Southeast Michigan fruit update – August 25, 2026
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EmailHarvest of Premier Honeycrisps and peaches continue.
Welcome to the 22nd 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 was cooler than the start of August with slightly elevated precipitation. We are expecting storms this week on Wednesday, Aug. 26, and showers Sunday to Monday, otherwise fair to warm conditions continue. High temperatures will range from the upper 70s to low 80s for the next week.
Growers are picking fall raspberries and Haven series peaches and moving into the first main season apples, including ‘Premier Honeycrisp’ and ‘Wildfire Gala.’ European style plums and more grape varieties are at full color with the first table grapes like ‘Canidice’ and ‘Reliance’ being harvested.
Powdery mildew is again the biggest disease risk this week, though there is also risk for cherry leaf spot and grape downy mildew. Brown marmorated stink bug damage has been detected in some orchards. Many of our seasonal cider mills will be opening up in the next week.
Michigan State University Extension educators recently published the 2026 apple maturity prediction dates, including the apple harvest prediction dates for southeast Michigan.
Our weekly video 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: We are in the main pattern of summer cover sprays and moving along with harvest of early main like ‘Premier Honeycrisp’ and ‘Wildfire Gala.’ Statewide apple maturity reports will start this week. Our main concerns this time of year are powdery mildew, apple maggot, brown marmorated stink bug, and codling moth. Pay attention to pre-harvest intervals for any spray applied at this time of year.
Blueberries: The main harvest season has wrapped up.
Brambles: Fall raspberry and blackberry harvests continue. Fruit rots and spotted wing drosophila management are the main concerns for production.
Cherries: Harvest has wrapped up in both sweet and tart cherries at farms that decided to harvest this year. Growers should still pay attention to cherry leaf spot management.
Grapes: Harvest has started in early table grapes like ‘Reliance’ and ‘Canidice.’ ‘Concord’ grapes have hit veraison and are becoming aromatic. Some growers have put up bird netting for high-value cultivars.
Peaches and nectarines: Harvest continues with growers picking ‘Flaming Fury’ and approaching ‘Crest Haven.’ Harvest will likely wrap up the first week of September.
New bulletin: “Best Practices for Peach Orchards with Reduced Crop Load”
Pears: Early pears like ‘Bartlett’ have been harvested. Pears should be picked when they start to soften and the ground color changes from green to a more yellow color.
Plums: European style plums are at full color while harvest of Japanese style plums has concluded.
Strawberries: Harvest is done in the region and most growers have already renovated.
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 article: “Don't trust the calendar: Why trapping matters during unusual weather”
New MSU fact sheet: Managing Ambrosia Beetles in Apples
Aphids: Woolly apple aphid populations in apple are moving towards terminals and populations are building in blocks that have a history of aphid infestations.
Apple maggot: Counts at Fennville remain low, with none caught last week.
Blueberry maggot: No catch reported in Fennville.
Borers: Catch of greater peachtree borer is climbing and counts of lesser peachtree borer are stable in Fennville.
Brown marmorated stink bug: Adults along with damage have been observed in Southeast Michigan orchards. Because adults are active so close to harvest you need to pay close attention to your pre-harvest intervals.
Codling moth: Adult catches have declined in Fennville, regionally growers have treated based on counts above threshold.
Grape berry moth: Counts in Fennville have remained low around 4 per trap.
Japanese beetle: Counts have been declining regionally and in Fennville.
Mites: Mite counts have been dropping regionally. European red mites and rust mites are responsible for some bronzing in orchards. Two spotted spider mites will put out webbing.
Oriental fruit moth: Counts remain low in Fennville.
Pear psylla: Increased adult and nymph activity has been observed in orchards again along with some evidence of damage.
San Jose scale: We are seeing waxed up scales in the region, meaning that the control window has shut. Counts of adult males in Fennville are stable.
Spotted lanternfly: Look for nymphs in parts of the state that have documented populations (Detroit, Monroe County, Oakland County).
Spotted wing Drosophila: Consistent counts in traps in southeast Michigan. This pest often prefers fruit to the traps, so low trap counts do not necessarily mean low risk in fruit.
Disease conditions
Apple scab: We don’t anticipate risk for secondary scab infections this week.
Cherry leaf spot: We anticipate slight risk this week from Aug. 27. See this 2024 article on cherry leaf spot management.
Fire blight: There is low risk in apples and pears since we have moved out of bloom, however if there is hail damage, you should spray for fire blight.
Grape downy mildew: We anticipate medium to high risk on Aug. 27.
Grape powdery mildew: We are expecting moderate to severe risk from Aug. 30-Sept. 1.
Phomopsis: In blueberries the Phomopsis fungus is active from bud swell until after harvest.
Powdery mildew of apple and pear: There will be airborne conidia all week and models indicate moderate to severe risk from Aug. 22-24.
Seasonal weather update
In the last week, Southeast Michigan has seen an average of 10.6 hours of rain accumulating to 0.7 inches of precipitation.
| Liquid Precipitation Accumulation Mar. 1- August 25, 2026, issued August 25, 2026 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station (County) | Rainfall Total (in.) Current | Hours with Rainfall Current | Rainfall Total Average (5 Yr.) | Hours with Rainfall Average (5 Yr.) |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 17.4 | 246 | 19.4 | 277 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 23.2 | 251 | 17.5 | 269 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 20.3 | 277 | 17.5 | 269 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 18.4 | 284 | 17.2 | 274 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 18.4 | 257 | 18.6 | 283 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 18.8 | 227 | . | . |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 19.6 | 265 | 16.8 | 268 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 19.7 | 262 | 15.9 | 257 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 17.8 | 277 | 17.7 | 292 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 20.5 | 268 | 15.6 | 257 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 17.9 | 273 | 15.2 | 273 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 20.0 | 247 | 17.3 | 253 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 20.4 | 259 | 20.3 | 266 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 17.2 | 249 | 15.3 | 303 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 19.2 | 260.1 | 17.3 | 272.4 |
| Difference in Liquid Precipitation Accumulation from Mar. 1 observed August 18 and August 25, 2026; issued August 25, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall Total (in.) | Rainfall Total (in.) | Hours with Rainfall | Hours with Rainfall | |||
| Station (County) | 18-Aug | 25-Aug | Difference | 18-Aug | 25-Aug | Difference |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 17.2 | 17.4 | 0.2 | 236 | 246 | 10.0 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 23.1 | 23.2 | 0.1 | 247 | 251 | 4.0 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 18.6 | 20.3 | 1.8 | 264 | 277 | 13.0 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 17.9 | 18.4 | 0.5 | 270 | 284 | 14.0 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 17.7 | 18.4 | 0.7 | 247 | 257 | 10.0 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 18.2 | 18.8 | 0.6 | 222 | 227 | 5.0 |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 18.9 | 19.6 | 0.7 | 260 | 265 | 5.0 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 19.1 | 19.7 | 0.6 | 250 | 262 | 12.0 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 16.9 | 17.8 | 0.9 | 259 | 277 | 18.0 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 19.9 | 20.5 | 0.6 | 256 | 268 | 12.0 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 16.4 | 17.9 | 1.5 | 259 | 273 | 14.0 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 19.5 | 20.0 | 0.4 | 238 | 247 | 9.0 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 19.5 | 20.4 | 0.9 | 245 | 259 | 14.0 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 16.3 | 17.2 | 0.9 | 241 | 249 | 8.0 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 18.5 | 19.2 | 0.7 | 249.6 | 260.1 | 10.6 |
In the short term, we are expecting storms on Wednesday, Aug. 26, with fair and dry conditions through Saturday followed by showers from Sunday into Monday. Highs for the next week will be in the upper 70s to low 80s while overnight lows will be in the mid-50s to low 60s. We are expecting above normal temperatures and precipitation as we move into September, as well as a fall that is warmer and drier than normal.
Our regional average growing degree day (GDD) accumulation for the season are about seven days ahead of the long-term normals and about three days ahead of the five-year average. In the last week we accumulated on average 174 GDD at 42 F, 154 GDD at 45 F, and 119 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-August 25, 2026 Forecast from Aug. 26-Sep. 1, 2026; issued August 25, 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) | 3335 | 3197 | 3541 | 2911 | 2784 | 3096 | 2252 | 2144 | 2402 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 3621 | 3469 | 3824 | 3174 | 3038 | 3356 | 2473 | 2370 | 2620 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 3406 | 3255 | 3600 | 2975 | 2836 | 3148 | 2302 | 2189 | 2440 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 3090 | 3004 | 3281 | 2682 | 2596 | 2851 | 2051 | 1967 | 2185 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 3505 | 3371 | 3710 | 3079 | 2950 | 3263 | 2414 | 2297 | 2562 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 3208 | 3198 | 3395 | 2796 | 2787 | 2962 | 2152 | 2152 | 2283 |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 3470 | 3342 | 3668 | 3037 | 2923 | 3214 | 2363 | 2277 | 2506 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 3424 | 3340 | 3617 | 3002 | 2922 | 3174 | 2342 | 2273 | 2479 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 3294 | 3162 | 3488 | 2879 | 2751 | 3053 | 2234 | 2117 | 2373 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 2939 | 2973 | 3118 | 2537 | 2573 | 2695 | 1918 | 1958 | 2041 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 3025 | 3035 | 3209 | 2625 | 2634 | 2787 | 2001 | 2017 | 2129 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 3299 | 3385 | 3490 | 2883 | 2963 | 3053 | 2234 | 2304 | 2369 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 3370 | 3232 | 3571 | 2948 | 2816 | 3127 | 2290 | 2172 | 2435 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 3158 | 3084 | 3341 | 2751 | 2679 | 2913 | 2118 | 2056 | 2246 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 3296 | 3218 | 3490 | 2877 | 2804 | 3049 | 2225 | 2164 | 2362 |
| Difference in Degree Day Accumulation from Mar. 1, 2026 observed August 18 and August 25, 2026; issued August 25, 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 |
| 18-Aug | 25-Aug | Difference | 18-Aug | 25-Aug | Difference | 18-Aug | 25-Aug | Difference | |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 3158 | 3335 | 177.0 | 2755 | 2911 | 156.0 | 2130 | 2252 | 122.0 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 3438 | 3621 | 183.0 | 3012 | 3174 | 162.0 | 2346 | 2473 | 127.0 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 3226 | 3406 | 180.0 | 2815 | 2975 | 160.0 | 2177 | 2302 | 125.0 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 2925 | 3090 | 165.0 | 2537 | 2682 | 145.0 | 1941 | 2051 | 110.0 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 3320 | 3505 | 185.0 | 2915 | 3079 | 164.0 | 2285 | 2414 | 129.0 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 3033 | 3208 | 175.0 | 2642 | 2796 | 154.0 | 2033 | 2152 | 119.0 |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 3302 | 3470 | 168.0 | 2889 | 3037 | 148.0 | 2249 | 2363 | 114.0 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 3239 | 3424 | 185.0 | 2838 | 3002 | 164.0 | 2213 | 2342 | 129.0 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 3118 | 3294 | 176.0 | 2724 | 2879 | 155.0 | 2114 | 2234 | 120.0 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 2781 | 2939 | 158.0 | 2399 | 2537 | 138.0 | 1816 | 1918 | 102.0 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 2857 | 3025 | 168.0 | 2478 | 2625 | 147.0 | 1889 | 2001 | 112.0 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 3126 | 3299 | 173.0 | 2730 | 2883 | 153.0 | 2116 | 2234 | 118.0 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 3194 | 3370 | 176.0 | 2792 | 2948 | 156.0 | 2170 | 2290 | 120.0 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 2990 | 3158 | 168.0 | 2604 | 2751 | 147.0 | 2006 | 2118 | 112.0 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 3122 | 3296 | 174 | 2724 | 2877 | 154 | 2106 | 2225 | 119 |
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.
