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We're in northeast PA. First season switching to all 3/16" gravity. Its working great! 4500 gallons of sap from 1500 taps since Wednesday. Only problem is that it's running 1.2% sugar ie. 72:1. Anyone else having low sugar? That's the lowest I've ever seen!
Similar situation here. My reds are 1.1%. Sugars were 1.8%. Lowest I've seen in 15 years.
My speculation is not the amount of rain we had this year (more than 2x average if I remember right, need to double check that) but the lack of sunlight. Sunlight causes photosynthesis, photosynthesis causes trees to produce food, food = sugars needed for function. Just my thoughts. Am curious to how everyone else is making out as well with sugar content. I'm assuming almost all producers have had an abundant amount of rain/cloud cover this past year.
My large silver Maple in the front yard has been around 2-2.5% so far. My other 45 taps in the bush are all reds and those have only been 1.8% on the one collection that I have done so far. Hoping it will increase a little more, that is a lot of water to have to boil.
the people that wait until this freeze is over will do much better
I have almost all reds sugar is around 1 to 1 and a half has some good freezes and thaws but sugar has not gone up I remember old thread where an old pro said you needed alot of rain now for good sugar content