Contact your county Extension agent or land grant university for additional information on calculating Growing Degree Days in your area.
Degree days are units of measurement reflecting just how hot or cold the weather has been.
This is useful because insect, disease and weed pests develop more rapidly when temperatures are warmer. Growing Degree Days are those days necessary for these organisms to complete their growth and development. For each day the average temperature is one degree above the base temperature at which plants will grow, one degree day has accumulated. Back to the top Growing Degree Days help in monitoring insect, weed and disease emergence. By using degree days, you can time your spray according to the pest's temperature-driven rate of development, saving you money by applying chemicals when the pests are most susceptible.