Northwest Michigan apple maturity report – September 16, 2025
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EmailGrowers are starting to harvest McIntosh and Honeycrisp are moving along quickly. Many growers are waiting on color to start Honeycrisp harvest.
Apple maturity testing will occur weekly for the northwest Michigan region beginning now through the end of harvest. Reports will be sent out every week following the Michigan State University Extension fruit team apple maturity calls on Wednesdays.
Honeycrisp maturity has really moved along this week. Many of the fruits are testing mature, particularly those that will go into storage. Growers have also said they will start McIntosh harvest this week. Fruit is looking excellent for color on the tree, and growers are eager to harvest. We tested Honeycrisp, Gala and McIntosh this week.
Weather
Summer has returned to northern Michigan. We have had lots of sunshine, and the daytime temperatures are up in the 70s. We hit over 80 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday, Sept. 15. The forecast is also predicting over 80 F for tomorrow, Sept. 17. There is more sun in the forecast, and the first forecast that predicts rain is Sunday, Sept. 21, but the chance of rain is below 30%. It is starting to be dry out in the orchard with so little rain in the past week. The forecast is also predicting more sun for the next 10 days.
How to read maturity tables
Each week, an apple maturity report will be provided and will include average values for several apple samples for varieties nearing maturity. Maximum and minimum values are included in tables below for the highest and lowest individual fruits evaluated for each, to give a full spectrum of maturity. Samples included in the reports have been untreated with ReTain or Harvista, unless otherwise noted.
For more information about apple maturity testing, review these resources compiled by the Michigan State University (MSU) Extension tree fruit team.
- Predicted apple harvest dates for 2025 from MSU.
- More information on harvest management tools and timings can be found in this article.
- Guidelines from MSU to check for apple maturity in your own orchard, including specific pressure and starch recommendations by variety.
- New starch charts for evaluating apple maturity in Michigan from MSU.
- Predicting apple maturity and starch chart from Cornell University.
- Starch chart for Honeycrisp Apples developed by Washington State University.
Maturity information for northwest Michigan
Minneiska
The last of the Minneiska apples were harvested yesterday, Sept. 15. The fruit from this block had excellent color and ate well.
Honeycrisp
Honeycrisp maturity has moved along quickly this past week. Many growers are still waiting on color, as the color varies between orchards and between apples within an orchard. This week, we sampled 10 Honeycrisp orchards. There was a range of color from 49-85%. The average starch removal readings for Honeycrisp is 4.1. We did have some orchards that had an average of 2 for the starch removal, but most blocks were up in the 4s; last week, the starch removal readings were an average of 2.2.
The predicted harvest date for Honeycrisp is Sept. 23, but many growers will start harvest before that date. Last year, the harvest date was Sept. 15, and this year’s harvest date seems to be lining up similarly. Firmness is still good at an average of 19.6. In sampling apples yesterday, the fruit are starting to eat better this week. Brix numbers do seem lower than expected given the maturity of the fruit. Brix average was 11.7 this week.
|
Collection Date |
Red Color (%) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|
Sept 15 |
69.1 (49-85) |
19.6 (17.8-22.2) |
4.1(2.5-6.5) |
11.7 (9.9-12.4) |
Gala
Gala apples are showing good color. They looked good last week, and color has improved with time. Size on Gala also seems to be good. Sometimes, we struggle with size on Gala in our sandy soils, even with irrigation. We have had ample rainfall this year, and Gala size has benefited from this extra rain.
The predicted harvest date for Gala in 2025 is Sept. 15, and our normal harvest date is Sept. 18. Gala did not mature as quickly as Honeycrisp did in the last week. Gala still need time to be considered mature and ready for harvest. This week, we had an average range of color from 64-96%. Gala are still firm with an average of 21.6 pounds; all samples were again consistent in firmness this week. Starch removal readings ranged from 1.7-4.6, so there is a range of maturity depending on the orchard.
|
Collection Date |
Red Color (%) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|
Sept 15 |
85 (64-96) |
21.6 (21-22.5) |
2.9 (1.7-4.6) |
10.9 (9.7-11.5) |
McIntosh
This variety is harder to find to test for maturity in the region. We tested two orchards this week. Growers with different strains of this variety should not look at the average of color in our data because again, our two samples are from different strains of Macs. In talking with growers, some intend to start McIntosh harvest this week. We did observe apples on the ground in both McIntosh orchards. The firmness from our two orchards range from 17.4 up to 18.7. The starch removal ranges from 3.3-4 in this sample. Brix is an average of 11.1.
|
Collection Date |
Red Color (%) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|
Sept 15 |
68 (41-95) |
18.1 (17.4-18.7) |
3.7 (3.3-4) |
11.1 (11-11.2) |
Apple maturity sampling parameters
- Color % = the visual percentage of red color from 0 to 100; range is of all fruits tested. Indicates surface area covered in red and intensity of red color.
- Firmness in pounds pressure = measured with a Güss Fruit Texture Analyzer; range is of all fruits tested.
- Starch for Honeycrisp will typically be rated using the standard Michigan State University starch scale (1-8). However, a separate starch chart for Honeycrisp apples developed by Washington State University (scale 1-6) also exists.
- Brix = % sugar measured with Pocket Refractometer
Looking for more? View Michigan State University Extension’s Apple page for regional reports throughout the state and additional resources.
|
Suggested firmness and starch index levels for long-term and shorter-term controlled atmosphere (CA) storage by variety. |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Variety |
Firmness (pounds)* |
Starch Index* |
|||
|
Short CA |
Mid-CA |
Long CA |
Mature |
Over mature |
|
|
McIntosh |
14 |
15 |
16 |
5 |
7 |
|
Gala |
16 |
17 |
18 |
3 |
6 |
|
Honeycrisp |
15 |
16 |
17 |
3.5 |
6 |
|
Empire |
14 |
15 |
16 |
3.5 |
6 |
|
Early Fuji |
16 |
17 |
18 |
3 |
7 |
|
Jonagold |
15 |
16 |
17 |
3.5 |
5.5 |
|
Jonathan |
14 |
15 |
16 |
3.5 |
5.5 |
|
Golden Delicious |
15 |
16 |
17 |
3 |
6.5 |
|
Red Delicious |
16 |
17 |
18 |
2.5 |
6 |
|
Idared |
14 |
15 |
16 |
3.5 |
6 |
|
Fuji |
16 |
17 |
18 |
3 |
7 |
|
Rome |
15 |
16 |
18 |
3 |
5.5 |
|
Brix Guide |
Low |
Fair |
Good |
Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
All varieties |
Less than 11 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
|
Honeycrisp |
Less than 12 |
12 |
12 |
Greater than 14 |
