Southwest Michigan fruit update – June 24, 2025
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EmailIt was a hot week. Crops moved quickly.
MSU fruit updates
Michigan State University Extension is in the process of filling the tree fruit specialist position based at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center. Because of this, there will be a more abbreviated tree fruit section in our weekly updates until the position is filled.
Weather
Last week, southwest Michigan started seasonable but ended with near record high temperatures. Over the weekend, the region saw several days in the mid-90s. The high humidity increased the discomfort with heat indexes above 100 degrees. The high humidity also kept the nighttime low temperatures in the upper 70s. This continued into the first part of this week.
A line of storms passed through southwest Michigan over the course of the day on Wednesday, June 18. Many locations saw between 0.75 and 1 inch of rain. No other precipitation was recorded for the week.
The current heat wave is expected to ease Wednesday, June 25, with temperatures dropping into the upper 80s. Humidity is expected to stay high, so heat index and dewpoint temperatures should remain high. Scattered afternoon popup showers are expected Tuesday, June 24, through the weekend due to the heat and humidity in the atmosphere. Rainfall amounts should be low, but chances of isolated high amounts are possible.
Extended forecasts indicate that we should return to near normal temperatures of 80 degrees on Monday or Tuesday next week (June 30-July 1).
Tree fruit
Apricot pits are hard.
Peach and nectarine pits are firming up.
Apples are between 1.5 and 2 inches in diameter. Codling moth flight is still occurring. San Jose scale crawlers are showing up on developing fruit.
Cherries are coloring up. Sweet cherry harvest is beginning. Tart cherries are predicted to begin harvest over the weekend. Brown rot infections are being observed on tart cherries. Catches of spotted wing drosophila in monitoring traps are still low but consistent. With the rain potential this week, good insecticide coverage is going to be critical to protect cherries for the next couple of weeks as spotted wing drosophila populations build.
Small fruit
If you are a berry grower in Michigan, check out this Michigan Berry Spotters Facebook group started by the Michigan State Horticultural Society.
Grapes developed quickly last week. Bloom is ending. Juice grapes are between buckshot and pea size. Most hybrids are completely post-bloom. Some late hybrids like Regent and Traminette are still in late bloom. Vinifera varieties are between full and late bloom.
At this time, management focus is on fungicide sprays that focus on black rot, botrytis and other diseases that can impact fruit clusters. With the exception of powdery mildew, diseases that infect grapes in Michigan typically require rain events to disperse the spores. It only takes 0.1 inches of rain above 50 degrees Fahrenheit to trigger a possible infection.
Based on the regional date for wild grape bloom of June 2, southwest Michigan should see the biofix for the second generation of grape berry moth on or near July 4.
Shoot thinning should be finishing up. Some cluster thinning has already been performed in some blocks in the area for heavily cropped vineyards. Shoot tucking is underway as shoots continue to lengthen.
Blueberry blue fruit has been spotted on Bluecrop in Berrien County. Spotted wing drosophila catches are still low but consistent. Cranberry fruitworm continues to be caught and there has been an uptick in catches this week. If you are a grower in Michigan and haven’t taken advantage of Michigan Blueberry Commission’s partnership with the Michigan State University Plant and Pest Diagnostics clinic, keep it in mind as we progress through the season. This partnership allows every blueberry grower in Michigan to submit two samples to the Plant and Pest Diagnostics clinic for free. Follow this link for the submission form.
Strawberry harvest is complete. Renovation should begin soon.
Brambles fruit is developing in summer bearing raspberries with some growers expecting harvest within the month. Fall bearing varieties continue to grow.
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.
