Near-record to record cold is coming to Michigan in the next few days. Will Michigan’s fruit crops be damaged by the cold?
Christie Apple, an agronomist specializing in fruit crops, has been looking at Michigan’s fruit crops this week. She has found that the growth stage of most Michigan fruit is still two weeks behind the normal development. Christie Apple states that Michigan’s fruit is significantly behind last year’s growth stage.
Apple, also known to growers as Crop Scout Christie, is glad Michigan’s fruit crop is behind on growth development. She says this provides some defense against damage from the coming near-record to record cold.
Apple says, “With most Michigan fruits still at the silver tip stage, the most vulnerable tissue is still deep in the bud.” The silver tip stage means just that. The first parts of the underside of a very small leaf are showing, and has a silver appearance. Christie says the Michigan fruit crop is safe right now from the coming cold, and shouldn’t sustain any major damage.
Apple tree in Frankenmuth, MI on April 26, 2022 (Mark Torregrossa | MLive )
The overnight temperatures would have to go below 20 degrees for five hours for any major damage, according to Apple.
Some Michigan fruits are more susceptible than other fruits. The susceptible fruits are the early bloomers. Apricots and peaches are the earliest tree fruits to bloom. With the colder than average April, even the early blooming fruits are behind in the growth stages. Apple doesn’t see any damage risk in the next few days to those two summer favorites.
I asked if May stays cooler than average, as predicted, does that change her worries on damages to Michigan’s fruit.
Apple said fruits sustain damage due to three things: Bottom temperature (low temperature at night), length of time near bottom temperature and the growth stage of the fruit plants at the time of that cold.
A cooler than average early May would continue to keep growth slowed compared to many years. The behind-normal-growth fruit trees would be able to handle a little more cold than normal at any given time.
She also thinks it would be better to have abnormal cold in the next two weeks rather than the second half of May, if we have to have below average temperatures.
While us humans would like it to warm up quickly, our tender Michigan fruit blossoms can actually do quite well staying deep in the bud due to cooler than average temperatures.
Apple tree in Frankenmuth, MI on April 26, 2022 (Mark Torregrossa | MLive)
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April 27, 2022 at 03:43AM
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How Michigan’s fruit crops will handle upcoming near-record freezing temperatures - MLive.com
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