Grand Rapids area apple maturity report – October 15, 2025
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EmailHarvest of late-season apple varieties is beginning at some locations this week. Apple harvest is wrapping up for some commercial growers across the region.
This will be the last Michigan State University Extension fruit team apple maturity report for this season.
In the Grand Rapids region, Idared, Aztec Fuji and Pink Lady are being harvested this week. Braeburn and EverCrisp were also sampled this week, and samples from some sites were mature and ready for harvest. With high heat in August and September, growing degree days have advanced and fruit matured more quickly this season. Late-season varieties are now mature and can be harvested at any time. The apple season is wrapping up earlier than normal, and end-of-season tasks can be done over the next few weeks as trees prepare for dormancy.
Weather over the past week has been excellent fall weather, and red color notably changed for Pink Lady and EverCrisp. Average temperatures over the past few days had low temperatures in the 40s and 50s and highs in the 60s and 70s, according to the Sparta Enviroweather station. Daytime and nighttime temperatures will be similar over the next few days with a slight decrease in temperature in the forecast for October 16, with a low temperature of 39 F. This will be great coloring weather for later varieties such as Aztec Fuji, EverCrisp and Pink Lady. Slight chances of rain are in the forecast this week.
How to read maturity tables
This will be the last apple maturity report for this season and includes average values for several apple samples for varieties nearing maturity. Maximum and minimum values are included in the tables below for the highest and lowest individual fruits evaluated for each to give a full spectrum of maturity. All samples included in the reports have been untreated with ReTain or Harvista, unless otherwise noted. Samples were collected from three locations in Kent County.
For more information about apple maturity testing, review these resources compiled by the MSU Extension tree fruit team.
- Predicted apple harvest dates for 2024 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 Grand Rapids region
Fuji
Fuji fruit (which includes Aztec Fuji) were sampled from three locations in Sparta this week. Fruit were treated with ReTain. Red color is an average of 81%, and background color is light green. Fruit firmness has decreased markedly from last week and is at 15.6 lbs. of pressure. Starch is at 4.6, and sugars are excellent at 13.8 Brix. Average fruit diameter is 2.8 inches. Fruit are mature. For short-term storage, recommended pressure is 16 lbs., and the recommended starch rating for maturity is 3.
|
Collection Date |
Fruit Weight (g) |
Red Color (%) |
Background color (5-1) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|
Sept 22 |
143 (191-113) |
67 (95-30) |
4.7 (5-4) |
20.0 (22.8-17.3) |
2.4 (4-1) |
12.6 (13.4-11.2) |
|
Sept 29 |
148 (166-136) |
73 (90-40) |
4.3 (5-3) |
19.3 (25.2-15.8) |
2.8 (6-2) |
12.7 (14.2-11.7) |
|
Oct 6 |
158 (200-131) |
73 (97-50) |
3.8 (5-2) |
18.0 (20.2-15.8) |
3.7 (8-2) |
13.1 (14.3-11.6) |
|
Oct 13 |
172 (239-131) |
81 (97-55) |
3.7 (5-3) |
15.6 (17.1-14.1) |
4.6 (7-3) |
13.8 (14.6-13.2) |
Red Delicious
Red Delicious fruit were sampled from three locations in Sparta. Red color is 93%, and background color is yellow-green. Fruit firmness is at 17.7 pounds of pressure. Starch is at 3.7, and sugars are excellent at 13.8 Brix. Fruit are mature. Average fruit diameter is 2.6 inches, similar to last week.
|
Collection Date |
Fruit Weight (g) |
Red Color (%) |
Background color (5-1) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|
Sept 15 |
132 (140-123) |
93 (100-70) |
3.5 (4-2) |
19.1 (21.6-17.0) |
2.1 (3-1) |
13 (13.9-12.0) |
|
Sept 22 |
127 (132-121) |
94 (100-70) |
3.8 (5-3) |
18.3 (20.3-17.0) |
2.4 (4-1) |
12.2 (12.5-11.8) |
|
Sept 29 |
149 (165-137) |
92 (100-70) |
3.4 (4-2) |
17.8 (19.5-15.6) |
2.6 (5-1) |
12.6 (13.0-12.1) |
|
Oct 8 |
144 (167-132) |
93 (100-60) |
3.1 (4-1) |
17.7 (18.9-14.6) |
3.7 (7-2) |
13.8 (14.6-13.2) |
EverCrisp
EverCrisp were sampled from three locations in Sparta and Grant this week. Red color is significantly improved from last week with an average of 74%, and background color is light green. Fruit firmness is at 19.3 lbs. of pressure. Starch is at 4.1, and sugars are excellent at 14.7 Brix. Average fruit diameter is 3.1 inches. Fruit are mature.
|
Collection Date |
Fruit Weight (g) |
Red Color (%) |
Background color (5-1) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|
Oct 6 |
225 (252-186) |
58 (90-30) |
4.5 (5-3) |
22.1 (27.1-19.1) |
3.3 (6-1) |
15.1 (15.8-14.4) |
|
Oct 13 |
210 (242-167 |
74 (97-45) |
3.8 (5-2) |
19.3 (24.8-13.7) |
4.1 (6.3) |
14.7 (15.2-14.4) |
Pink Lady
Pink Lady were sampled from two locations in Sparta and Grant this week. Pink blush has markedly improved this week compared to last week and covers 78% of the fruit surface on average. Background color is yellow-green. Fruit firmness is at 15.8 lbs. of pressure. Starch rating is at 5.1. Some fruit are mature and ready for harvest, but this was highly variable across sites. Sugars are excellent at 14.0 Brix. Average fruit diameter is 2.8 inches.
|
Collection Date |
Fruit Weight (g) |
Red Color (%) |
Background color (5-1) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|
Oct 6 |
138 |
47 (55-35) |
2.4 (3-2) |
16.49 (17.75-15.45) |
6.6 (7-5) |
14.4 (14.4-14.4) |
|
Oct 13 |
136 (144-129) |
78 (95-45) |
2.9 (4-1) |
15.8 (18.9-14.1) |
5.1 (7-1) |
14.0 (14.7-13.2 |
Braeburn
Braeburn were sampled from one location in Sparta this week. Red color is an average of 83%, and background color is light green. Fruit firmness is at 20.7 lbs. of pressure. Starch is at 3.1, and sugars are excellent at 13.5 Brix. Average fruit diameter is 2.6 inches. Fruit are mature.
|
Collection Date |
Fruit Weight (g) |
Red Color (%) |
Background color (5-1) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|
Oct 6 |
129 |
71 (85-50) |
4 (5-3) |
22.8 (25.2-20.9) |
3 (4-2) |
12.4 |
|
Oct 13 |
174 |
83 (99-70) |
3.4 (4-2) |
20.7 (22.5-18.9) |
3.1 (5-2) |
13.5 |
Granny Smith
Granny Smith were sampled from one location in Sparta this week. A nice blush is developing over the fruit surface with an average of 23%, and background color is green. Fruit firmness is at 16.0 lbs. of pressure. Starch is at 4.7, and sugars are fair at 11.7 Brix. Average fruit diameter is 3.0 inches.
|
Collection Date |
Fruit Weight (g) |
Red Color (%) |
Background color (5-1) |
Firmness (lbs) |
Starch (1-8) |
Soluble Solids (°Brix) |
|
Oct 6 |
205 |
11 (45-0) |
4.6 (5-4) |
17.1 (18.2-15.8) |
3.2 (4-2) |
10.1 |
|
Oct 13 |
179 |
23 (50-5) |
4.7 (5-4) |
16.0 (18.8-14.3) |
4.7 (6-4) |
11.7 |
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 |