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Michigan fruit survives first major frost

A fruit extension educator says temperatures across Southwest Michigan’s major fruit growing regions were not low enough to cause major damage over the weekend.

Mark Longstroth with Michigan State University tells Brownfield growers were concerned overnight temperatures Sunday and into Monday could cause frost damage to orchard crops, and while it was close, only light, scattered damage is expected.  “Thirty-two degrees is a frost, 30 is a freeze, and 28 is a hard freeze. Generally, we start to see damage when we get to 28 and below, we didn’t really get quite that low.”

He says growers and fruit specialists will be accessing damage today and it will be at least another week to see if pollination during the end of April was a success.  “We’ll know an awful lot more by the end of May as to what our crops are.”

Longstroth says at this point, fruit development is about a week ahead of normal.

AUDIO: Interview with Mark Longstroth