Major Problem with Silver Maples?

[Lazarus]

I’m having a big problem with my trees I’m hoping someone may have some suggestions. I’ve got a mix of silver and sugars. Despite decent weather, my silvers are producing next to nothing – it some cases not even a drop. They are tapped with a mix of 5/16 and 7/16, collection with with sap saks. The sugars are running strong. Based on my past experience with these same trees (which are massive yard trees 3-4 feet in diameter) they were producing nearly 2 gallons per tap per day last year with similar weather. I thought maybe they were still frozen, but we’ve had good weather swings here is SW Ohio, below freezing at night and into the 40’s in the daytime, even a big warm-up to 55 degrees one day. The ground is thawed and squishy.

Aside from the big ones I tapped last year, I also tapped about 80 new silvers in the woods about a half mile away, with similar results. These trees are in a low creek bed with limited sun, and in many cases their feet are in a few inches of water in a shallow creek, which runs only when it’s wet out. I also thought they were frozen at first because of all the water they sit in, but the creek is running well, and the ground is soft. I’m getting nothing from them. Even on the 55 degree day, I got maybe a half inch in the bucket. I tapped another massive silver across the road in a low-lying area, and another in a friend’s front yard 20 miles away. Same problem.

I tapped as long as three weeks ago (which was a bit too early as the weather turned unseasonably cold), but I would not think the holes could have prematurely closed in that time? Do I just need to be patient? The sugars have been strong for a week or more. Last year by this time some of these silvers were far outperforming the sugars.

Any thoughts here?

-Lazarus
_______________________
Thomas Ireland Smith Farm
Itty bitty cottage producer
150 taps (producing like 20!), mostly silvers
GBM 2x6

[Flat47]

My experience with silvers is the same, and I think this was covered in another thread. Soft maples run less and have less sugar content. It's just nature.

[wcproctor]

My silvers always gives me 1/2 as much as the sugars. Some of my red even give me more.

[C.Wilcox]

I concur with the others that have posted. No maple runs like a sugar maple. My silvers are hot and cold. Some years I get great results, others I hardly get a drop. In years when the silvers are just sitting there taunting me I can go to one of the few sugar maples I have and collect gallons from a single bucket. Just keep your fingers crossed that they'll wake up and flood you with sap before it's over.

[Logan Cabin]

I'm in southern Indiana so our conditions should be similar. I have a silver in our back yard that produced a lot of sap last year. This year, not so much. Even put a second tap on one of its 3 stems, and that tap has barely produced a thing. Tap on the main stem has produced about 3 gallons in 5 days. This tree shouldn't have been affected by last fall's drought, as I water our back yard.

Tapped a yard sugar maple up the street Monday evening and it's given almost 8 gallons off two taps in just under 24 hours. That tree got no extra care during the drought. Go figure.

Getting a hydrometer in tomorrow and really looking forward to being able to test the sap!

[KenWP]

I have silver maples also and my first year one gave nothing and last year it would not stop running.I have 3 trees that hardley ever give anything no matter what side of the tree I tap. The one tree ran for about 3 days out of one tap really good and then stopped dead. My silvers did give better sugar content then the sugar maples the first year and last year nothing had sugar.

[SWEETSAP]

We have silvers, reds, and sugars. Our experance has been poor with silvers and off and on with reds however with vacuum this year they are all doing well.

[adk1]

what is very well? Getting a gallon or 2 at least per day?

[maplefarmer]

sweetsap, are you putting vac. on silver maples or just sugars? if you are, how much sap are you getting from silvers compared to sugars?

[SWEETSAP]

Sorry for missing this reply. All trees are on 23" of mercury the sugars run great, the reds run good, and the silvers are much better than without vacuum but still not the best.

[spud]

The old timers alway used to say that creek side trees never run well. I have noticed years ago that some of my trees (sugar maples) that were close to a beaver pond never ran well either. I think tapping silvers is a waste of time and money. Dr Tim might have some information on creek side trees. If the trees you are tapping are standing in water it seems to me they would be worthless to tap. If you have access to trees away from the creek i would move the sap bags to that area instead. Please understand that i am basing this on what the old timers used to say.

Spud

[Murphy's Law]

Lazarus and Logan Cabin, I live about half way between you guys and I'm experiencing the same with silver maples. I have 4 silver and 9 sugar maples tapped and the only sap I'm getting is from the sugars. But even the sugars aren't producing much. Maybe one qt./day from the sugars and almost nothing from the silvers. Kind of frustrating. But I'm learning.

[lastwoodsman]

A fellow sugar maker here in the Saint Paul area has tapped around 350-400 maples for 20 years with over half of them silvers. They have been as consistant as any sugars or Rubrums. Many running as high as 3.5 % sugar.
The Acer Rubrums I tap along with my sugars give the same sugar ratings as the Acer Sacharum. Varying between 1.5 to 3%.
It seems to me from what I have seen of his syrup the silvers give a darker syrup but that is just my opinion.
Woodsman