brambles: Harvest is underway in summer raspberries Floral buds and flowers are starting to show up on fall raspberries and blackberries continue to bloom.
Cherries: Harvest has started in both sweet and tart cherries at many sites. The cool, extended bloom period along with frosts contributed to low crop set at some farms and some farms may not be harvesting the small amounts of cherries they have. This is site-dependent.
Grapes: Bloom has concluded and fruits are sizing up. Tight-clustered grapes like Petite Pearl are approaching berry touch. Other grapes are around pea-size.
Peaches and nectarines: Peaches have passed the pit hardening stage and are in the third growth phase. The earliest varieties like Rich May and Desiree may be picked within the week in our warmest areas.
New MSU Extension bulletin: “Best Practices for Peach Orchards with Reduced Crop Load”
Pears: Pears are sizing up in the region. Local scouts have reported sightings of pear psylla adults in orchards.
Plums: Japanese and European style plums have passed the pit hardening phase.
Strawberries: We are seeing the tail end of harvest, with some farms still picking. Thrips damage was extensive in certain parts of the state. Many areas have also seen frost damage, resulting in lower crops at some farms.
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).
New MSU Extension article: “Don't trust the calendar: Why trapping matters during unusual weather”
New MSU Extension bulletin: “Managing Ambrosia Beetles in Apple”
Aphids: Woolly apple aphid populations in apple have not yet moved to terminals. Along with rosy apple aphid, populations are down after successful control by growers. Green apple aphids populations are climbing.
Blueberry maggot: First catch was reported in Fennville.
Borers: Similar catch to last week of greater peachtree borer. Lesser peachtree borer have been reported in Fennville.
Cherry fruit fly: Additional catches of cherry fruit fly were reported in Fennville.
Cranberry fruit worm: Counts are stable from last week at Fennville.
Codling moth: Adult catches are down regionally. Sustained catch was observed on May 8 in Romeo, putting us toward the end of egg hatch and in the time frame for additional larvicidal sprays if sufficient control has not been achieved.
European apple sawfly: Catches have declined in southeast Michigan but there is damage. This is a pest that wasn’t an issue for many years but growers have been reporting damage in the last few seasons.
Grape berry moth: Growers observed wild grape bloom the first week of June, which is the biofix for grape berry moth. Counts at Fennville are down from last week
Japanese beetle: These have yet to be observed, but they usually emerge in early summer.
Mullein plant bug: Damage has been reported in southeast Michigan in some orchards.
Oriental fruit moth: Biofix was set in Romeo for April 22 (April 13 in Fennville) for the first generation. Numbers are still down, but emergence of the next generation will be coming soon (see the Enviroweather model with biofix).
Pear psylla: Increased adult activity has been observed in orchards again.
San Jose scale: Crawlers have been observed in the region, with the peak happening around right now. This is the best time to control for this pest.
Spotted lanternfly: Look for nymphs in parts of the state that have documented populations (Detroit, Monroe County, Oakland County).
Disease conditions
Apple scab: The RimPro model for Romeo indicates that primary scab season is over. From this point on growers with existing scab infections should focus on controlling secondary scab. There is some risk for secondary scab June 26-27 at sites with primary scab infections.
Cherry leaf spot: There is some cherry leaf spot risk on June 25-26. See this 2024 article on cherry leaf spot management.
European brown rot: Stone fruits are susceptible to infection around three weeks after shuck split and again three weeks before harvest through the harvest period.
Fire blight: Since we have moved out of bloom there is low risk in apples and pears, however if there is hail damage growers should spray for fire blight.
Grape black rot: Control for grape black is most important immediately pre-bloom and during bloom. There is not much risk for black rot this week and grape bloom is mostly done. See this 2014 article for grape black rot management options and consult E-154. Risk is expected to be low this week.
Grape downy mildew: We are not expecting risk this week.
Grape powdery mildew: We are expecting risk this week from June 29-30.
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. We are not expecting risk from June 29-30.
Seasonal weather update
In the last week, southeast Michigan has seen an average of 20 hours of rain accumulating to 1.4 inches of precipitation.
| Liquid Precipitation Accumulation Mar. 1- June 23, 2026, issued June 23, 2026 | ||||
| Station (County) | Rainfall Total (in.) Current | Hours with Rainfall Current | Rainfall Total Average (5 Yr.) | Hours with Rainfall Average (5 Yr.) |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 14.3 | 198 | 9.5 | 188 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 14.3 | 193 | 10.3 | 183 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 14.7 | 202 | 9.6 | 185 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 13.8 | 220 | 9.3 | 182 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 14.7 | 210 | 10.2 | 198 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 15.1 | 186 | . | . |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 13.1 | 205 | 10.2 | 186 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 16.4 | 205 | 8.8 | 178 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 14.6 | 217 | 9.0 | 193 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 15.4 | 211 | 8.4 | 175 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 14.3 | 216 | 7.5 | 183 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 15.6 | 206 | 9.3 | 179 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 14.9 | 190 | 10.1 | 181 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 13.8 | 197 | 8.5 | 195 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 14.6 | 204.0 | 9.3 | 185.1 |
| Difference in Liquid Precipitation Accumulation from Mar. 1 observed June 16 and June 23, 2026; issued June 23, 2026 | ||||||
| Rainfall Total (in.) | Rainfall Total (in.) | Hours with Rainfall | Hours with Rainfall | |||
| Station (County) | 16-Jun | 23-Jun | Difference | 16-Jun | 23-Jun | Difference |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 13.4 | 14.3 | 0.9 | 178 | 198 | 20.0 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 12.7 | 14.3 | 1.6 | 176 | 193 | 17.0 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 14.0 | 14.7 | 0.7 | 186 | 202 | 16.0 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 12.5 | 13.8 | 1.3 | 193 | 220 | 27.0 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 14.0 | 14.7 | 0.7 | 192 | 210 | 18.0 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 12.0 | 15.1 | 3.1 | 169 | 186 | 17.0 |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 11.7 | 13.1 | 1.4 | 186 | 205 | 19.0 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 15.9 | 16.4 | 0.5 | 190 | 205 | 15.0 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 13.7 | 14.6 | 0.9 | 197 | 217 | 20.0 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 13.2 | 15.4 | 2.1 | 190 | 211 | 21.0 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 12.2 | 14.3 | 2.1 | 195 | 216 | 21.0 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 14.2 | 15.6 | 1.4 | 182 | 206 | 24.0 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 12.8 | 14.9 | 2.1 | 167 | 190 | 23.0 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 12.7 | 13.8 | 1.1 | 175 | 197 | 22.0 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 13.2 | 14.6 | 1.4 | 184.0 | 204.0 | 20.0 |
In the short term, we are expecting storms Wednesday into Thursday followed by an increase in temperatures. Highs will climb from the 70s into the low 90s while lows will climb from the 50s to the 60s. In the medium term we are expecting early July to be warmer and wetter than normal.
Our regional average growing degree day accumulation for the season are about seven days ahead of the long term normals and about equal with the five-year average. In the last week, we accumulated on average 149 growing degree days (GDD) at 42 F, 128 GDD at 45 F and 93 GDD at 50 F (see table below). Read this Michigan State University Extension article to learn more about degree days: Understanding growing degree-days.
| Degree Day Accumulation Mar. 1-June 23, 2026 Forecast from June 24- June 30, 2026; issued June 23, 2026 | |||||||||
| 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) | 1436 | 1384 | 1627 | 1202 | 1159 | 1371 | 857 | 834 | 992 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 1676 | 1569 | 1872 | 1418 | 1327 | 1593 | 1032 | 973 | 1172 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 1531 | 1446 | 1719 | 1289 | 1216 | 1455 | 930 | 883 | 1061 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 1314 | 1317 | 1487 | 1094 | 1097 | 1247 | 775 | 781 | 893 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 1525 | 1484 | 1713 | 1288 | 1252 | 1455 | 937 | 914 | 1069 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 1375 | 1404 | 1554 | 1152 | 1181 | 1310 | 823 | 860 | 945 |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 1584 | 1488 | 1780 | 1340 | 1258 | 1515 | 979 | 925 | 1119 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 1489 | 1484 | 1672 | 1256 | 1255 | 1419 | 910 | 920 | 1038 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 1429 | 1386 | 1608 | 1203 | 1164 | 1361 | 871 | 843 | 994 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 1226 | 1274 | 1399 | 1012 | 1063 | 1165 | 707 | 760 | 824 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 1258 | 1275 | 1444 | 1046 | 1062 | 1212 | 738 | 759 | 868 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 1445 | 1447 | 1626 | 1217 | 1220 | 1377 | 883 | 887 | 1008 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 1446 | 1392 | 1627 | 1212 | 1165 | 1372 | 869 | 836 | 995 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 1319 | 1323 | 1495 | 1101 | 1106 | 1256 | 783 | 795 | 903 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 1432 | 1405 | 1616 | 1202 | 1180 | 1365 | 864 | 855 | 992 |
| Difference in Degree Day Accumulation from Mar. 1, 2026 observed June 16 and June 23, 2026; issued June 23, 2026 | |||||||||
| 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 |
| 16-Jun | 23-Jun | Difference | 16-Jun | 23-Jun | Difference | 16-Jun | 23-Jun | Difference | |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 1294 | 1436 | 142.0 | 1080 | 1202 | 122.0 | 771 | 857 | 86.0 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 1522 | 1676 | 154.0 | 1285 | 1418 | 133.0 | 934 | 1032 | 98.0 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 1389 | 1531 | 142.0 | 1167 | 1289 | 122.0 | 843 | 930 | 87.0 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 1169 | 1314 | 145.0 | 970 | 1094 | 124.0 | 686 | 775 | 89.0 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 1368 | 1525 | 157.0 | 1152 | 1288 | 136.0 | 836 | 937 | 101.0 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 1224 | 1375 | 151.0 | 1022 | 1152 | 130.0 | 728 | 823 | 95.0 |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 1436 | 1584 | 148.0 | 1213 | 1340 | 127.0 | 886 | 979 | 93.0 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 1331 | 1489 | 158.0 | 1120 | 1256 | 136.0 | 809 | 910 | 101.0 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 1286 | 1429 | 143.0 | 1081 | 1203 | 122.0 | 784 | 871 | 87.0 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 1085 | 1226 | 141.0 | 892 | 1012 | 120.0 | 621 | 707 | 86.0 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 1110 | 1258 | 148.0 | 919 | 1046 | 127.0 | 646 | 738 | 92.0 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 1293 | 1445 | 152.0 | 1086 | 1217 | 131.0 | 787 | 883 | 96.0 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 1293 | 1446 | 153.0 | 1081 | 1212 | 131.0 | 773 | 869 | 96.0 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 1169 | 1319 | 150.0 | 972 | 1101 | 129.0 | 688 | 783 | 95.0 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 1284 | 1432 | 149 | 1074 | 1202 | 128 | 771 | 864 | 93 |
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.
This work is supported by the Crop Protection and Pest Management Program (grant no 2024-70006-43569) from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
