Cherry split in the wake of humid and wet weather

The cherry season in Victoria might have kicked off early, but for some growers recent wet weather has put a swift end to harvest.

Warm humid weather has forced some stonefruit growers to pick fruit early and end their season as they work to avoid fruit rot issues.

The early harvest has potential to create a supply shortfall of the iconic summer fruit in the week leading up to Christmas.

Fruit Growers Victoria service manager Michael Crisera said orchardists had battled four successive wet seasons, with this year no exception.

He said between 15mm to 50mm fell across stonefruit-growing regions of Victoria at the weekend, with many growers waiting to assess the damage.

“There’s some cracking or water damage to cherries and apricots, and there would be with peaches too, but that’s only relevant for the varieties that are ready to pick now,” Mr Crisera said.

“It’s still wait and see.”

The combination of the cherry season coming on up to 10 days early, coupled with the recent rain, could see a shortfall of supply in Victoria, Mr Crisera said, critically in the week leading to Christmas.

“Cherries have got a lot of people now harvesting, any dry days they can get,” Mr Crisera said.

“The damage could be as low as 10 per cent, or as high as 80 per cent.”

Picnic Point Farm owner Sally Bolding grows apples, with a small orchard of cherries harvested each summer in time for Christmas.

But the recent humid, wet weather has caused some fruit to split, forcing an earlier than anticipated harvest and ending the cherry season.

“We’re mainly apple growers, it’s our main crop. We’re more grateful to have had the rain for the apples. But for the cherries, it was unfortunate timing,” Ms Bolding said.

Cherries are splitting ahead of Christmas. Picture: Facebook

“The rain caused a lot of splitting and after they split they will rot quite easily. We’re a small crop compared to other cherry growers around the state with about 50 to 100 trees, so some years we’re lucky to have a crop with the way frosts come and go in the spring.”

Ms Bolding said the cherry season had started “a touch early” compared to previous seasons, but the effect of the weather will cut Picnic Point Farm’s season short.

“We’re pretty much sold out already, we had to get them off quick,” Ms Bolding said.

“I think we’re finished. We would have started at least a week later, the humidity brought them on quick and we’d hoped it would have lasted until Christmas.”