why not run ?

[maplefarmer]

It got down to 22 deg. 2 nights ago, yesterday got to 45, last night 30, and sap is hardly dripping, why?

[c0ps]

Nature of the beast. I notice some of my trees with 2 taps that one is dripping like crazy, and the other is dry as dirt.

[bowtie]

Same thing here, my yards trees are dripping like crazy and at 4:30 my woods trees were just starting to drip. There are many variables but sometimes Mother Nature doesn't do what we have come to expect as normal. Last week we had 3 days below freezing but the trees ran everyday, albeit not heavy.sometimes high winds can shut it down, other times changes in barometric pressure can affect the flow. I am guessing it will run most of the night here, the low is forecasted at 35-36, at my house it will most likely dip below freezing but up on the hill where I tap with today's cloud cover it will stay in the mid 30's.

[motowbrowne]

The sap doesn't always do what you think it will. I remember 2013 was our best year out of the last dozen or so. Some of our best sap runs were at 30 degrees. Sometimes it's 40 and sunny and perfect weather and nothing happens and then other times it's snowing, windy, just dropped from 40 yesterday to 28 and now it's 30 and running HARD. It's tough to predict at times.

[johnpma]

My totes had about 5 gallons in them tonight 500 feet lower than my elevation (gravity) had close to 100 gallons today......no clue:confused:

[DrTimPerkins]

It got down to 22 deg. 2 nights ago, yesterday got to 45, last night 30, and sap is hardly dripping, why?

Tree (wood and branch) temperature is the critical variable. Air temperature can be high enough, but if it was really cold the night before the stem, being so large, is fairly thermally buffered and might not thaw out enough to run. Also, if the ground was frozen right around the tree, or if there was snow packed tightly against the stem, the tree might not have been able to recharge (take up water from the soil) during the past freeze. We see things like this a bit more frequently early in the season than later (typically).

[Ed R]

When did you tap? If before this last warm up taphole sanitation is probably the reason. I have limited SAP at my place at the state line, it just got to warm for to long. I am done and more than likely you are too.

[Ivyacres]

I think we lucked out with the last warm weather. It didn't last long enough to hurt us in west Michigan. I had 285 on 200 taps Tuesday and it looked like it ran all night. Going to get cold again Thursday, so hoping for a good run this weekend. Hope you aren't done, but could be.

[Ed R]

Ivyacres,. You should be good as long the weather last . You could be making syrup into april. We had a great day at the family farm yesterday over 2,300 gallons of SAP on 1,400 taps,. And more coming in.