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March 21, 2003Cherry crop already is looking badSweets didn't like the roller-coaster tempsByRecord-Eagle staff writer LAKE LEELANAU - A recent spike in the temperature could have a severe impact on northwest Michigan's sweet cherry crop. Initial spot checks of sweet cherry trees indicate that fruit buds have been damaged between 50 and 100 percent, said Jim Bardenhagen, a horticultural agent with MSU Extension in Lake Leelanau. The damage was caused when the trees came out of their "hardiness" state for the winter as temperatures rose up to 37 degrees on Feb. 28 and 40 degrees on March 1, he said. The temperature then dipped down to minus 18 degrees on March 2. "That's too much and too quick," Bardenhagen said. Depending on further weather shifts and orchard checks, Bardenhagen said the sweet cherry crop this year will be smaller than normal for the northwest Michigan market. "We don't have a lot of reserves to take us through another low year of production," he said. Some varieties of grapes also will be affected by the temperature change while the tart cherry crop has sustained only minor damage, Bardenhagen said. While the initial check on sweet cherry crops looks grim for this year, Bardenhagen said the freezing of Grand Traverse Bay provides one advantage for growers. Cool winds off the bay will help keep the trees in a dormant stage until warmer weather arrives, aiding the fruit buds in their development, he said
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