Tree Fruit: Horticulture

Criteria for Determining Bud Stages

The source of the following pictures is: 'Growth Stages in Fruit Trees', New York Food and Life Sciences Bulletin, No. 58, February 1976, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, NY

Dormant

Silver Tip

Green Tip

Half Inch Green

Tight Cluster

• Criteria: When 50% of non-spur McIntosh buds appear as the above pictures.
• Please note that Green Tip should be viewed from the side -- in other words, do not look straight down into the bud to see if you can see green tissue.

Pink

• Criteria: Pink -- when 60-70% of Blossoms are as shown on non-spur McIntosh

Full Bloom

• Criteria: Full Bloom -- when 60-80% of fruit buds are in bloom on non-spur McIntosh

Petal Fall

• Criteria: Petal Fall -- two stages are important as 'biofixes'
  • 95% Petal Fall (when 5% of fruit buds still have their blossoms)
  • and 100% Petal Fall (when, for all purposes, petal fall is complete, i.e., can have a few petals left on tree)