West central Michigan apple maturity report – September 2, 2026
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EmailMinneiska and Premier Honeycrisp are being harvested this week.
Apple maturity testing will occur weekly for the west central 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 Wednesday mornings.
In the west central region, early apple varieties of Paula Red, Premier Honeycrisp, and Minneiska are being harvested this week. Brookfield and Pacific strains of Gala and Honeycrisp are still immature. Fruit size is variable across sites.
Weather
The west central region received much needed rainfall early this week. The Hart Enviroweather station recorded 0.31 inches of rain on Aug. 30 and 31. It’s been hot and humid with high temperatures in the 80s and humidity around 80%. Nighttime lows are in the 60s which is warmer than desired for good red color development.
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. Samples were collected from 2-9 locations in Oceana County.
For more information about apple maturity testing, review these resources compiled by the MSU Extension tree fruit team.
- Predicted apple harvest dates for 2026 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 Michigan State University
- Predicting apple maturity and starch chart from Cornell University.
- Starch chart for Honeycrisp Apples developed by Washington State University.
Maturity information for the West Central region
Note that apple maturity is occurring earlier than normal this season with variability between orchard blocks and sites. Be sure to test maturity block by block for each variety. Young trees are maturing more quickly than older trees, and bitter pit and lenticel breakdown were observed this week.
Minneiska
Minneiska fruit were sampled at only one location on Aug 31 in Oceana County. Red color development was similar to last week to 84%. Background color is light yellow. Starch is an average rating of 3.5. Sugar levels improved to 13.0 °Brix which is excellent according to the table below. Growers are harvesting this variety this week. Average fruit diameter was 2.98 in.
|
Collection Date |
Fruit Weight (g) |
Red Color (%) |
Background color (5-1) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|
Aug 19 |
149 (167-128) |
55 (75-25) |
2.93 (4-1) |
16.9 (19.8-13.8) |
2.1 (3-1) |
12 (13-11) |
|
Aug 25 |
146 (173-119) |
86 (98-60) |
1.05 (2-1) |
14.4 (15.6-12.6) |
3.6 (6-2) |
12 (12-12) |
|
Aug 31 |
182 |
84 (98-60) |
1.8 (2-1) |
15.4 (16.1-14.8) |
3.5 (4-3) |
13 |
Gala
Gala fruit were sampled from eight locations in Oceana County on Aug 31. Samples in the table below are for Brookfield, Gale, and Pacific Gala. Fruit at one site was treated with ReTain. Average red color was similar to last week and is 86.6%, and background color is yellow at 1.4. Fruit firmness is lower than last week with an average of 19.7 lbs of pressure. Starch is an average of 2.5. Fruit is mature at some sites and would be ready for harvest for long-term storage. Sugars improved with an average of 11.1 °Brix. Average fruit diameter is 2.87 in.
|
Collection Date |
Fruit Weight (g) |
Red Color (%) |
Background color (5-1) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|
Aug 18-19 |
131 |
61.5 |
3.6 |
21.4 (28.1-18.8) |
1.4 (2-1) |
9.6 (11-8.8) |
|
Aug 25 |
143 (181-89) |
84.7 (100-50) |
1.6 (4-1) |
21.4 (27.8-16.9) |
1.9 (3-1) |
10.6 (12-9.2) |
|
Aug 31 |
169 (192-130) |
86.6 (99-40) |
1.4 (3-3) |
19.7 (23.9-16.6) |
2.5 (7-1) |
11.1 (12.2-9.6) |
*For August 18-19, fruit weight, red color, and background color were only evaluated at one site. Firmness, starch, and soluble solids were evaluated at four sites in Oceana County.
Honeycrisp
Fruit were sampled from five locations on Aug 31 in Oceana County. Fruit are still immature on average across all sites, but at some sites, fruit were mature according to the table below with recommended starch index and pressure long- and short-term storage (3.5 starch rating). Average pressure is 17.2 lbs, and average starch rating is 2.4. Sugars improved from last week and are good at an average of 12.3 °Brix. Average fruit diameter is 2.9 in.
|
Collection Date |
Fruit Weight (g) |
Red Color (%) |
Background color (5-1) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|
Aug 19 |
NA |
NA |
NA |
20.5 (25.7-17.6) |
1 (1-1) |
11.1 (11.2-10.9) |
|
Aug 25 |
168 (185-153) |
68.7 (90-50) |
3.2 (4-1) |
18.1 (20.2-15.3) |
1.2 (3-1) |
11.3 (12-11) |
|
Aug 31 |
197 (219-185) |
66.8 (74-56) |
3.7 (3.9-3.5) |
17.2 (18.3-15.8) |
2.4 (3.6-1.3) |
12.3 (13-12) |
*For August 18-19, fruit weight, red color, and background color were only evaluated at one site. Firmness, starch, and soluble solids were evaluated at four sites in Oceana County.
September Wonder Fuji
Fruit were sampled from two locations on Aug 30 and Sept 1 in Oceana County. Average fruit weight was 155 kg. Average red color development is similar to last week, and background color is green at 4.0. Pressure is 16 lbs, and starch rating is 3.2. Sugars are at 10.9 °Brix. Average fruit diameter is 2.8 in.
|
Collection Date |
Fruit Weight (g) |
Red Color (%) |
Background color (5-1) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|
Aug 25 |
144 (148-141) |
47.6 (85-20) |
3.9 (5-3) |
16.1 (18.9-12.4) |
2.6 (4-1) |
10.7 (11-10.2) |
|
Aug 31 |
155 (163-148) |
45.3 (80-30) |
4 (4-2) |
16.0 (18.3-14.3) |
3.2 (4-2) |
10.9 (11-10.8) |
Jonagold
Fruit were sampled from three locations on Aug 31 in Oceana County. Average fruit weight is 161 kg. Average red color development is 81%, and background color is green at 4.3. Fruit firmness is 19.2 lbs, and starch rating is 2.4. Sugars are at 11.6 °Brix. Average fruit diameter is 2.9 in.
|
Collection Date |
Fruit Weight (g) |
Red Color (%) |
Background color (5-1) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|
Aug 31 |
161(180-129) |
81 (92-62) |
4.3 (4.9-4) |
19.2 (20.9-16.6) |
2.4 (3.1-1.3) |
11.6 (12-10.6) |
Empire
Fruit were sampled from two locations on Aug 31 in Oceana County. Average fruit weight was 125 kg, and fruit size is still small. Average red color development is 63%, and background color is green at 4.2. Pressure is 20.3 lbs, and starch rating is 1.4. Sugars are at 10 °Brix. Average fruit diameter is 2.6 in, and fruit are still immature.
|
Collection Date |
Fruit Weight (g) |
Red Color (%) |
Background color (5-1) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|
Aug 31 |
125 (127-123) |
63 (80-40) |
4.2 (5-3) |
20.3 (22.1-17.5) |
1.4 (2-1) |
10 (10.2-9.8) |
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.
- Background color: 5 = Green, 1 = Yellow; range is of all fruits tested.
- 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 Atago PAL-1 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 |
