Red maple sugar content

[Clinkis]

So, when I was a kid my grandfather told me that tapping red maples wasn't worth it because sugar was too low so I have never bothered to even try. Which is easy for me to do because we have lots of sugar maples in our area. On the weekend had some friends over with their kids and I wanted to show them how to tap a tree. Unfortunately all the sugars close to the house have already been tapped so I decided I would try tapping a red maple. It ran like crazy and when I checked its sugar content it was 3.7%. I was shocked. Is this common or just a fluke? I have some other nice reds back in my sugar bush and I might try tapping a couple of them.

[Cedar Eater]

I heard the same thing that your grandfather said, but it was wrong. I heard that it was a 72:1 ratio for red maple. It's been less than 50:1 for me. I only started this year, but I've heard that some people routinely get more sugar from some of their reds than from some of their sugars.

[Run Forest Run!]

Clinkis, the soft maples that I tap on my property always have more sugar than the sap from the sugar maples that I tap in a forest down the street. They are out in the open with no competition and full crowns.

[Wanabe1972]

I tap 90% red maples and my sap was close to 3% right out of the releaser today.

[saphound]

Wow...3.7 is pretty darn good. I haven't seen anything even close to that out of my sugar maples.
Is that tree out in the open too, Clinkis?

[Michael Greer]

In my experience, the Reds are almost as sweet as most of the Sugars. They are not as reliable though, and occasionally won't give a drop when other trees are running freely. I tap them all...Sugars, Reds, Silvers, Norways, and even Boxelder.

[Clinkis]

It's on the edge of a small clump of trees. It's about 15" diameter and doesn't have a particularly large crown. In fact, the ice storm a couple years ago tore off a lot of its branches. My sugars averaged yesterday 3.2% which I am thrilled with considering where they were a couple weeks ago (1.1%) but the red maple still the champ. Anybody notice a different flavour from the Reds?

[KV Sappers]

I think it depends on your area. I tap mostly reds because that's all I have and they run about 1.5%. I'd kill for 3.7% must be that cold Canadian air.

[Clinkis]

I think it depends on your area. I tap mostly reds because that's all I have and they run about 1.5%. I'd kill for 3.7% must be that cold Canadian air.

Lol...I hope that's what it is because I also just realized that tree is right beside the weeping bed for my septic tank!

[RIVERWINDS]

I only tap reds and I had 600 gallons yesterday run at 4.2, but I routinely run 3.0 to 3.6 on these trees. Very rare for mine to be under 3.0. I've used about 6 different hydrometers to test this and I'm not crazy, they all test within a tenth.

[lastwoodsman]

There is no difference in our area between reds and sugars.
3 to 4% is not unusual in either.

I see the red thing on here all the time about them being lower in sugar. a wives tale as far as I am concerned. A very broad statement. No difference in taste or color.

Woodsman

[John c]

I have seen no significant difference between reds and sugars either. I tap both with a very clear conscience.

[slammer3364]

I have almost mainly reds but I am getting no where near 3.7% this year , last year I had a pretty good %. On a side note we got about 6 inches of snow today Hooray

[KV Sappers]

Lol...I hope that's what it is because I also just realized that tree is right beside the weeping bed for my septic tank!
LOL ...Oh how sweet it is ...

[West Sumner Sugar]

Checked a red and a sugar today side by side. Red came in at 3% and the sugar was 5%. Cant complain about either one!