Horrible sugar content

[sapman]

First collection in middle of the night. Sugar tested right at 1% or little less! Not excited about the season if that's how it'll be.

Anyone else finding low readings?

[Tappy Sap Master]

Ran vac all day yesterday, checked sugar content last night was about 1.75 % but a vast majority are reds, with a few sugars mixed in. For me that is right on par with previous years.

[GV2]

I put out 20 buckets on Sunday just to see what is happening, and collected 4 gallons last night. Got readings at/below 1%. These were new, (but nice looking) trees so I can't compare them to past seasons. There were about 10 sugars and 10 reds tapped. I am going to test each tree separate tonight. PS: I put in my first tubing set up ever, a 3/16 line with 12 taps. tapped it last night and it looks to be running very good this morning. Pretty exciting! I will check the sugar contents on that tube run tonight too and I am going to log the yields of the tubing versus buckets this season.

[sapman]

The majority of mine are reds/silvers, and usually do start at closer to 2 also.

[Walling's Maple Syrup]

The trees are still really frozen. As they thaw out, your sugar content will go up slowly. We started out with 5000 gallons of .6% yesterday. Not worried at all. It will go up.
Neil

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

The trees are still really frozen. As they thaw out, your sugar content will go up slowly. We started out with 5000 gallons of .6% yesterday. Not worried at all. It will go up.
Neil
is that with the HE Injection?

[unc23win]

The trees are still really frozen. As they thaw out, your sugar content will go up slowly. We started out with 5000 gallons of .6% yesterday. Not worried at all. It will go up.
Neil

I thought 1.5-1.7 was low I think you are right about the frozen trees. I have a spring right by my sugarhouse that froze for the first time in years.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

Glad somebody started this thread. I was wondering about this too. Most of mine (all sugars) are 1.5-1.8% with a some at 2%. Had one tree at 3% but its dropped off.

[sapman]

The trees are still really frozen. As they thaw out, your sugar content will go up slowly. We started out with 5000 gallons of .6% yesterday. Not worried at all. It will go up.
Neil

You're making me feel better, Neil!

Thanks

[KV Sappers]

I tap mostly red's and there running at 1.5%. This is normal for me.

[Run Forest Run!]

My sugar content is reading between 1.5 to 2. That's the lowest EVER. I'm usually pulling numbers between 2.5 and 3.5 with one maple knocking it out of the park last year in the mid 4s. Since this is only the first sap of the season I expect things to pick up really soon. In the meantime I'm freezing that sap over and over to get as much of the extra water out of it that I can.

[Locust Farms]

You are living right. Checked mine today 1.1 % last year 1.9 %. Sap turned cloudy today.Too much 55 & 60 degree days and no night freeze.

Dwight

[to100]

I have only sugar maples and this is my 5th season.
I tapped 20 yesterday on gravity, I dumped my first 4 gallons for a yellow tint. Then I got 4 gallon clear @ 0%, today I got 5 gallon also 0%.
Should I boil this or dump it also? Or wait for the ground to start warming up.
I usually start off +2% and drops to 1.5%, most trees are 39" around but not city trees with big crowns.

[Clinkis]

First collection of the year this afternoon. Content was 1.1%. Lowest EVER as well. My early collections are usually low 2's but usually average a little over 3% as season picks up. Hoping it is, as others have mention, just a case the trees need to thaw more. I've just never seen it this low in my neck of the woods which is a little concerning. The RO will be working overtime if this trend continues.

[wnybassman]

I have only sugar maples and this is my 5th season.
I tapped 20 yesterday on gravity, I dumped my first 4 gallons for a yellow tint. Then I got 4 gallon clear @ 0%, today I got 5 gallon also 0%.
Should I boil this or dump it also? Or wait for the ground to start warming up.
I usually start off +2% and drops to 1.5%, most trees are 39" around but not city trees with big crowns.

Me thinks you would have to boil A LOT of 0% sap to get syrup. lol

[sweetwater sugar shack]

Just checked my first run 1.8

[Chainsaw Baby]

I wonder if the unusually cold weather is having an impact on the first sap runs? Anyone know what happens when the temps stay at -20c (cold, in F) for 6 weeks?

I have about 300 litres of sap that I have not tested yet, but it will be -10 tonight (Wednesday March 11), so I will let it freeze and wait for Saturday to start the evaporator.

Cheers!

[MustardSeedMum]

Me thinks you would have to boil A LOT of 0% sap to get syrup. lol

Me thinks it'd be an empty pan. lol

[maple2]

gathered and boiled 4000gals.today.1.1% all sugar maples

[MISugarDaddy]

Just finished collecting 180 gallons of 1% sap from sugar maples. This is also the lowest sap % we have ever started out with. If it wasn't for the RO, I think I might have dumped it. I hope everyone's theory about frozen trees is correct. Can't wait until tomorrow!!!

[epd0407]

I had 2% on my first 2.5 Gallons. Flow is horrible here. 2.5 Gallons on about 130 taps

[wurmdert]

Got 50 Gallons of 1.4 % Brix off 100 3/16 taps

[Mr Sugar Maple]

I gathered 20 gallons of sap from 200 taps, tested at 2% sugar.

[COMSTOCK MAPLES]

Sap tested out at 1.2% today Hope that runs a little higher soon, or it will be some long nights..............

[TreeTapper2]

I hear ya Comstock Maples. Running around 1.2 for us also.

[bees1st]

I'm starting out at 1.2 . Lowest I've ever seen it at any time of the season .

[maple marc]

First run--which was meager--was 2.0, lowest ever for my first run. All sugars, usually 2.5-2.8. Heavy rains here before I collected. Hoping that might have been a factor, although reports on this thread are not too encouraging.

[Justin Turco]

We are at 1.5%. Last year at this time we had 3%....with minor fluctuations day to day depending on which woods were producing more sap.

I came to this post because I was a little surprised by this low number and wondered if others were experiencing the same.

[Pauly V]

1 st season for me. I have 50 taps in. Been averaging 30 gallons a day since Sunday. Evaped 14 gallons with a pint and a half return. Yesterdays draw off was less about 20 gallons..but the sap was much sweeter. for now I use my tongue ....and when I boiled it down last night the smell was very strong and turned amber much quicker. I partial boiled to 3.5 gallons and am storing in stock pot with another 3 gallons to finish off tonight. Thats my rookie assessment so far..:)

[maple maniac65]

I was in Manchester NH on Tuesday for the tree tapping ceremony and the sugar content there was 3.7

[red maples]

This year so far my vac tubing (mostly reds with a few scattered sugars) is coming in at approx. 1.65. buckets and gravity tubing all sugars and a few reds hear and there on the gravity (although they aren't doing much yet) 2 days total of 25 gallons on 100taps only at 2.5 and they average 3+ and have even hit 4 on occasion.

I also used to use the small or short sap hydro and those are just simply terrible. They are so sensitive to temperature because they are so small one year I bought 2 and they both read differently. I swithced to the long one and since I did its much better and very accurate. Its worth getting the long one.

[n8hutch]

Sap I have collected so far is right at 2%, I think the next stuff will be better, seems like my first couple runs are always a little on the lower side. I am usually happy with anything around 2.5, anything above that is Awesome.

[RC Maple]

I must have a bunch of unusual trees. I did gather once this year on a very small run where the sap tested 1%. Everything else on every run tests right at 2%. Year in and year out I never test anything higher. I have never gathered at 2.5 or 3% unless I am dumping out ice. I figure up at the end of the year how much sap I gathered and how much syrup I made and it figures out to 2-2.1 % sugar. All but 1 of my trees are sugar maples. Not complaining just chiming in.

[lew]

Well I'm complaining! 5,500 of 1%. Usually our first loads of the year are the sweetest, around 2%. This kind of scares me.

[doocat]

I think the ground is too hard yet (frozen). Ours has all been 1-1.3%. I'll take what we can get.

[Run Forest Run!]

Sugar content here is increasing for the trees that are out in the open, by a full percent. The forest trees' sugar counts are still low but will hopefully follow suit when they thaw out a little more.

[bees1st]

low sugar is better than no sugar .

[handtapper]

I only got 100 gallons on 250 taps but it tested 2.5

[can'twaitforabigrun]

Here is a good explanation from the Ontario Government Maple blog: "Producers who have equipment to measure sap sugar concentration reported sap sugar ranging from 1.0 to 1.5 ⁰Brix. Sap sugar concentration often begins the season low and increases as sap flow progresses. The enzymes that convert the immobile starch back into sucrose, which dissolves and flows freely in sap water, will act faster as thawing temperatures become more frequent." So it should go up. More producers may be noticing it this year since the trees may be more frozen due to the record breaking cold temperatures in February across the Northeast.
https://onmaplesyrup.wordpress.com/2015/03/13/maple-syrup-production-report-on-march-13-2015/#more-403

[Germanmaples]

I have had the same. My first test was 1.2 then it went to 1. OMG. Its bad enough dealing with the deep snow but then the instant mud and low sugar. We are going to boil for the first time today. Good luck. I hope it does go up.

[killingworthmaple]

I keep checking it and it's been above 3%

Nathan

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

first 640 gal 1.2. one pass went to 2.6 then got it to 4% turned on the beast made 6=7 gal of dark

[DoubleBrookMaple]

Mine has always run at 1.7, and this years first run was 1% and syrup came out dark. Yesterday and today's small runs have come out at 1.5

[sapman]

Well things are looking up. Last three loads have been 1.3-1.4. Amazing that's 30-40 % more syrup than my first loads when you start out so low! Hope we get a little better still.

[16jharris]

I went to my Uncles Shack where he has about 3,500 taps and he says that it is taking him, 63 gallons of sap for a gallon of syrup. When we boiled we did it in about 61 gallons. Yesterday we made 20 gallons of syrup on 1,275 gallons of sap!! THATS TERRIBLE.

Good Luck

[western mainer]

Try 165 gallons of sap to 1 gallon of syrup! Now that's bad, but it will pick up.
Brian

[Waynehere]

We started out at 1% last week. Friday was up to 2.5% and Sat back up to 3.25%, which is normal for us since we have all huge yard trees.

[Clinkis]

Averaged about 2% today which is better then it was but still lower then the 3% I usually average. Sap quantities have been very good though so help make up for the lower sugar. Just running the RO a little longer