Hi Mark:
I spent yesterday afternoon driving through Mason county cutting buds.
My concern about the cherries was warranted. Both, sweets and tarts have
suffered anywhere from 14 to 92% to the hight of about 7-8 feet (as far
as I could reach by pulling the branches down). It still appears that
the night with that horrendous wind caused less damage than the
following nights when we had more of a radiation freeze. Lower areas in
the blocks suffered much more significant damage. I found from 14 to 23%
damage in sweets on high grounds and, as the slope started to go
downward the damage started increasing from 30, to 44, 65 and 92% at the
very lowest sections of the orchard. That was the scenario in three
different blocks. Tart cherries are showing mainly 30-35% damage with
one exception where I found up to 64% damaged buds. If there is a silver
lining in this than the comforting fact is that we have higher
percentage of partially damaged buds where one or two flowers are lost.
Apples in the same area, are doing very good. I had trouble finding the
"bad" buds. One block of cling peaches that was just starting to show
calyx green before the cold snap is not looking too swift. True this is
older block far from being in its prime, but still in fare condition. I
have found buds that appear to be dessicated...it appears that they have
started to move and now are all but dried out. That rain, snow and high
winds (up to 40+ mph) must have had the evaporative cooling effect. I
will try to squeeze a few more blocks in today before the new system
hits us with 4-8" of new snow. We are under winter advisory this morning
with the warning forecasted for the afternoon and into the night. This
spring (that isn't yet) is far too strange!
Mira
Dr. Mira Bulatovic-Danilovich
West Central District Fruit Educator
MSU Extension-Oceana County
210 Johnson Street
Hart, Michigan 49420
Phone: 231-873-2129
fax: 231-873-3710
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Mark Longstroth wrote:
A week ago we were setting record highs in the mid 70s and apricots were in
full bloom. Frigid weather arrived on Wednesday with snow and highs near
freezing for the next four days. We had low temps in lower 20's with a wind
for 6, 8 and 12 hours on successive days. Lows near 20 occurred on Friday
and Saturday mornings. Low temperatures were a few degrees higher close to
Lake Michigan and the extreme cold did not last as long so they fared better
but away from the Lake we got hit hard. We are not wiped out but many fruit
crops were damaged by the freeze. It seems obvious to me that the entire
eastern half of the nation has been hit hard and that fruit crops here in
the east will be scarce, and a lot of growers will be looking to supplement
their income.
Does anyone south of Michigan have any fruit left?
How are things in New York and New Jersey?
The MSU Fruit Crop Alert Letter was posted today with initial reports from
Michigan
http://www.ipm.msu.edu/cat07fruit/f04-10-07.htm
-----------------------------------------
Mark Longstroth
SW Michigan District Fruit Educator
Van Buren County MSU Extension
801 Hazen Street, Suite A
Paw Paw, MI 49079
Bus (269) 657-7745
Fax (269) 657-6678
Email - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Check Out My Webpages
http://web1.msue.msu.edu/vanburen/disthort.htm
-----------------------------------------
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