Sugar Content Down

[Keitha333]

Wondering if anyone that has been able to boil how your sugar content is this year compared to years past. I have only boiled down 81 gallons but compared to my averages I was expecting 2-2.25 gallons of syrup. I ended up with 1.75. I know sugar content can vary from year to year. Thinking because of the drought last summer maybe the trees didn't get a chance to make as much sugar through photosynthesis as normal and thus lower sugar in the sap. Hopefully it will improve with the next runs....possibly late this week. Or maybe it is just an off year for my trees.

[P7aler]

It looks like I am down about 30%. Is this all from the drought last fall?

[DrTimPerkins]

Is this all from the drought last fall?

The real answer is uncertain, but drought is a likely contributor. Ask again about a year from now.

[Hop Kiln Road]

Summer 2019 - Dry
Spring 2020 - Normal sugar
Summer/Fall 2020 - Severe drought
Spring 2021 - Normal Sugar
Summer/Fall 2021 - Severe rains
Spring 2022 - sugar off by 20%

[dew042]

Summer 2019 - Dry
Spring 2020 - Normal sugar
Summer/Fall 2020 - Severe drought
Spring 2021 - Normal Sugar
Summer/Fall 2021 - Severe rains
Spring 2022 - sugar off by 20%

Basically the same pattern in MN. Wisconsin got all the rain last year.

Thankfully most of the state went from severe drought to near normal with fall rains and average snow. Last fall was weird with leaf drop - the leaves weere obviously smaller than previous years, barely any acorns from the oaks.

[DrTimPerkins]

Both drought and long periods of rain/clouds have a similar result...reduced photosynthesis. The amount of photosyntetically active radiation (light useful by plants) on a sunny day might be 1400-1500 micromoles per meter squared per second. On a hazy day about 1/2 that. On a cloudy day 1/3 or less. Difference in photosynthesis (production of sugar) under those conditions is like a car engine with the accelerator floored (sunny), vs going steadily down the road at a moderate speed (hazy), vs idling (cloudy).

[Keitha333]

It is interesting to hear what others are finding out across the state if we get to have much of a season. Hopefully they ran some today...will check in about an hour!

[Keitha333]

After boiling this weekend I am happy to say that my sugar went back up as I got way more finished product than expected! Hopefully this weeks collection will be as well although the warm temps may limit it.

[SilverLeaf]

Wierd, my experience was the opposite this year. in my neck of the state we had virtually zero rain last year from june-august, then a very little bit to kick off the fall, but not anything to break the drought. And my 2022 season was the highest average sugar content I have ever had!

[darkmachine]

Compared with years passed, our content was down. Our normal sugar content puts us in the 40-48gal to 1, this season it was 66-67 to 1. it goes down in the book, and i'll compare again next season. I guess you really need a weather station in each bush, recording sunlight, rainfall, temperature, and logging it all, then pop that into a database with the % sugar of every load you haul in. then maybe you could see a pattern, add in mast years, locust emergence, anything that might affect your area....but what i have seen it is highly localized just an hour west of me they are having a great year. my 2 cents, lol

[SilverLeaf]

Still scratching my head on this. First half of the season every sap measurement was around 4% sugar, then toward the end it tapered down to around 2.5% Normally my trees start around 2.5% and end up around 1.5%. In the end my average sap-to-syrup ratio was 31.4 to 1. Hands down best ratio I've ever seen. Sap amount was about average, so all in all translated to an above average year.