Weather woes

[kiteflyingeek]

So, we've had a rather cold Jan & Feb this year here in southern Indiana. We have some winters that never see single digits but this year we have seen negative temps a number of times. I thought this was a blessing because I haven't had the shack or arch ready so it the delay has been used to get ready for the season.

Well, my question is, how long will it take for the trees to start running given that the lows have been 10*F and highs barely breaking 20*F for the past 5 days and today starts a warming trend which ends next week with highs at 60*F and lows at 60*F. Also will the 3-4 days of 55+ degree days mean the end of my season? I sure hope not since I've spent quite a bit of money to jump into this hobby / addiction Andreas hoping to get some decent volume to sell.

Now, I realize it may sound like I asking folks to look into the crystal ball but what I'm really interested in is whether the 20" frost line that we have now will keep the buds from popping next week during the 60*F weather.

Thanks!

--andrew

[happy thoughts]

I wouldn't worry about the trees budding out. There's still a lot of cold temps left and plenty of time for a good and even a great season. How long it will take the trees to warm up is anyone's guess. Sunny weather that warms the wood helps. I've seen trees drip when it's sunny even if the temps are not quite above freezing. Now keep your fingers crossed for a warmup next week and get ready for the sap tsunami:)

[Homestead Maple]

Do you have any snow to amount to anything? If you do the base of the trees will take a few days to a week to warm up for good sap flows. If you don't have any snow on the ground, how deep would you think the frost is in the ground? The root system of your trees if frozen will slow good sap flow also. I would think you have a lot of season to come yet.

[eagle lake sugar]

The sap never runs here until mid March. I'm more concerned right now with the 2 ft. of snow we're getting. Some of my mainlines are only about 2.5 to 3 ft. above the bare ground, and were already just above the top of the snow. It looks like I'll be doing some shoveling this spring!

[maple flats]

The snow will settle, as it does try to lift before the snow crusts over. I most always need to do that. It looks like I may need snowshoes tomorrow, we had 2' on the ground, and just got over another foot in the last 24 hrs. I never had to use snowshoes in '13, but in '12 I had to for the first half of the season.