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Home > Weather/Climate > Critical spring temperatures

Critical spring temperatures for cherry bud development stages

View a pdf to print a similar table.
These tables were compiled by Mark Longstroth for radiation freezes. Read his thoughts about advective freezes (Easter 2007).

Sweet
Cherries

swtchell.jpg (11635 bytes) A lots of green color but bud hasn't opened yet   Sweet Cherries at white bud: Paw Paw, April 4   scewbud.jpg (10714 bytes) The first flowers open All the flowers are open  
Sweet
Cherries
Swollen
Bud
Side
Green
Green
Tip
Tight
Cluster
Open
Cluster
First
White
First
Bloom
Full
Bloom
Post
Bloom
Old temp
10% kill
90% kill
23
17
 5
23
22
 9
25
25
14
28
26
17
28
27
21
29
27
24
29
28
25
29
28
25
30
28
25
 
Tart
Cherries

Swollen Bud, when the buds are noticably swollen Green Side is when green color is visible at the base of the bud scales When the tip of the bud is rounded and green At Tight Cluster you can see the individual flowers in the bud. The flowers have pushed out of the bud The white of the petals is visible The first flowers on the tree open Full Bloom is when most of the flowers are open shuck stage

Tart
Cherries

Swollen
Bud

Side
Green

Green
Tip

Tight
Cluster

Open
Cluster

First
White

First
Bloom

Full
Bloom

 

10% kill
90% kill

15
0

24
10

26
22

26
24

28
24

28
24

28
24

28
24

 

  • Old standard temperature is the lowest temperature that can be endured for 30 minutes without damage.
  • This chart also shows the temperature that will kill 10% and 90% of normal fruit buds.
  • These numbers were taken from Washington (WSU) and Michigan (MSUE) Extension Bulletins. Sweet Cherries - WSU EB1128, Tart Cherries - MSU Research. Rpt. 220. Portions of these bulletins are posted at Greg Lang's Fruit Bud Hardiness Page at the MSU Horticulture Department.

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03/31/08
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