With the sunny weather predicted throughout the region in the days ahead, people can expect to catch the best views of cherry blossoms in bloom this weekend.
Nikki Rothwell, Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center extension specialist and coordinator, said from her facility’s inland location off S. Center Highway, sweet cherries are 95-100% in bloom. Depending on the variety, she said she’s also seen Benton cherry trees, a sweet variety, at almost full bloom. While tart (Montmorency) cherries will be blossoming most likely by Friday. The Gold sweet cherry variety, she added, is at about 65-70% in bloom as of Wednesday. For orchards located near the tip of the peninsula such as in Northport and Leelanau Township, sweet cherries and other fruit trees still have some time until reaching full blossom.
“We’ve had tons of people call this year about blossoms… I think things are looking great and I think the weather is going to be perfect. It’s going to be a beautiful blossom season,” Rothwell said. “It looks like a great pollination window too. Bees don’t like it when it’s wet, they like it when it’s sunny and warm, so it looks like this weekend is going to be excellent pollination weather.”
Rothwell said compared to previous years, this spring cherry blossoms are coming in 5-7 days earlier than expected. And although trees are vulnerable to the possible cold temperature exposure, she said there’s been very little damage so far to the cherry blossoms, noting how the region seems to have snaked by intact.
“We got a pass this year,” she said. “In most years, it’ll (the blossoms) last five or six days, but if we get a cold snap, those blossoms will hang on even though the flowers may not be as viable.”
Ben LaCross of LaCross Farms said the best advice he can give people in search of vibrant blossom scenes is to get away from the bay and to go inland. The cool temperatures from the lake on either side of the peninsula can hold blossoms back, ultimately causing the slower bloom in the northern half of the county.
“There’s always like a five degree difference being next to the water or back in the middle of the county, so that affects when that bloom comes out. Next weekend, probably the northern half is going to hopefully give us some bloom if we don’t get too much rain here,” LaCross said. “So many people have it on their calendars. We get a lot of calls asking when the ideal time to come is, and when the weather conditions change, it changes that time. They might have a week or two marked on their calendar from previous years, and that’s going to be a little deceiving this year because it’s so early.”
To view orchard reports on MSU Extension Northwest Michigan fruit updates, go to https://www.canr.msu.edu.
