Growing Degree Days (GDD) and Plant Phenology, Summary February 2024

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The Plant Phenology and Growing Degree Day (GDD) posts and impacts have been a Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine (BYGL) staple for years. GDD will continue to be an important part of the blog written to assist green industry professionals, Extension professionals, Extension volunteers, and people with a passion for plants and pests too.

 

We know that as temperatures warm, we will continue to accumulate growing degree day (GDD) units - and that is indeed we are seeing in February with our recent recording breaking warm weather. 

 

Readers will continue to see those updates in the BYGL on a monthly basis, but there is no better way to track GDD and ultimately the plant blooms and insect activity on your own. Be sure to save this website ( https://weather.cfaes.osu.edu/gdd/default.asp ) as a favorite, and set those calendar reminders now to check the website regularly.  

 

Here is a Growing Degree Day Refresher if GDD is new, or you need a little review!

 

GDD are a measurement of the growth and development of plants and insects during the growing season. Development does not occur at this time unless the temperature is above a minimum threshold value (base temperature). The base temperature varies for different organisms. It is determined through research and experimentation. The actual temperature experienced by an organism is influenced by several factors. These factors affect growth and development. For instance, depending on the weather, an organism's temperature may be a few degrees more or less than that recorded. An organism may spend its time in the shade or under direct sunlight. The fertility and nutrient content of the soil directly affect the growth rate of plants and thereby indirectly influence insect growth rates. The presence of weeds and precipitation may indirectly influence development. Due to these factors and some other scientific considerations, a base temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit is considered acceptable for all plants and insects. (Source: OSU Plant Phenology Website)

 

The one thing that we do know is that the sequence of events – both plant and pest development – consistently occurs in the same order no matter the weather.   

 

At the end of each month this calendar year, there will be a GDD Summary Alert Posted to BYGL. While today's post has some areas seeing zeros - it is the start of the calendar year – we will have to see if that is true. As you can see below, 21 Ohio locations (City, County, and Zip Code) have been chosen across the state and will continue to be used for the monthly updates. 

 

GGD Chart, ending February 29, 2024

 

Ohio City (County)

Zip Code   

GDD Unit Accumulation 

Bryan (Williams)

43506

37

Toledo (Lucas)

43615

36

Sandusky (Erie)

44870

35

Elyria (Lorain)

44035

35

Cleveland (Cuyahoga)

44120

33

Burton (Geauga)

44021

32

Jefferson (Ashtabula)

44047

30

Van Wert (Van Wert)

45891

37

Findlay (Hancock)

45840

36

Medina (Medina)

44256

36

Mt. Gilead (Morrow)

43338

39

Mt. Vernon (Knox)

43050

45

Steubenville (Jefferson)

43952

47

Dayton (Montgomery)

45417

45

Springfield (Clark)

45505

45

Columbus (Franklin)

43210

52

Lancaster (Fairfield)

43130 

54

Marietta (Washington)

45750

63

Cincinnati (Hamilton)

45223

61

Hillsboro (Highland) 

45133

65

Ironton (Lawrence)

45638

65

 

Not seeing your city or zip code? No worries! You can always check out the website, type in your Ohio zip code, and ground truth what you are seeing with what the calendar says should be occurring.