End or season?

[Brian Kloepfer]

Will this worm spell end the sap season early in lower Michigan?

[michigansugarman]

Sap flow will slow way down if the temps stay above freezing for more than a couple of days, but should start up again if we get a hard freeze. Looks like that might not happen (at least here in the GR area) until around next Monday or Tuesday night. Good time to clean equipment, etc.

[toquin]

Ants And yellow sap in about 1/4 of the buckets today, might be done

[valleyman]

Jeff R. (Michigansugarman),

I see you've done this for a few years. This is my 2nd season. I realize were in different areas of the country but here in CT it looks like the same deal. It's not cooling down until Tues eve. Do you think there's still hope for another run?

[michigansugarman]

I think so valleyman, as long as the trees don't get confused and start to bud out yet.

[glassman]

i dont know. havent had a run in a while. i hope it isnt over, i dont have nearly enough. i guess we will see what mother nature has to offer.

wally

[twofer]

This is only my first year so take this with a grain of salt but it feels over. The buckets have all but stopped and the 10 day forecast shows no freezing at night. At the very least I got to make some syrup and plant the seed for an addiction that will surely grow.

[LawnMowerMan]

I see next Wed being cold and night time temps barley above freezing all next week. Hopefully that will be enough to at least keep the trees from budding....I also see talk of March going out like a white lion...........looks like some good storms (possibly snow) after March 20. Maybe that could mean cold too............

[Ausable]

Well --- here in my little world --- the sap season never really started. Had only one day where we got a good flow and then too warm at night. My Son brought up some sap so I would have enough to start a boil - which we did and I got to play with my new evaporator and that was fun -- but had to use water to keep from scorching at the end..... Ended the boil early with some of the darkest maple Syrup ever made... I told Chris - about a week ago... That soon he would be swimming in sap. Ma Nature is messing around this year - I got about enough to wash my hands in. However - I understand - from about Houghton Lake East and parts of the U.P. are having the same problem -- No Sap- so I have lots of company. Ah - April is coming soon and maybe we will have a cold spell. ----- Mike

[Ausable]

On a positive note - The buds need sap to swell and turn into leaves and I still hope to intercept some of that sap and turn it into syrup. Hey - if it turns yellow I'll cook that down and use it for roof cement --- LOL - Mike

[Rick_Seebeck]

Here in Gladwin we are having a very slow year. No sap the last 3 days. Forcast looks warm for a while. Could be very slow year. Any thought from those who know more than me? That means everyone :lol:

[James Galloway]

This season never got started. too cold at night then slow to warm for the day in early March. Now we are in mid march and too warm. Not seen this in many years. Gonna hold for a few more days then pull the taps. What sap we are getting is cloudy. we have had sugar sand since the start. Look forward to next year.

[Tweegs]

Pulled in about 20 gallons of cloudy sap today…from 190 taps…not good.

Trees look like they want to bud, also not good.

Made a grand total of 6 gallons of syrup so far, all light amber. I think I’ll horde it all :D

Going to leave the taps in until next weekend and keep the fingers crossed, maybe we’ll get another good run or two, if the weatherman is wrong.

[glassman]

not looking good here. i think its over, but, will also leave the taps in for another week just incase. 75 taps and maybee ten gallons over four days. i will also horde it this year.

[LawnMowerMan]

Big storm possible by the 20th bringing down cold air........we will wait and see. I see at least 2-3 nights this week that are below freezing, sap actually is still slowly flowing for me, about 1/2 as much as a week ago. The week of the 20-28th looks cold, so heres hoping.:) .....

[michigansugarman]

Things have really sloooowed down around here. First 10 days or so of March we had some great sap runs, including a couple where we got 75 gal. in 24 hours off of our 52 taps.

Last time I collected was last Weds afternoon. Just got in from collecting this afternoon (Sun) and we had only 19.5 gal in the last 4 days. Less than half of the trees are even dripping. There were almost more ants, moths and bees in the buckets than sap!

Here's hoping for a good freeze in the next few days to start things up again!

[Greenthumb]

made half a gallon of syrup last weekend have not had enough sap to boil since. what did run would of been full of protien between the ants and flys. pulled the taps today and hoping for a better next year. I guess I will be well rested this spring.

[glassman]

it is supposed to freeze tonight. we will see.

[mapletbdf]

I'm going to try to ride it out it looks like some cold weather coming and my tap holes are still clean . Some of my big trees have not let loose yet ,cross your finger and hope for a freeze.

[Sue @ Battel's Sugar Bush]

Weather.com says tomorrow (Monday) night should get down to 30 degrees here in the Thumb. After that it's going to be warm at night again. We're holding on as we have orders we sure want to try to fill!

[LawnMowerMan]

I am still holding out...the 7 day forcast brings in much cooler air for the week of the 21-28th looks like day temps upper 30's and night temps in the 20's.......that is if the trees hold out. Silvers are swelling big time.....sugars still holding on, we will see, this week looks warm and sunny........I would like 1 more run, we are getting some sap still, enough for a small batch come Thursday then we will know more on what the weather will do early next week, and if the trees can hold on for another week.

[whalems]

Hope things turn around soon! Only 3 1/2 gallons of very light amber on 125 taps. Almost no sap in a week. and the forecast dosen't look good for much of a freeze.

[Tweegs]

Little hope left here, the trees are ready to bud. The forecast looks grim, one site says freezing, the other doesn’t, but with the warmer weather during the day, I think we’ll bud out by the weekend. I’ll be pulling the taps here over the next few days.

Time to start thinking about pouring concrete for the sugar house.

[Ausable]

Explain this one? It was 38F for a low here last night and about 55F and Sunny right now. The Wife and I just back from doing some shopping and I thought I would do a walk around and straighten the cans after the wind we had -- Guess -- about 45 of my 55 taps are flowing and some pretty good. .. What a surprise - I guess Ma Nature rules.......I'll take what I can get --- Mike

[whalems]

That's good to hear! I'll have to go check my tank and buckets. Hope things are running here as well.

[Zamboni Driver]

well i hope it's not the end.....looks bad though:(

[whalems]

25 degrees this morning w/ a good frost!! Here's hoping for a good run today. Good luck all.

[glassman]

sap is running a little bit today. hope to make a couple more gallons, which, doesnt look likely.

[LawnMowerMan]

we pulled about 20 gallons out of about 30 taps today. temps look to be around 30 tonight.......So how do you know when sap is bad? It seems to taste ok.......pretty cloudy though........the trees we have very close to lake michigan are doing pretty good still, with an onshore breeze if its 60 inland where the trees are its only like 40-45....still snow in the shady spots......The trees I have far inland are the ones with cloudy sap...I do not think they will keep going till next week when its supposed to be below freezing each night.....

[whalems]

got about 125 gallons on 125 taps. Best run so far.

[Zamboni Driver]

well, i am done here in sw michigan. temps dropped below freezing last night and no sap in the bucket today. pulling taps asap. only made 7.5 gals. very poor year :cry: . hope for a better year next year.
ZD

[LawnMowerMan]

If the trees will just hold out for 4 more days, looks like 5 days at least next week with low temps in the 20's Starting Sat night with the big storm system coming in, then bringing down cold air for most of next week.

[twofer]

Not sure how far into the budding process the sap is good for but I checked a couple maples around the house and they were beginning to bud.

[michiganfarmer]

we pulled about 20 gallons out of about 30 taps today. temps look to be around 30 tonight.......So how do you know when sap is bad? It seems to taste ok.......pretty cloudy though........the trees we have very close to lake michigan are doing pretty good still, with an onshore breeze if its 60 inland where the trees are its only like 40-45....still snow in the shady spots......The trees I have far inland are the ones with cloudy sap...I do not think they will keep going till next week when its supposed to be below freezing each night.....

I keep my taps in and continue boiling untill the buds open and the syrup tastes bad. I dont give up easily.

[michiganfarmer]

I havent even looked at the buds yet. Im afraid to. It froze good last night. sap is runing good today. I made 150 gallons last year. Il be lucky if I make 100 gallons this year.

[michiganfarmer]

just checked the buds in the woods last night. They're still tight. Im 20 miles south of Traverse

[firetech]

We picked up 250 gals of sap yesterday from 300 taps. All of the reds are budded out. Tomrow I will pick up those buckets and move them to trees not budded yet and try for next week. Good thing I didn't get them all tapped the first round HAHA. 30 gal of syrup.

[glassman]

barely dripping on a few trees. i think its over. collected fourty gallons yesterday and probably dumped another twenty because it didnt look good.
another season another batch. it is still all maple goodnes, just not as much. good luck guys.

[LawnMowerMan]

Well the trees I have inland from lake michigan (about 25 miles) are done, sap looked like dirty bath water and tasted a bit like chewing on an orange rind so I pulled those.

The trees we have tapped very close to lake michigan (about 2 miles) are still running strong and clear, about 1 gallon per day per tap so we are boiling tomorrow. The temps in the spring that close to lake michigan stay considerable cooler in the spring so the trees are usually 1-3 weeks behind.......we will have to close up shop soon though as we are landscapers at or day jobs and will need to get to work very soon.

[mapletbdf]

In south west mi we have had three good freeze's 25 it has just been to warm during the day , next week looks good it doesn't cost any more to leave it out. The sugar's buds are holding tight I will properly drop my reds this weekend.

750 taps road side
3/10 dallaire
500 ro
diesel sap wagon 760 gal cap.

[MartinP]

Well, It turned back on in Luther this past week, got 250 gal of sap from 63 taps in 4 days. Boiled till midnight Saturday and collected the last at shut down for the night. Got 55 gals more by 2 pm Sunday, took until almost noon to thaw out the tubing. When we left it was running out the tubes, not dripping like normal. All sugars, buds look good.
Need more wood. Learned this weekend that you need to have pre-split dry wood. splitting as you go just doesn't cut it. To much moisture still in there.
Temps look good for the entire week.

[LawnMowerMan]

Ours are starting to kick back in finally, we boiled friday of last week and we are hoping for 1 more boil yet this week. We did not get anything this weekend but looks like today was almost 1 gallon per tap so we will have a small batch by Thursday I hope, the last batch tasted the best so far this year so now I want more!

[michiganfarmer]

I'm done. Got buddy syrup last night.

We made 170 gallons. I'm content with that. I'm gonna put more tubing out for next year. Maybe I can make 200 gallons next year

[BoarsNest]

We boiled for the last time on Saturday. We ended up with about 3/4 of a gallon of dark syrup out of about 40 gallons of icey sweet sap. We pulled the taps and are already thinking about next year. Posted a few more pictures on Flickr. We were hoping for 10-15 gallons of syrup and ended up with about 6. Pleased with how the arch worked and already planning on my preheater changes and maybe a hood for next year. Next up turkey season then golf.

Thanks for all the helpful posts people put on this site.