sugar content

[Lyle]

What is everyones sugar percentage this year? Mine is way low for some reason. My trees are never particularly high, 1.8 to 2.0 normally with 2.2 the highest I've gotten. This year I'm at 1.5 right now, dropping from 1.7 at the start. I've got a 60/40 mix of silvers to sugars, but even the sugars are quite low. I'm getting a decent quanity but thats a lot of boiling for what I'm getting! Guess I've just got slacker trees!

[wnybassman]

I started out normal at 2% to 2.5% with some higher, but that has since dropped to a 1.5% average and a few dangerously close to that 1% mark. I have never dumped sap, but I always told myself if it drops below 1% I would.

[Snowy Pass Maple]

Mine are also really low this year - at least 0.5% lower than normal. The worst trees around 1.1% are same as past; the best trees are the ones that have dropped a lot, now also down below 1.5%. These are all sugars as well.

[northwoods_forestry]

The sap came in pretty close to 3% yesterday. Our sap hasn't been that sweet since 2009.

[lew]

We've been holding steady at 1.5. Low for us, but lots of sap when it runs.

[DonMcJr]

What are you folks using to measure the % of Sugar in your Sap?

[mapleack]

Started the season at 1.2, down to 1% now, killing the syrup total for sure. @ DonMcJr, I use a refractometer. Some use a sap hydrometer.

[happy thoughts]

What are you folks using to measure the % of Sugar in your Sap?

There are special hydrometers made specifically to measure sap sugar. Look for a SAP hydrometer if you're looking to buy one of these. A lot of people don't bother with them since your sap is what it is. Probably more important to have if you're buying or selling sap. If you only have the money for one hydrometer it should be a syrup hydrometer. That said, like syrup hydrometers, they come in several lengths.

[Tweegs]

Last time I checked individual bushes, about a week ago, my sugars were at 2.8%, and my silvers were at 1.7%.

Ran 120 gallons yesterday that was a combination of both bushes measuring 2.5%

The sugar content is spot on normal for me, the amount of sap I am getting is way low.

Pulled off just under 3 gallons yesterday, still light, but getting close to medium.

That got me to 9 gallons so far this year, well behind last years pace.

[Lyle]

I guess it's not just me then. I pulled a little med. and the majority has been dark. Just too much boiling for me to get light. Very nice flavor though. Hearing that others are in the same boat helps. Misery loves company!

[Starting Small]

What would be a reason for low sugar content? Lack of sun last Summer?

[wkies]

The sugar has been way down for me too. Running between 1.1% and 1.5% on all sugar maples! My speculation that the sugar is so down was that last growing season was hard on our maple leaves. A cool damp spring led to major outbreaks of fungal disease. If you remember, last fall's foliage was less that spectacular as well because many of the tress leaves were damaged. This all led to less photosynthesis occurring, producing less sugar in the trees.

[danno]

Also has to do with whether you're running vacuum. Vac will increase yoour sap output but reduce your sugar. The volume of sap from vac will more than compensate for the reduction in sugar - if you have enough wood. My neighbor's woods on gravity run .5-.75 higher than my taps on vacuum. His stopped running last Thursday. On Friday/Saturday I picked up an addtional 2.5 gallons of sap per tap, he got nothing.

[sugarwoodacres]

Im in northwest NJ. Sap this year ran a high of 2.1% . We are about 80%sugar / 20% reds . Taps are probably coming out this weekend . Never got a real hard freeze over winter and the old timers say no sugar stored up . Only made 6 gallons of medium amber . Last year sap was 3 to 3.5% and the season went to March 27th . Dissapointing year but thats how farming goes . Good Luck to all !

[Dill]

So far I've been running a touch above 2, which is a bit lower than usual for me. My brother has been getting 2.6 on his bucket trees again lower than usual.