Southeast Michigan fruit update – September 3, 2025
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EmailMcIntosh and Gala are being harvested, and wine grape harvest continues.
Welcome to the 21st in-season fruit article update for southeast Michigan for the 2025 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
Some growers have told me that the recent cool weather and fair conditions have been driving people out to the orchards to pick apples and what’s left of the peaches. We’re expecting wet conditions on Wednesday, Sept. 3 with continued showers into Saturday followed by another cool and dry period at the beginning of next week. The first wine grapes in the region have been harvested with Itasca and Prairie Star coming off the vines while apple growers are moving further into McIntosh varieties and Gala. Some late peaches remain on trees and blackberry and fall raspberry harvests continue.
Our weekly integrated pest management updates wrapped up in June. You can watch recordings of the fruit meetings for southern Michigan on MSU’s Kaltura Media Space at the small fruit channel and the tree fruit channel.
Fruit-by-fruit conditions
Apples
Growers have moved further into McIntosh varieties and have started with some Gala strains. The statewide apple maturity report started last week and regional reports can be found on the MSU Extension Apple Maturity Page. There is some risk for powdery mildew infections on Sept. 6 with airborne conidia being present all week. Risk for secondary scab is low. Sooty blotch risk is low, but keep in mind that later varieties like GoldRush and Northern Spy may need additional protection.
Table 1. Normal and 2025 peak harvest dates for varieties for southeast Michigan.
|
Variety |
Normal |
Predicted |
Last Year |
|
Paulared |
22-Aug |
18-Aug |
7-Aug |
|
Zestar |
22-Aug |
18-Aug |
7-Aug |
|
Gingergold |
23-Aug |
19-Aug |
9-Aug |
|
Gala |
8-Sep |
4-Sep |
24-Aug |
|
McIntosh |
13-Sep |
9-Sep |
26-Aug |
|
Honeycrisp |
16-Sep |
12-Sep |
29-Aug |
|
Empire |
20-Sep |
17-Sep |
7-Sep |
|
Jonathan |
23-Sep |
22-Sep |
10-Sep |
|
Jonagold |
23-Sep |
20-Sep |
10-Sep |
|
Early Fuji |
25-Sep |
22-Sep |
13-Sep |
|
Golden Delicious |
29-Sep |
26-Sep |
13-Sep |
|
Red Delicious |
1-Oct |
29-Sep |
17-Sep |
|
Idared |
6-Oct |
2-Oct |
24-Sep |
|
Rome |
11-Oct |
7-Oct |
24-Sep |
|
Late Fuji |
22-Oct |
18-Oct |
9-Oct |
|
Braeburn |
23-Oct |
19-Oct |
9-Oct |
|
Goldrush |
31-Oct |
27-Oct |
15-Oct |
Blueberries
Farms have wrapped up blueberry harvest.
Brambles
Harvest of fall raspberries and blackberries continues. Some growers have mentioned leaf damage from insects, which could be caused by remaining Japanese beetles.
Cherries
Harvest has concluded.
Grapes
Concord continues to add color while more varieties undergo harvest. The table grape Vanessa was picked in Britton, Michigan, while Prairie Star and Itasca were harvested at Youngblood’s in Ray Township, Michigan. Growers are letting wine grapes hang while weather conditions are good. More information can be found in the latest grape scouting report, which comes out on Wednesdays.
Peaches and nectarines
Growers have moved past the Haven series and are moving into late season peaches like Messina and August Rose.
Pears
Bartlett pear harvest continues along with Asian pears.
Plums
Harvest continues in many plum varieties, including Italian prune plums.
Strawberries
Harvest has concluded. Yield was spotty, with some farms having a normal yield and others with low yield. Renovation should proceed as soon after harvest as possible. You can read this 2023 article on strawberry renovation.
Insect conditions
Many regional scouts have stopped trapping or reduced their trapping frequency as harvest progresses.
Apple maggot: Catches in southeast Michigan have declined, but counts remain high in Fennville.
Brown marmorated stink bug: Some damage has been seen. Brown marmorated stink bug is hard to control because it is active so close to apple harvest.
Codling moth: Counts have dropped in southeast Michigan. With the current weather patterns and our growing degree day accumulation, we anticipate the possibility of a third generation this year. See this 2024 article for best management practices.
Grape berry moth: Counts remain low in southeast Michigan and at the Trevor Nichols Research Center in Fennville. Read this article on early season grape berry moth control.
Obliquebanded leafroller: Catches are down, with counts mostly below five in southeast Michigan and Fennville. Not much damage has been observed, though some scouts have noted some damage on peach this year, which is out of the ordinary.
Oriental fruit moth: Counts remain low in southeast Michigan and at the Trevor Nichols Research Center.
Pear psylla: Adults have been observed regionally along with some damage.
Rust mites: Bronzing damage has been seen.
San Jose scale: Male counts have dropped to zero in Fennville.
Disease conditions
Apple scab: Very little scab has been reported, indicating low risk for secondary scab.
Black rot in apple: Light infections seen around the region on fruit and leaves. More has been reported as the season progresses.
Cherry leaf spot: There is a slight risk for cherry leaf spot infection on Sept. 4-5. See this 2013 article on cherry leaf spot management.
Fire blight: Strikes have been reported in southeast Michigan in orchards with susceptible varieties and a history of fire blight, but these seem to be isolated.
Grape black rot: Control for grape black rot usually begins at 1-inch shoot length. We do not anticipate risk for new infections this week. See this 2014 article for grape black rot management options and consult E-154.
Grape downy mildew: We do not anticipate risk for new infections this week.
Powdery mildew of apple and pear: Some powdery mildew has already been reported in the region, though treatments seem to have been effective at keeping it under control. Anticipated risk is moderate for Sept. 6 with airborne conidia present all week.
Powdery mildew of grape: Risk anticipated from Sept. 3-4.
Sooty blotch and fly speck: Trace amounts seen around the region.
Seasonal weather update
In the last week, southeast Michigan has seen on average 4.5 hours of rain accumulating to about 0.3 inches of precipitation.
| Liquid Precipitation Accumulation Mar. 1- Sep. 2, 2025, issued September 2, 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station (County) | Rainfall Total (in.) Current | Hours with Rainfall Current | Rainfall Total Average (5 Yr.) | Hours with Rainfall Average (5 Yr.) |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 16.0 | 272 | 20.8 | 286 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 17.7 | 263 | 17.9 | 271 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 16.0 | 273 | 18.6 | 274 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 20.0 | 264 | 16.9 | 284 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 18.1 | 323 | 20.1 | 283 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 15.5 | 255 | 13.7 | 238 |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 16.6 | 267 | 17.3 | 273 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 16.9 | 256 | 16.6 | 265 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 22.1 | 284 | 17.5 | 303 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 14.5 | 262 | 16.8 | 263 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 17.7 | 308 | 15.2 | 272 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 21.5 | 274 | 17.2 | 257 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 21.5 | 256 | 20.4 | 277 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 17.1 | 246 | 15.3 | 332 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 17.9 | 271.6 | 17.4 | 277.0 |
| Difference in Liquid Precipitation Accumulation from Mar. 1 observed August 25 and September 2, 2025; issued September 2, 2025 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall Total (in.) | Rainfall Total (in.) | Hours with Rainfall | Hours with Rainfall | |||
| Station (County) | 25-Aug | 2-Sep | Difference | 25-Aug | 2-Sep | Difference |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 15.9 | 16.0 | 0.2 | 267 | 272 | 5.0 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 17.7 | 17.7 | 0.1 | 260 | 263 | 3.0 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 15.6 | 16.0 | 0.4 | 271 | 273 | 2.0 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 19.6 | 20.0 | 0.4 | 257 | 264 | 7.0 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 17.5 | 18.1 | 0.5 | 314 | 323 | 9.0 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 15.2 | 15.5 | 0.3 | 250 | 255 | 5.0 |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 16.6 | 16.6 | 0.0 | 267 | 267 | 0.0 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 16.7 | 16.9 | 0.2 | 251 | 256 | 5.0 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 21.5 | 22.1 | 0.6 | 276 | 284 | 8.0 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 14.3 | 14.5 | 0.2 | 259 | 262 | 3.0 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 17.5 | 17.7 | 0.2 | 305 | 308 | 3.0 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 21.4 | 21.5 | 0.1 | 270 | 274 | 4.0 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 21.3 | 21.5 | 0.2 | 251 | 256 | 5.0 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 16.9 | 17.1 | 0.2 | 242 | 246 | 4.0 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 17.7 | 17.9 | 0.3 | 267.1 | 271.6 | 4.5 |
In the short term, we are expecting cool and fair conditions with some potential for scattered showers on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 22-23. Temperature highs will stay in the 70s all week with lows between the low 50s to low 60s.
In the medium term, we are expecting below normal temperatures and precipitation to be a little below normal. The long lead outlooks are calling for temperature to be above normal and precipitation to be near normal.
Around the region our growing degree day numbers have remained close to the four-year average. In the last two weeks we gained an average of 339 growing degree days at base 50 in the region. Read this Michigan State University Extension article to learn more about degree days: Understanding growing degree-days.
| Degree Day Accumulation Mar. 1-September 2, 2025 Forecast from Sep. 3-8, 2025; issued September 2, 2025 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station (County) | Degree Days Base 42°F Current | Degree Days Base 42°F Average (4 Yr.) | Degree Days Base 42°F Forecast | Degree Days Base 45°F Current | Degree Days Base 45°F Average (4 Yr.) | Degree Days Base 45°F Forecast | Degree Days Base 50°F Current | Degree Days Base 50°F Average (4 Yr.) | Degree Days Base 50°F Forecast |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 3432 | 3401 | 3555 | 2990 | 2964 | 3092 | 2302 | 2287 | 2373 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 3727 | 3678 | 3852 | 3268 | 3224 | 3371 | 2553 | 2521 | 2626 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 3524 | 3446 | 3637 | 3076 | 3005 | 3170 | 2328 | 2323 | 2445 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 3129 | 3213 | 3242 | 2696 | 2781 | 2789 | 2034 | 2114 | 2097 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 3643 | 3573 | 3766 | 3194 | 3130 | 3296 | 2493 | 2440 | 2563 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 3421 | 3396 | 3534 | 2985 | 2961 | 3078 | 2314 | 2287 | 2377 |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 3549 | 3552 | 3671 | 3105 | 3111 | 3207 | 2419 | 2428 | 2491 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 3575 | 3548 | 3688 | 3129 | 3107 | 3222 | 2441 | 2419 | 2504 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 3374 | 3362 | 3489 | 2936 | 2928 | 3031 | 2258 | 2258 | 2322 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 3140 | 3173 | 3249 | 2719 | 2749 | 2807 | 2073 | 2094 | 2132 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 3177 | 3247 | 3294 | 2753 | 2821 | 2849 | 2107 | 2164 | 2171 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 3423 | 3466 | 3536 | 2981 | 3027 | 3074 | 2296 | 2341 | 2359 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 3450 | 3442 | 3572 | 3007 | 3002 | 3108 | 2319 | 2320 | 2389 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 3300 | 3279 | 3413 | 2867 | 2852 | 2960 | 2204 | 2191 | 2267 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 3419 | 3413 | 3536 | 2979 | 2976 | 3075 | 2296 | 2299 | 2365 |
| Difference in Degree Day Accumulation from Mar. 1, 2025 observed August 25 and September 2, 2025; issued September 2, 2025 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 25-Aug | 2-Sep | Difference | 25-Aug | 2-Sep | Difference | 25-Aug | 2-Sep | Difference | |
| Commerce (Oakland) | 3295 | 3432 | 137.0 | 2877 | 2990 | 113.0 | 2224 | 2302 | 78.0 |
| Deerfield (Monroe) | 3582 | 3727 | 145.0 | 3145 | 3268 | 123.0 | 2464 | 2553 | 89.0 |
| East Lansing MSU Hort (Ingham) | 3390 | 3524 | 134.0 | 2965 | 3076 | 111.0 | 2302 | 2328 | 26.0 |
| Emmett (St. Clair) | 3003 | 3129 | 126.0 | 2592 | 2696 | 104.0 | 1964 | 2034 | 70.0 |
| Flint (Genesee) | 3492 | 3643 | 151.0 | 3066 | 3194 | 128.0 | 2402 | 2493 | 91.0 |
| Freeland (Saginaw) | 3273 | 3421 | 148.0 | 2860 | 2985 | 125.0 | 2223 | 2314 | 91.0 |
| Hudson (Lenawee) | 3421 | 3549 | 128.0 | 2997 | 3105 | 108.0 | 2341 | 2419 | 78.0 |
| Ithaca (Gratiot) | 3424 | 3575 | 151.0 | 3002 | 3129 | 127.0 | 2350 | 2441 | 91.0 |
| Lapeer (Lapeer) | 3242 | 3374 | 132.0 | 2826 | 2936 | 110.0 | 2181 | 2258 | 77.0 |
| Linwood (Bay) | 3006 | 3140 | 134.0 | 2606 | 2719 | 113.0 | 1992 | 2073 | 81.0 |
| Pigeon (Huron) | 3036 | 3177 | 141.0 | 2635 | 2753 | 118.0 | 2024 | 2107 | 83.0 |
| Richville/Frankenmuth (Tuscola) | 3284 | 3423 | 139.0 | 2865 | 2981 | 116.0 | 2216 | 2296 | 80.0 |
| Romeo (Macomb) | 3306 | 3450 | 144.0 | 2887 | 3007 | 120.0 | 2236 | 2319 | 83.0 |
| Sandusky (Sanilac) | 3159 | 3300 | 141.0 | 2749 | 2867 | 118.0 | 2121 | 2204 | 83.0 |
| Average of stations in this region: | 3280 | 3419 | 139 | 2862 | 2979 | 117 | 2217 | 2296 | 79 |
Watch Jeff Andresen's biweekly 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.
