Lowest sap sugar % ever

[maple flats]

This year has been very poor in the sap sugar %. Most years I start at 2.3-2.5%, then settle back to 2.1-2.2 and near the end it falls to about 1.8 or even 1.7%. This year I've only had 1 day at 1.9%, then it fell to 1.7 for a few days and the last few days I got 1.6, 1.6, 1.5 and yesterday 1.4%.
What have others been getting this season?
Every report I've had locally seems to be similar to mine.

[TonyL]

Our first run was good at almost 2.5%, then the bottom dropped out, sugar wise. Combined with crazy high temps for this time of year not giving much sap, and it was a short, sad season.

[tcross]

my sugar started out at 1.5, that was the first run I kept. Tuesday/Wednesday it was coming in at 2.2%. I don't generally track my sugar content but I'd say my average is close to 2% annually. I have half red maples and half sugars.

[maple2]

Started off with 2.3 Made 4brls of lite. Dropped to 1.6. Been making dark,all week

[madmapler]

Mine actually started out a little higher than normal at 2%. It was at 1.3 yesterday and probably a little lower today. Two days with no freeze.

[Waynehere]

We have the good ole hedge row trees that for the last 10 years have produced 3-3.5% consistently. Last year we struggled to get up to 2% and this year is the same. Yesterday we only got 1.8%. We got really spoiled with the higher sugar and now we are boiling 2x the sap to make the same amount of syrup. Not sure what is going on. Guess we are going to look at building an RO for next season. Getting tired of all the cutting and splitting of wood for the lower sugar content. My neighbor seems to be getting the same he usually gets from his woods though.

[sapman]

Mid January, 1.4. Never improved. Last couple weeks, 1.1.

[Ed R]

2 to 2.1 sap usually we are at 2.5 or above.

[maple flats]

In the forecast I see several freeze thaw cycles predicted, maybe that will help. So far this season has been a freeze and then when it thaws the temps stay above freezing for 3-4-5 days then a freeze again. I don't think I've had any sap days where it froze night after night with sap weather in the day. With vacuum I'm able to get sap for at least 3 days good and a forth it slows, but it never picks up new sugar.

[bstewar]

Reds are at 1% and Sugars were 2% and as of last night 1.7%

[lyford]

reds have been around 1.7-1.9, and sugars 2.2-2.6, both of these are good for our bush

[Atgreene]

3%, lowest I've found is 2.8, highest is 7% in one of our large crown trees. If we're below 3% I go testing looking for the offending trees and they're converted to firewood.

[Bruce L]

Didn't measure the sugar content,had our first boil yesterday,( been wrought with many problems this spring) ,but was disappointed with the outcome of syrup. Collected about 1100-1200 gallons of sap in total,takes almost 300 or more to fill the pans and the steam away just to be able to light a fire.Boiled for 3 hours to sweeten the pans,got one draw off of 2 gallons,then was out of sap.

[sapman]

In the forecast I see several freeze thaw cycles predicted, maybe that will help. So far this season has been a freeze and then when it thaws the temps stay above freezing for 3-4-5 days then a freeze again. I don't think I've had any sap days where it froze night after night with sap weather in the day. With vacuum I'm able to get sap for at least 3 days good and a forth it slows, but it never picks up new sugar.

That's been my exact "complaint". I don't think it makes for very light syrup, either. This is my second year in a row with no Golden, and lots of Dark.

[lew]

I just figured our average for the year so far. 1.1 sugar. 16 gallons of sap per tap. No light. Very little amber. Lots of dark.

[maple flats]

Me too, all dark. It may lighten if the cycles start to happen AND we get enough sap to run longer boils with higher % sap/ concentrate.

[bagpiper]

I have 85 reds on vaccum this year; volume has been good but sugar content is 1.0% to 1.5%. Keep hoping that the sugar content will improve but hasn't happened yet. My 40 buckets have done amost nothing. Maybe they'll start producing after this cold spell.

[bowtie]

Not sure about the bulk of my trees but my yard trees are down , they usually go 3.5% or so , and this year they are 2.5 and lower. Just they way it goes.

[wnybassman]

Holding consistent between 1.7 and 2.0. Pretty sure some of those readings were not with 38º sap though. Not sure how much temp affects sap readings. Three main bottling sessions. First was amber rich, second was the lighter side of dark robust and the last was the darker side side of dark robust. No very dark yet, and hoping that will not happen any time soon.

[Russell Lampron]

I don't keep track of the sap sugar content only the number of gallons of syrup produced for the amount of sap per boil. I went from 47 gallons of sap per gallon of syrup for my 2nd and 3rd boils to 69 gallons of sap per gallon of syrup last night. Normally I do about 50 to 1 with mostly red maples. All but 20 gallons of the 58.5 gallons of syrup that I have made has been golden with the 20 being right on the golden color sample. It tasted more like amber and will probably darken when reheated so I graded it as amber.

[Michael Greer]

We had a terrible drought all last summer...so bad that the trees stopped doing what trees do for a while. That seems like it could have a bad effect on sugar levels to me.

[Z/MAN]

In the forecast I see several freeze thaw cycles predicted, maybe that will help. So far this season has been a freeze and then when it thaws the temps stay above freezing for 3-4-5 days then a freeze again. I don't think I've had any sap days where it froze night after night with sap weather in the day. With vacuum I'm able to get sap for at least 3 days good and a forth it slows, but it never picks up new sugar.

Flats I have had the same weather. Not two freezes in a row. The odd thing here is I am on gravity and have the trees giving me sap after two freeze less nights in a row. That has never happened for me before. I'm not complaining because I an having a great year with the screwed up conditions.

[Woodsrover]

Had 600 gallons in the tanks last night. As near as I can figure with a hydrometer its near 1% but probably not over. Three trips through my little RO brings it up to barely 4%. Wouldn't be worth boiling if not for the RO.

[maple maniac65]

Should I be worried that my sugar is 2.8

[maple flats]

Don't worry, that sounds like bragging sugar% to me., unless you normally get 3.5% +

[cur dog]

The highest I've seen this season is 1.7%. Before this freeze, I was down to 1%.

[doocat]

high of 1.6 to 1.7 and down to 1% for quite a few days now with all the warm nights. Thank goodness for the R/O. Still making nice syrup though here in northeast Pa.

[cur dog]

Craig, Misery loves company. I guess that makes me feel a little better. I'm already planning on a bigger RO for next year. Mine has been working over time. Next week looks good.

[Atgreene]

Are you guys tapping something other than sugar maples? Just curious. We don't do any soft and have trimmed and thinned for years, but with an ro now, I've been tempted to try some softs, but on separate lines so as to isolate if they bud early.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

Should I be worried that my sugar is 2.8definately dump it or I can come over and pick it up so you don't make a mess of your yard dumping it

[doocat]

For 2.8 sugar I would travel a ways as well. We tap almost exclusively hard maple. I have about 100 out of 3500 that are reds. Old woods, tall trees with smaller crowns, and not much freezing weather would be the issue I assume. We Don't worry about it cause I can't fix it, they run good with 27-28 inches of mercury though!

[heus]

3%, lowest I've found is 2.8, highest is 7% in one of our large crown trees. If we're below 3% I go testing looking for the offending trees and they're converted to firewood. Wow must be nice. Average about 1.2-1.6 sap here

[Atgreene]

Wow must be nice. Average about 1.2-1.6 sap here
It is. Generations of work to get us here. Now with high vacuum, cv's and an ro, we're poised to make some serious syrup, if mother nature cooperates.

[maple flats]

To answer the question about which maples I have, at this point they are all sugar maples. Earlier I had 41 taps mostly reds with 6 in silvers, but they were removed when the flowers opened. I now know I was early, that the flowers do not affect the syrup, it's the first sign of a green leaf bud that dictates when to quit the soft maples.

[Russell Lampron]

To answer the question about which maples I have, at this point they are all sugar maples. Earlier I had 41 taps mostly reds with 6 in silvers, but they were removed when the flowers opened. I now know I was early, that the flowers do not affect the syrup, it's the first sign of a green leaf bud that dictates when to quit the soft maples.

Most of my trees are reds. I have made a lot of syrup with flowers on the trees with no buddy taste. They usually quit running before the buds actually pop.

[maple flats]

Unfortunately since I first added the Reds and silvers about 6 years ago, I have removed them as soon as the flowers bloom. I'll not do that from now on. Those are all within sight of my sugarhouse. The rest are all sugar maple there and my other woods is all sugar maples.
Russ, I first learned to drive on a Ford Doodlebug. I'm not sure of the year but it was from in the 20's. It was a cut down truck and had 2 transmissions. With both in high (on the road only) it did just over 40. With both in 1, it crawled super slow, like 10-15'/minute. It had 30" rubber on the rear, more like car tires on the front. When used regularly it started first or second crank as long as the spark advance was set right. It had a lever on the column to set both spark and throttle. The biggest issue was a radiator leak that was never fixed. We drained it in winter, but in summer we used just water. Mounted on the side outside the drivers position there was a wooden keg hung to keep the water level up. Every day or 2 we had to add a gallon or 3. We then graduated to a Farmall F12. It only had a few hours on it when we bought it, because the first owner used it once, didn't like it and parked it for about 35 years until my dad bought it. I don't know that year either, but it had a patent date of 1923 on the hood. It's big issue was the speed, only 3 speed tranny and top speed was slower than walking speed.

[Russell Lampron]

I have reds scattered all over my property. A lot of them have big crowns and when I do check are giving up 2% sap on average. Some of them are swamp maples too which are hurting my average but they are easy to get to so I tap them.

Dave my doodlebug is a 1930 AA Ford. It has a single 4 speed transmission in it and a rear end out of something a little newer that still had mechanical brakes. It runs good and has amazing power for what it is. I don't drive it on the road but know that it will go faster than it is safe to drive.

[Russell Lampron]

I have reds scattered all over my property. A lot of them have big crowns and when I do check are giving up 2% sap on average. Some of them are swamp maples too which are hurting my average but they are easy to get to so I tap them.

Dave my doodlebug is a 1930 AA Ford. It has a single 4 speed transmission in it and a rear end out of something a little newer that still had mechanical brakes. It runs good and has amazing power for what it is. I don't drive it on the road but know that it will go faster than it is safe to drive.

[Michael Greer]

Tree crown seems to make a huge difference. I've tapped street-side and yard trees for years now, and always had super sugar percentages. This past week, I added another 70 trees that stand in a crowded woodlot. These trees are a little bit crowded, and while they have big fat trunks, and are all 80 ft. tall, many of them have fairly small crowns. Leaves equal sugar, and these new trees have cut my percentages down a good bit. I'll be checking those levels on this next run, and may need to do a little thinning. This particular sugar bush hasn't had any maintenance at all in forty years.

[lastwoodsman]

I have reds scattered all over my property. A lot of them have big crowns and when I do check are giving up 2% sap on average. Some of them are swamp maples too which are hurting my average but they are easy to get to so I tap them.

Dave my doodlebug is a 1930 AA Ford. It has a single 4 speed transmission in it and a rear end out of something a little newer that still had mechanical brakes. It runs good and has amazing power for what it is. I don't drive it on the road but know that it will go faster than it is safe to drive.

Curious as to what you call red maple vs swamp maple?? Acer rubrum? Red or swamp maple

[Russell Lampron]

Curious as to what you call red maple vs swamp maple?? Acer rubrum? Red or swamp maple

They are both red maples. The ones that I call swamp maples are the ones that are rooted in the water.

[bowhunter]

Mine has been exactly like yours. I started around 1.8% like you and did a boil yesterday that was 1.4%. I've never seen sugars that low here in Union County Ohio. Almost all of my trees are sugars.