Checking buds..

[johnallin]

To you foresters out there....

With this season so late, I was wondering what to look for if I checked the buds on my trees. Should they be "popped" open, almost popped open, green on the inside? Any concrete information out there or pictures would be helpful.

Sounds like we're all under the gun, in Ohio anyway, and hoping for another few runs but for me anyway I'm not absolutely sure just what I'm looking for.

Thanks.

[wcproctor]

This is what you will be looking for

[3rdgen.maple]

I must have some strange trees cause I have never seen buds like that on a maple tree. Once you see them swelled times up.

[johnallin]

WCProctor, thanks for the picture. I recognize the bud, but was wondering more about what stage of the budding process is "lights out time".

Is sap OK until we see the complete bloom or is it over when they begin swelling...as 3rdgen states.

[tom jr.]

john, just keep boiling till u cant stand the smell of it anymore. when u puke
your done:lol: !!!!!!

[RileySugarbush]

For me on Sugars, the smell and taste of the sap turns bad before any visible bud swelling. Especially when boiling. A quick test is toe boil a cup on the stove. If it smells like old socks that have been run through a dog's digestive system, pull your taps.

[orser506]

john, just keep boiling till u cant stand the smell of it anymore. when u puke
your done:lol: !!!!!!

I agree , I went out one time to check something and when i came back brother inlaw had the whole outfit shut down. Coudn't stand the smell...

[elmcreekmaple]

This is what you will be looking for

what the heck kind of tree is that? If our trees look like that we are on the wrong 40:lol:

[Uncle Tucker]

When the buds swell like this its all over

[3rdgen.maple]

I think some of you guys with the pictures have had to many boiling sodas and not enough boiling sap.

[Uncle Tucker]

I couldn't help my self. And yes I haven't boiled any sap this year and my friends and family are saying its starting to take a toll!

[wildacres]

Well the trees with the buckets on them in WC Proctor's picture are
silver maples...

[heus]

This is what you will be looking for

I believe those are red maple buds at a very late stage.

[Frank Ivy]

Not only is that a red maple, but it's classic red maple, and those appear to be the male flowers - that is, the ones that give off pollen.

Take a close look at the buds when they first open - 1/2 will look about like the picture - on reds.

On Sugars they come out on much longer flower stems and droop.

Not sure about silvers.

[MapleMounder]

I am new to syrup this year, all of my taps are on sugars with bags, so do I need to watch buds on sugars or just go buy the smell?

Once I pull taps than how long will it take for the sap to quit running from the holes?

Thanks for any help!

:-|

[maple marc]

I tap sugar and black maples. One of my black maples next to the driveway has some buds that are about triple dormant size. Does this mean I'm doomed for this season? How big do those sugar or black buds get before the sap gets bad?

[sapbrush]

hi nice pics of that half pint i have one cant seem to get it going as good as you do, what did you use for the gasket around the pan mines all firebricked just cant seem to get in realy boiling, its in the garage hooked to a chimeny, i have a 20 by 18 shed that used for everything else lol maybe its time to move it out there run a stack and get some pointers on how to get this thing rolling JIM

[Peepers]

Those buds don't look like our silvers - ours are starting to swell and some of the fresh sap is starting to smell a bit funny. Since we haven't had any really good sap flows yet and I only have a quart of syrup so far I'll keep boiling until I can't stand it. Sounds like a good plan to me!

Does anyone know offhand how cold it has to be to "reset" the trees? I think its in the teens or something. I guess I should do a search because I think it came up last year.

[KenWP]

That is what my buds look like on the silvers but redder. never really seen the reds open up as the season was over before that happened much. I have to pull all my silvers this weekend and also some reds . I have lots of trees with no buds yet so I pick and chose on them and tap for a while longer. I am hopeing for two more boils to get to last years total.

[Peepers]

I was wrong - those buds do look like our silvers. I don't recall them looking like that before but I guess I'm usually wrapping up the syrup production by then. This year has been too warm too soon though so I'm hoping the sap this weekend is still good. About half the buds on the upper halves of my trees are mostly open like that today.

Silver maple bud/flower pictures: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4IRFA_enUS299US300&q=silver+maple+flower+picture&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

Red maple bud/flower pictures: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1T4IRFA_enUS299US300&q=red+maple+flowers+picture&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

[Ausable]

I am new to syrup this year, all of my taps are on sugars with bags, so do I need to watch buds on sugars or just go buy the smell?

Once I pull taps than how long will it take for the sap to quit running from the holes?

Thanks for any help!

:-|

Hi - In my part of Michigan the Sap flow this year has really been off --- the weather has been too nice.
To answer your question - For most of my Sugar Maples the buds are still very small - Yesterday was warm here - but the sap I did get was dark yellow - so I just dumped it on the ground and wiped out my cans - Bugs - bark etc...But---If my buds were large and sap yellow or buddy I would have called it a year and pulled my taps. Last night was in the low twentys and today in the high thirtys and the trees started flowing again with nice clear sap.....Hooray. So -- watch for two things - Large Buds and Yellow Sap - When that finally happens I call it a year.
Really - I wouldn't worry about your tap holes - I've been doing it for fifteen years and most of them will heal themselves. After you pull your taps it will take a few days to a few weeks before it stops and the holes gum up.
About eight years ago I had the bright idea to make Birch Syrup - So I tapped about six of my white birchs - The syrup tasted like bad molasses and I thought the sap would never stop flowing - it flowed all Summer and was covered with every insect ever invented - never did that one again. - Mike

[MapleMounder]

Ausable, Thanks for the tips, I am down near Rockford, IL and there isn’t really anybody around here that makes syrup. I am working off of what I have read and what my 80-year-old grandma tells me from when she was a kid at the family sugar camp.

We had several warms days last week, a couple nights with frost and 60’s during the day. The buds are still just little nubs on my trees and haven’t really changed in size for weeks. I have 17 taps and collected all week. I took the day off work and made syrup Friday. I noticed towards the end of the boil a slight off odor. We ended up making a little over a gallon of mid amber syrup. The problem is it has a horrible after taste. I wasn’t sure if maybe some of my sap went bad in the holding tank through the week or it had something to do with the buds?

Last night we got 3” of snow and the temp only made it up to freezing today, maybe I should collect tomorrow and try another small batch.
:)

[Peepers]

Maplemounder - if temps are getting in the 50's or 60's and nowhere near freezing at night I don't think you want to let the sap sit more than a few days.

Does anyone with silvers and sugars know how much longer sugars usually wait to fully bud out after silvers? My parents are down in Madison, WI and their silvers are fully budded out and dropping red stuff all over the place. With Rockford being an hour South of there I'm guessing your trees are a little further along. I'm surprised the buds on your sugars haven't changed at all yet. but then again I don't know anything about sugar maples. :)

[Ausable]

Ausable, Thanks for the tips, I am down near Rockford, IL and there isn’t really anybody around here that makes syrup. I am working off of what I have read and what my 80-year-old grandma tells me from when she was a kid at the family sugar camp.

We had several warms days last week, a couple nights with frost and 60’s during the day. The buds are still just little nubs on my trees and haven’t really changed in size for weeks. I have 17 taps and collected all week. I took the day off work and made syrup Friday. I noticed towards the end of the boil a slight off odor. We ended up making a little over a gallon of mid amber syrup. The problem is it has a horrible after taste. I wasn’t sure if maybe some of my sap went bad in the holding tank through the week or it had something to do with the buds?

Last night we got 3” of snow and the temp only made it up to freezing today, maybe I should collect tomorrow and try another small batch.
:)

Yep -- storing your sap between boils is another thing - I have a small feed tank for my evaporator - holds forty gallons - but - it is on the West side of my sugar shack and gets a lot of Sun - so - I don't put sap in it till I'm ready to do a boil. The point is - the Sun is your saps enemy so try and keep your sap cool or cold and in the shade between boils. I only have 55 taps - so - I store my sap on the floor of my shack in five gallon pails between boils. My Sugar Shack is like a walk in cooler when I'm not boiling. -- Mike

[Whitfield]

I look at my hard maple bush from a distance and when I see a red hue to the tops of the trees I know it is starting to bud. You can also tell as the boiling sap will smell bad - I say it smells like old socks. Never studied the individual buds too much, but they don't have to swell much to give that red hue.

[KenWP]

I moved buckets from my silvers yesterday except for one tree. It has never given sap and shows no sign of buds. So I am just waiting to see what it does. It makes no sense with that tree. Seems the best produceing trees make bud faster then the poor trees.

[MapleMounder]

You guys have all been allot of help, I am thinking maybe some of the sap went bad due to the higher temps last week. I have included a picture of the buds on my sugars I took after church today, they are smaller than a pencil eraser and don’t appear to be changing size. The bags on the North side of tree are ¾ full in a period of about 36 hrs. The silvers around town are starting to open but I don’t have any of those tapped. Thanks for any suggestions!

[Ausable]

You guys have all been allot of help, I am thinking maybe some of the sap went bad due to the higher temps last week. I have included a picture of the buds on my sugars I took after church today, they are smaller than a pencil eraser and don’t appear to be changing size. The bags on the North side of tree are ¾ full in a period of about 36 hrs. The silvers around town are starting to open but I don’t have any of those tapped. Thanks for any suggestions!

Yep --- those look nice and tight and ok. Yesterday - was my best day for sap this year - all the trees were running and have to get a boil going this morning. Was down to my Son's yesterday - who is about 70 miles South of me, and he is all done for the year. His buds are all open and no sap flow at all. I'd like to have his big maple up here.. Hey - make lots of Syrup - Mike

[Amber Gold]

I noticed too that Saturday's and Sunday's sap smelled/tasted funky and made funky tasting syrup, but the buds on the sugars and reds are nice and tight. Do you think the cold snap this week will bring the syrup back from commercial?

[MapleMounder]

After reading your suggestions and agreement that my buds are still ok I went and dumped my bags, flushed out my collection tank and started fresh. I collected late last night and made some real nice fancy (the lightest I have made all season) with good flavor. I appreciate all of your help, finding the Trader has been awesome

[Peepers]

Great to hear maplemounder! This site is awesome, lots of great folks with lots of experience helping out us newbs.

[heus]

The buds on my sugars are still tight and the sap is crystal clear but even so it is buddy. My sugarhouse smelled like a clam bake when I boiled the past 3 nights. Finished syrup from the past three days had an awful taste, like burned sweet potatoes or something. Cold sap had no off-taste, but was only .9 to 1% sugar content.

[michiganfarmer]

Im not very good at checking buds. I continue making syrup till it starts to taste buddy.

[wnybassman]

Im not very good at checking buds. I continue making syrup till it starts to taste buddy.

I'm starting to think the condition of the buds doesn't mean as much as I thought it did. Got guys here with tight buds making skunky syrup and guys with swelling opening buds making "OK" syrup.

Can't fool the taste buds though. Those are the buds we need to keep checking ;)

[TF Maple]

[QUOTE=wnybassman;108414]I'm starting to think the condition of the buds doesn't mean as much as I thought it did. Got guys here with tight buds making skunky syrup and guys with swelling opening buds making "OK" syrup.


I have to agree with the bud condition not being a factor, only the taste. My sap didn't get buddy last year, the trees just stopped producing. This year I have 2 silver maples with buds fully open and all this talk about buddy sap has me boiling a pint of the sap on the stove each day. Still smells great and tastes good, so in the evaporator it goes. My silvers only produce sap when the weather is perfect so in 2 days they will be done this year.

[Ausable]

Yep -- Sure glad I came across this site and have the input from other maple syrup makers - because - Mother Narure has sure messed with everything I thought I knew this year. Learned one very important thing in 2010 --- Trust your Hydrometer. --- Put four thermometers in a batch of almost syrup and got four different reads. If You can't trust the Hydrometer - please don't tell me - I gotta have something to cling to. Mike