1.2% sugar in sap???

[Austin351]

All trees are sugars, first year tapping these particular trees. Have around 70 gal from 3/16 natural, checked sugar content of sap today and read 1.2%? I don't think that was realistic for early season, was expecting closer to 3+%. Perhaps my hydrometer is wrong but the sap also tasted less sweet than normal. thoughts?

[DRoseum]

I had very low sugar content in Pennsylvania this year as well. Seen others on here saying the same thing.

[Galena]

Last year was a crazy year for sugar content, especially those who are tapping small trees. I know at least one other MTer whose all-sugar bush had ratios of 60:1 and 70:1 early in the season, though later it did improve somewhat.

[Jake8484]

1.2% was about what I was getting last year from many of my trees. But this year it is better by .4 or .5 % with some trees even more. I have been checking the sugar content four years now and this is my best year so far.
I live near Binghamton NY.

[maple flats]

2 years ago I averaged for the whole season 1.25%. About 80% of my trees were sugars, the rest reds. Last year I averaged 1.7%, I had about 60% sugar, the rest reds. So far this year I've been 2.1, 1.9. 1.7 and 1.9 so far This year I habe about 80% sugar and 20% reds. I won't guess what my final season average will be. My historical average has been in the 2.1-1.9 range for a season total. About 95% of my taps are in the woods, maybe 5% roadside or field edge if that.

[Daveg]

If your hydrometer is right, your sap is a little weak. If your hydrometer is wrong then your sap is either stronger than 1.2% or weaker than 1.2%. You can expect more than 3% sugar if you have healthy trees, you had a good growing season, and the trees have a round-shaped crown and low branches. Columnar shaped tree crowns with few branches produce less sugar.

[Arctic Fox]

You're not the only one with low sugar content in sap. I measured 1.2% today from mostly sugars with some reds on 3/16 tubing.

[Smokeshow]

First year I have ever average over 2%. I tap a dense Forrest with zero roadside. In 2 weeks sap has gone from 2.5% to %1.9.

[wnybassman]

Last year I started at 1.4% and it quickly went down from there. By the time I reached .8% to 1% I was inspired to buy an RO. :D It did, however, rebound some last season. This season has been a fair amount better around here.

[Ultimatetreehugger]

Been holding steady at 2.2 - 2.4 here. Last year I had .9 at first, it went up to 2 for one day, then held steady at 1.8-1.9 the rest of the season.

[JoeJ]

My first two runs were 1.9 - 1.8%. Then went up as high as 2.7% and has been 2.3% for 5 boils. I have 2,200 in one woods with 48% reds ad the other woods is 38% reds. My sugar content has not stayed at 2.3% for this long since I started 16 years ago. I guess it is just a gift from mother nature for the crazy weather.

Joe

[tysonroggie]

Our first run this year was 3% and then backed down to around 2.25%. Last year we struggled to even hit 2% - We are in Northern New York.

[Austin351]

Sugars are up to 2.0-2.1 percent but the soft maples were still around 1% when I checked on Sunday. The first couple runs on the soft maples had a metallic tasting sap, dumped it and the trees seem to be doing better now.

[VT_K9]

I haven't checked my sugar content this year, but we will peak about 2.25 and often stay around 1.75%. We have a few reds. A lot of our trees are on ledge and we have few field side trees.

Mike

[Daveg]

Syracuse.com had an article today that predicted many changes in the maple industry, with pests and climate change reducing the length and quality of the season and a continued northward migration of maples. Someday, what is now taiga, will be the maple production zone. There's a tree in north-central Vermont that produces 10%. Attempts to clone it didn't succeed.

[Galena]

Oh you guys are gonna hate me. Usually my ratio runs 33:1-37:1.

But this year thanks, I think, to freakishly long cold season....out of 40 l sap, I got 2.25 l of light amber. Normally I would expect about 1 - 1.5l from thaty amount, I was just nearuping it down for storage purposes and noticed that it looked awfully close to syrup. A little more work and I had syrup, Brixed out perfectly

That's like a ratio of approx 18:1. The trees are sugars - all 8 of them - with 5 being big yard maples rockin 3 spiles apiece and 3 lil bush sugars all on 1 spile each.

Have no idea what my sugar content is but usually it's a solid 3%. I'm guessing it's currently running 6%? Someone do the math for me! Please!

[Daveg]

Oh you guys are gonna hate me. Usually my ratio runs 33:1-37:1.

But this year thanks, I think, to freakishly long cold season....out of 40 l sap, I got 2.25 l of light amber. Normally I would expect about 1 - 1.5l from thaty amount, I was just nearuping it down for storage purposes and noticed that it looked awfully close to syrup. A little more work and I had syrup, Brixed out perfectly

That's like a ratio of approx 18:1. The trees are sugars - all 8 of them - with 5 being big yard maples rockin 3 spiles apiece and 3 lil bush sugars all on 1 spile each.

Have no idea what my sugar content is but usually it's a solid 3%. I'm guessing it's currently running 6%? Someone do the math for me! Please!
Using the “Rule of 86,” you can figure that the number of gallons of sap you need to produce one gallon of syrup is equal to 86 gallons divided by the percent of sugar in the sap, so, 3% is 28.666 to 1, and 6% is 14.333 to 1.

[Galena]

Thanks....so I guess I'm close to 5%. Cool!

[slammer3364]

I have not had anything over 1.5 all year!

[Austin351]

19885
19886

Well, this explains a bunch.... Unfortunately I had dumped 75 gallons last week to learn now that my hydrometer was reading a full point low.

[Sugarmaker]

Good idea to check your sap hydrometer in water, it should read 0 brix. I had one that was too high by 1 point. I want a couple hundred trees at 5% like Galena's! Wow!
Regards,
Chris

[wlatrout]

I have 100 tapes on soft maple and 20 tapes on yard sugar maples and the first batch of sap off the softs was above 2% since then I have seen from 1% to 1 3/4 %. On the sugars I have had 4% down to 2 1/2 %. My trees here in no. in. have pretty much stopped flowing but we are getting below freezing tonight. Don't know if it will start again. Was getting some cloody sap yesterday that still tasted alright so we will see if the fat lady sings. Been a good year considering the weather so no complaints.

[johnallin]

19885
19886

Well, this explains a bunch.... Unfortunately I had dumped 75 gallons last week to learn now that my hydrometer was reading a full point low.

Looking at the picture of the "off" hydrometer (attachment 19886) I see what looks like a red line. On my Leader sap hydro there's a red line that ends at zero indicating the paper is in proper position.

In your case it looks like the paper has moved down about 1°. Save it for a backup - just make the correction when you use it.

[Austin351]

Looking at the picture of the "off" hydrometer (attachment 19886) I see what looks like a red line. On my Leader sap hydro there's a red line that ends at zero indicating the paper is in proper position.

In your case it looks like the paper has moved down about 1°. Save it for a backup - just make the correction when you use it.

Yep, I checked in water like Sugarmaker stated, it shows at least .75 low. My new hydrometer was right on. I marked on the case that it was low and figured it would become a back-up.