Disappointing sap sugar %

[maple flats]

I tested my first tank of sap just as I started to RO it, The lowest starting % ever. It read 1.2%. I sure hope we get more freeze thaw cycles to help raise that. If I didn't have an RO, I'm not sure I would have boiled it. Ouch!
I had about 400 gal, it's all in the evaporator, didn't get to first draw, only got up to 211 F. The barometer was at a boil temp here of just 210.7 yesterday every time I checked.

[TapTapTap]

I don't normally pay too much attention to the suger content of the raw sap since it can at times be disappointing. Rather, I look for sufficient raw sap volume to concentrate and boil.

Then at end of season is a good time to look at sugar per tap.

[maple flats]

Even though my operation is small, I want to make a profit, or I'd just be making 10-15 gal to share with my kids and their families. Processing very low sap sugar uses too much RO time and fuel to be profitable. At 1.2% My little RO had to make 3 passes to get it to 12-14% before boiling. This is fun, but not that much fun! I check every day's sap % to help make informed decisions.

[30AcreWoods]

Dave, I feel you pain. First run last week was way down at 1.4-ish. Then, I pumped yesterday and it was all the way up to 2.2. But since it didn't freeze last night and still ran, I bet today will be back down again. The wx this year is making for a challenging season for a small guy!

[tcross]

same deal here. yesterdays sap read 2%... tested what was coming in this a.m and it reads 1.4%... need the freeze thaw cycle to start. not freeze for 6-8 days then be warm for a day then back to freeze!

[eagle lake sugar]

This reminds me of the season that I tried some birch trees. I had saved some permeate from maple season and concentrated the .5% birch sap all the way up to a whopping 2.5% Then simmered it for two days on a propane finisher because I only had like 40 gallons of concentrate. BIG WASTE OF TIME!!!!

[maple flats]

Another day, no freeze, 1.2% sap. We could use a long string of freeze/thaw cycles to make this more fun.

[steve J]

My sap was 1.5 today and my highest has only been 2%

[TapTapTap]

Even though my operation is small, I want to make a profit, or I'd just be making 10-15 gal to share with my kids and their families. Processing very low sap sugar uses too much RO time and fuel to be profitable. At 1.2% My little RO had to make 3 passes to get it to 12-14% before boiling. This is fun, but not that much fun! I check every day's sap % to help make informed decisions.

Profit? I try not to made too many measurements on that either. It's more disappointing than low sugar sap!

[DRoseum]

I am outside Pittsburgh and tap mostly reds (only have 4 sugars out of 50 trees) and I am averaging 0.87% on the season. Over 75 gallons of sap for 1 gallon of syrup. It's the lowest I have seen and painful.

[maple flats]

Profit? I try not to made too many measurements on that either. It's more disappointing than low sugar sap!
You had best stay at the hobby level then.
This is my first year this small, but I've supplemented my retirement and my SS with syrup sales four years. Before that I wasn't that careful about making a profit because I had a good paying job. Not a lot, but money can be made in maple syrup if done right.

[dcast99]

The start of my season on 2/19 gave me 40 to 1. It has been going down ever since. Last boil was 60 - 1.:(Will have to see what I get out of tomorrow's 825 gals of sap. Made 24 gals of syrup so far this year.:D

[Russell Lampron]

I don't check the ssc of my raw sap but the first 2 runs were pretty weak. I had 500 gallons of sap for the first boil. Usually with that much sap I can sweeten the pans and make 2 or 3 gallons of syrup. This year I didn't even get a draw off. The thermometer was as 215 when i had to shut down.

[wmick]

First time using a refractometer. . I just bought a Misco e-maple, and had some fun trying it out last night. (It is a slick, easy to use, instrument)
Reads zero with distilled water - Reads 65.9 with a .66 calibration fluid... My first couple days of sap is reading 2.5 on by younger bush trees and 2.8 on my old roadside trees... Based on the numbers I see in this thread, I'm sort of questioning the accuracy.... Not so much that I need to be dead on... Its just a hobby and I will live with the seasons results. Really just wanted it to test performance of a homebuilt RO... which I might get going this weekend.... Pretty sure it will be accurate enough for some comparison data... If it is accurate, I'm very happy with the sugar from my trees, but not so much, the volume. (so far)

[maple flats]

My sap at 1.2 , taking 72.5 gal to make a gallon of syrup. So far I've run 700 gal thru and have not yet drawn the first time. Yesterday as I ran out of concentrate I had 214.2, my meter said I needed 18.7 that time for syrup.
I had a very minor freeze this morning, the lines were frozen solid at 8:00 this morning and ice was frozen coming into the releaser vacuum manifold. Going back after lunch to see what has changed. This was my first freeze since Monday morning and that freeze was 3 days leading up to Monday morning, no thaws. Last week I had sap flow Monday only, the rest of the week gave me nothing.
My thinking is the temps didn't drop low enough to recharge the trees, but I hope I'm wrong. In my heated room for the RO I have a min/max temp thermometer, I guess I should also get one for near the releaser too.

[30AcreWoods]

We've had similar wx as compared to you over in Upstate NY. I'm going to pump this evening and see what I've got for sugar this time 'round. Slight freeze here last night, so hoping for a little bump, but not expecting it!

[sapman]

No freeze here since Sunday night. Looking like it will a little tonight.

I feel like anyone with 2% sap is spoiled, lol. I've had 1.5 a couple times this year. This week was 1.4, 1.3, 1.2, and today I felt lucky for 1.3. Had 1.7 a couple times last year, which is real good. The majority of my trees are softs, actually silvers in lowland. But even the sugars on the hill were only 2/10ths better when I've checked.

I've never made 1/2 gallon syrup/tap overall, but think I usually would if I did average 2%.

Here's hoping everyone's sugar improves going forward!

[30AcreWoods]

Just back from hockey and decided to pump sap and run it through the RO for tomorrow. It's nice - 2% out of the woods. A decent freeze tonight, and forecast freeze for Sat night, so hoping for continued decent sugar content. Good luck to everyone!