sap sugar content low

[sugaringcrazy]

This is my first year, and I checked my sugar content the other day of the sap in my tank and it was below 1.5 after being a little above 2 earlier in the season. So, today I went around and checked all 50 of my trees to see there sugar content. Anywhere from 1.0-2.0. The 1.0 trees really surprised me, because there were quite a few of these! Is this normal?! Is it because it's getting close to the end of the season? I am sure they are not red maples. I will also say that I noticed that if I dried the hydrometer on my shirt before doing it I often got a little higher reading then if I lowered it in wet. What's the right way to do it? Anyone have ideas/suggestions

[3rdgen.maple]

Thats been the norm for several of us this season. Low sugar content with a fe runs with decent content. I averaged out the years sugar content last night and it was 1.6 sure wish it was higher but darn it I wished for lots of sap first.

[Wardner in Tewksbury]

I have been monitoring one Red, one Norway, and two Sugars since the middle of Feb. Only one Sugar with a northerly tap is still running in northeastern MA. I was averaging between 3 and 3.5 percent up until ten days ago. I am now at a little over 2 percent with good clear sap at one, more or less, gallon per day. I am using a digital refractometer on full crown trees tapped one foot above the root. I turn the instrument over and dry the SS well as best I can with one breath of lung air.

[lastwoodsman]

Out of 100 taps and 600 gallons of sap last week all was at 1%. Very low for and surprising. This was almost all sugars that I have tapped.
I have checked with Roths in WI and Dawn mentioned they were hearing of a lot of low sugar content. Certainly not everywhere as a friend of mine here who taps silvers, his is running 3 to 3.5.
Go figure--Looking for better next year
Woodsman

[MillbrookMaple]

I had the same low sugar content this season as others. I run oil and between the 1.5 or less sugar content and the fuel oil prices I figured I paid about $21 in fuel per gallon the first 70 gallons we made. I was going to quit but found a used RO and now we figured it cost us $4 a gallon of syrup in fuel for the last 55 gallons we made. Now the sugar content isn't such an issue. :)

[Timber Juice]

....of a lot of low sugar content. Certainly not everywhere as a friend of mine here who taps silvers, his is running 3 to 3.5.
Go figure--Looking for better next year
Woodsman


Silver Maple producing 3-3.5 % sugar?
I'll pay good money for the rights to all clones of those trees.
We'll all be rich.:lol:
A soft, fast growing sugar factory-fantastic.

I think someone should double check the numbers.