Michigan statewide apple maturity report – September 23, 2026
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EmailKeep abreast of the latest apple maturity testing done in different cultivars around the state to optimize harvest times for storage and fresh picking.
This report provides data to compare apple maturity across the state. This will include information from multiple regions, but if available you should consult a maturity report from your specific region. Regional reports will include more information, including updates on harvest extenders and pest and disease management.
Southwest Michigan
‘Golden Delicious’ is ripe and being harvested. ‘Jonagold’ is ripe to overripe and should be picked immediately if still in the field; bitter pit is common in some blocks. Some ‘Mutsu’ is mature but remains green in background color. ‘Northern Spy’ and ‘Evercrisp’ are not yet ripe.
View the predicted harvest dates for Southwest Michigan.
| Variety | Collection Date | Weight (g) | Red Color % | Background | Firmness (lb) | Starch | °Brix |
| Golden Delicious | 9/22/2026 | 232.3 | 0 | 3.1 | 16.88 | 4.5 | 12.9 |
| Jonagold | 9/22/2026 | 314.8 | 47 | 3.3 | 14.83 | 5.9 | 15.8 |
| Mutsu | 9/22/2026 | 320.2 | 2 | 3.9 | 18.14 | 1.6 | 13.9 |
| Northern Spy | 9/22/2026 | 242 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 19.13 | 2.1 | 12.7 |
| Evercrisp | 9/22/2026 | 286 | 62.5 | 4.8 | 20.63 | 1.5 | 14.5 |
Southeast Michigan
While we are harvesting many cultivars, remember that some late cultivars may need an additional fungicide treatment. In warmer parts of the region, growers are working through ‘Empire’ and ‘Red Delicious’ and starting to pick ‘Golden Delicious.’ Cool temperatures have slowed down maturing in some cultivars and some farms are waiting to harvest or extending the picking window.
View the predicted harvest dates for Southeast Michigan.
Northwest Michigan
Growers are starting to harvest Honeycrisp this week and going after processing varieties like McIntosh. Color has improved in all varieties; the color in both Gala and Honeycrisp has markedly improved since last week. These cold nights have been helpful. Size has also improved over the last week.
View the predicted harvest dates for Northwest Michigan.
Apple maturity in northwest Michigan for apples collected on 9/21/26:
| Variety | Color % (range) | Firmness lbs. (range) | Starch (range) | Brix % (range) |
| Gala | 88.3% (50-100) | 20.3 (18-22) | 3.8 (1-8) | 11.6 (9.2-12.9) |
| Honeycrisp | 60.4% (20-95) | 16.5 (13-21) | 4.6 (1-7) | 11.3 (8.6-14.4) |
| McIntosh | 40% (0-80) | 16.2 (13-18.5) | 4.9 (3-7) | 10.3 (8.5-11.2) |
West Central Michigan
Some growers are harvesting Jonagold and Empire. Golden Delicious are mature at some locations. Rome and Red Delicious are still immature. Honeycrisp and Gala harvest will finish this week for many growers, so they are not included in this week’s report. Rain over the weekend helped improve fruit size, which has been small at some locations. We’ve had sunny conditions the past few days which has enhanced red color. Apple size and color are variable across orchards and even within a tree. Use preharvest management tools as needed to harvest fruit in a timely manner. Products like ReTain or Harvista can slow or pause fruit maturity and prevent premature fruit drop.
View the predicted harvest dates for West Central Michigan.
| Variety | Collection Date | Weight (g) | Red Color % | Background | Diameter (in) | Firmness (lb) | Starch | °Brix |
| Evercrisp | 9/21/2026 | 177 (188-166) | 57 (80-30) | 4.0 (5-2) | 2.9 (3.2-2.7) | 22.0 (25.1-20.3) | 1.7 (3-1) | 13.1 (13.6-12.6) |
| Rome | 9/21/2026 | 164 (216-112) | 95 (100-80) | 2.7 (4-1) | 2.8 (3.4-2.2) | 25.0 (30.0-20.6) | 2.4 (3-1) | 11.6 (11.6-11.6) |
| Jonagold | 9/21/2026 | 169 (179-163) | 88 (93.8-82.5) | 3.2 (3.3-3.1) | 2.8 (2.9-2.8) | 15.7 (17.0-14.2) | 4.7 (6-3.2) | 12.8 (13.8-11.7) |
| Ida Red | 9/21/2026 | 166 (202-139) | 71 (95-40) | 3.2 (4-2) | 3.0 (3.5-2.7) | 18.4 (21.5-14.6) | 1.5 (2-1) | 11.2 (11.6-11) |
| Mutsu | 9/21/2026 | 274 (338-192) | 20 (41-6.7) | 3.8 (4.2-3.6) | 3.2 (3.4-3.0) | 19.9 (23.4-17.3) | 1.7 (2-1.1) | 11.7 (12.8-11) |
| Golden Delicious | 9/21/2026 | 170 (179-159) | 24 (50-5) | 3.4 (4-2) | 2.8 (3.0-2.6) | 16.8 (21.5-14) | 3.2 (6-1) | 13.3 (14-12.6) |
| Red Delcious | 9/21/2026 | 148 (168-125) | 91 (100-50) | 1.9 (3-1) | 2.8 (3.1-2.4) | 18.0 (21.8-16) | 1.9 (3-1) | 11 (12.6-10) |
Grand Rapids region
‘Jonagold’ is ready to pick, though bitter pit is prevalent in many blocks. Some ‘Gala’ and ‘Honeycrisp are still in the process of being picked. ‘Golden Delicious’ harvest is done. ‘Red Delicious,’ ‘Ambrosia’ and ‘Mutsu’ are ready in some locations. ‘Evercrisp’ and ‘Fuji’ are still immature. Double check prediction dates and PHIs before applying Retain and Harvista.
View the predicted harvest dates for the Grand Rapids region.
Please see the full Grand Rapids regional report for tables.
Predicted harvest dates
Table 1. 2026 predicted peak harvest dates.
| Full bloom date 2026 | Predicted harvest date 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station | McIntosh | Jons | Reds | McIntosh | Jons | Reds | Observer |
| SWMREC | 15-Apr | 16-Apr | 16-Apr | 23-Aug | 7-Sep | 13-Sep | MSU EW |
| Deerfield | 16-Apr | 16-Apr | 17-Apr | 23-Aug | 6-Sep | 14-Sep | MSU EW |
| Romeo | 27-Apr | 29-Apr | 30-Apr | 2-Sep | 25-Sep | 2-Oct | MSU EW |
| Sparta | 24-Apr | 25-Apr | 25-Apr | 31-Aug | 20-Sep | 26-Sep | MSU EW |
| Hart | 6-May | 9-May | 11-May | 9-Sep | 30-Sep | 6-Oct | MSU EW |
| NWMHRS | 19-May | 22-May | 22-May | 19-Sep | 6-Oct | 12-Oct | MSU EW |
Table 2. 2026 predicted peak harvest dates compared to normal and last year.
| Days -/+ normal | Days -/+ last year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Station | McIntosh | Jons | Reds | McIntosh | Jons | Reds |
| SWMREC | -18 | -15 | -15 | -10 | -12 | -11 |
| Deerfield | -18 | -15 | -24 | -6 | -12 | -10 |
| Romeo | -11 | 0 | -1 | -7 | 3 | 3 |
| Sparta | -16 | -6 | -11 | -10 | -3 | -4 |
| Hart | -7 | -3 | -4 | -8 | -3 | -3 |
| NWMHRS | -3 | 0 | -5 | 0 | -3 | -2 |
- Southwest
- Grand Rapids
- West Central
- Northwest
- Southeast Michigan does not have an independent apple maturity report
Check out the MSU Enviroweather Growing Degree Days (GDD) Michigan map. Find your closest weather station, create an account on the website, and track GDDs daily.
Maturity tables and summaries
Apple maturity sampling parameters
- Color % = the visual percentage of red color from 0 to 100; range is of all fruits tested
- Firmness in pounds pressure = measured with a Güss Fruit Texture Analyzer; range is of all fruits tested.
- Starch: 1 = all starch, 8 = No starch; range is of all fruits tested. Using Cornell Starch Iodine Index Chart. See the updated MSU starch chart.
- Brix = % sugar measured with Atago PAL-1 Pocket Refractometer
Table 3. Suggested firmness and starch index for long-term and shorter-term controlled atmosphere (CA) storage by variety.
| Variety | Firmness (lbs)* | 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 | 7 |
| 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 |
| Braeburn | 16 | 17 | 18 | 2.5 | 7 |
Upcoming events
The Great Lakes Expo
The Great Lakes Expo, held annually in early December at the DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is the largest show of its kind in the country. It attracts a diverse audience of apple growers from the Great Lakes region. Registration is open.
This year's Apple Sections take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 8-9. Details about the Apple 1 and Apple 2 sessions will be in next week’s update.
Sweet and Hard Cider: Tuesday Morning
Hard Cider
- Tess Van Gorder, Making Sense of Wastewater for Cider Producers: The Big Picture
- Eric Campbell, New Promotional Guide for Michigan Hard Cider
Sweet Cider
- Tess Van Gorder, Making Sense of Wastewater for Cider Producers: Practical Strategies & Lessons Learned
- Laura Campbell, Navigating Water Withdrawals: Registration, Use, and Reporting
Cider Contest: Wednesday afternoon
The cider contest will judge the best ciders produced by Michigan cider makers (only Michigan cider producers are eligible). Here are some important details for the contest:
To enter, cider producers must submit two 1-gallon cider jugs at the Exhibitor Registration desk in the Grand Gallery concourse in DeVos Place on Tuesday, Dec. 8, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or on Wednesday, Dec. 9, from 8 a.m. to noon. No entries will be accepted after noon on Wednesday.
Cider samples must be thawed by 1 p.m. on Wednesday (this is the responsibility of each cider producer, not the contest coordinator).
Cider contest judging will be on Wednesday afternoon. Judging will be held in one of the main-level Grand Gallery meeting rooms and will be open for viewing starting at 1:30 p.m.
The top five winners will be notified prior to the EXPO Social so they can be in attendance. Winners will be announced at the EXPO Social on Wednesday evening. First place receives a plaque and a traveling trophy. Second and third places receive a plaque.
Don't miss this valuable opportunity to connect with industry experts, gain valuable knowledge and explore the latest advancements in the apple industry.
We look forward to seeing you there!
To get a better sense of the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable, and Farm Market Expo, check out this video.
Related articles
- The 2026 Michigan apple crop forecast, as given at the USApple Outlook meeting
- Predicted apple harvest dates for 2026 from MSU Extension.
- More information on harvest management tools and timings from MSU Extension.
- Post harvest treatments to extend apple life.
- Guidelines from MSU Extension to check for apple maturity in your own orchard, including specific pressure and starch recommendations by variety.
- Predicting apple maturity and starch chart from Cornell University.