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View Full Version : Red maples, blue sap??


Cabin
03-20-2014, 09:52 AM
Half of my reds produce clear sap and the other half have a very light blue tint to the sap. Any reason for this? :confused:
psparr
03-20-2014, 10:12 AM
Blueberry trees?

It sometimes has that shine to it. Just be glad it's not yellow.
happy thoughts
03-20-2014, 10:16 AM
I don't have an answer but wondering if it's your collection containers and the way the sap reflects or transmits their color. Even all white containers may not be created equal. Second possibility is bacterial growth. I've read that different bacteria can impart several different colors to sap and syrup. I don't remember reading about blue though it's still certainly possible. My money is still on the containers.
Cabin
03-20-2014, 10:20 AM
I dump them all into the same transport bucket then into a measuring bucket to keep track of how much I am getting. The only thing that came to mind is copper content but some trees are right next to each other. One clear and one blueish.
happy thoughts
03-20-2014, 10:33 AM
You might be right. I know that copper was mined near DWG at one time. Maybe you have some surface veins or copper containing glacial deposits.
NE PA Maple
03-21-2014, 08:16 AM
Cabin,

I don't have the answer for you, but, I did notice last week in my barrel being fed by my 2 - 3/16 lines that it had a Blue tint to it. Both lines are mostly Reds. I don't know there to be any significant amounts of copper in my soil. Do you think there is any chance this extreme winter could have anything to do with it, or do you see this annually? This is only my 2nd season sugaring so I can't say if it is typical for me or not.
Cabin
03-21-2014, 08:34 AM
Cabin,

I don't have the answer for you, but, I did notice last week in my barrel being fed by my 2 - 3/16 lines that it had a Blue tint to it. Both lines are mostly Reds. I don't know there to be any significant amounts of copper in my soil. Do you think there is any chance this extreme winter could have anything to do with it, or do you see this annually? This is only my 2nd season sugaring so I can't say if it is typical for me or not.

I just noticed it this year. I am getting sap and syrup testers today(if UPS is right) so I can see if there is a difference in sugar. I have only been doing this for 4 years now and I just noticed. Of course I have doubled the number of trees I tapped this year so maybe I just hadn't tapped the 'blue blood' trees until now.