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Thread: season ending after Saturday night?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Kent Ct. USA
    Posts
    369

    Default season ending after Saturday night?

    https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/USCT0102:1:US No frost showing on this 10 day after Sat. night - Tapped 5 weeks now, my trees won't last through a warm spell like that -

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
    Location
    Cornwall, CT
    Posts
    356

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    I think you're exactly right. Planning on Sunday being the last day of boiling for me.
    That said, all my tanks are full and I'll be pumping tonight and boiling from Friday night. Have 750 gallons now and more coming through the weekend. I'll probably pull the tubes out of the thanks and start pulling taps next week.
    1980 - 6 taps, stone fire pit, drain pan evaporator, 1 pint of syrup
    2016 - 55 taps on 3/16 and gravity, new sugar shack, 2x3 Mason XL, 16 gallons of syrup
    2017 - 170 taps on 3/16, 2x4 Mason XL, NextGen RO. 50 gallons of syrup
    2018 - 250+ taps on gravity and buckets, 2x5 Smokey Lake arch and Beaverland pan.
    2019 - 250+ taps on gravity. A few buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.
    2020 - 300+ taps on gravity. 50 gallons of syrup.
    2021 - 280 taps on gravity and 40 buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    UVM Proctor Maple Research Center, Underhill Ctr, VT
    Posts
    6,410

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    Forecasts beyond about 4-5 days are not particularly great -- those beyond 7 days are often not good at all. Although you have some high temp days, you also have a good amount of clouds/rain, which will help. A slight drop in the temps would make a huge difference so I wouldn't pull the plug quite yet. Doesn't hurt to wait and see what you get.
    Dr. Tim Perkins
    UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
    http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
    https://mapleresearch.org
    Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
    Location
    Cornwall, CT
    Posts
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    Brought 670 gallons up to the milk tank last night. Ran the RO for a while just to make room. Sap was 44 degrees, 1.5% sugar and getting cloudy. Floated a sleeve of ice in the tank. I hate this weather.

    I'll boil tonight and tomorrow with this and whatever sap I collect over the next couple days but I'll pull the lines from the tanks on Sunday and wash them out. Unless we get some unexpected spell of cold weather I don't see this season coming back to life. Should end up with close to 40 gallons for the year....That's enough for me anyway.
    1980 - 6 taps, stone fire pit, drain pan evaporator, 1 pint of syrup
    2016 - 55 taps on 3/16 and gravity, new sugar shack, 2x3 Mason XL, 16 gallons of syrup
    2017 - 170 taps on 3/16, 2x4 Mason XL, NextGen RO. 50 gallons of syrup
    2018 - 250+ taps on gravity and buckets, 2x5 Smokey Lake arch and Beaverland pan.
    2019 - 250+ taps on gravity. A few buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.
    2020 - 300+ taps on gravity. 50 gallons of syrup.
    2021 - 280 taps on gravity and 40 buckets. 35 gallons of syrup.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Ashford, CT
    Posts
    920

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    Quote Originally Posted by DrTimPerkins View Post
    Forecasts beyond about 4-5 days are not particularly great -- those beyond 7 days are often not good at all. Although you have some high temp days, you also have a good amount of clouds/rain, which will help. A slight drop in the temps would make a huge difference so I wouldn't pull the plug quite yet. Doesn't hurt to wait and see what you get.
    Exactly.

    I tapped on 2/15 so I still have several weeks to go if the weather holds. I am thinking that next weekend might be my last but like the good Dr. said, we'll see what the weather brings at that point.
    About 300 taps
    2'x6' air tight arch
    Semi complete 12'x24' sugarhouse in Somers, CT
    My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/CapturedNature
    My eBook: Making Maple Syrup in your Backyard

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Weston, CT
    Posts
    474

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    Quote Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
    Exactly.

    I tapped on 2/15 so I still have several weeks to go if the weather holds. I am thinking that next weekend might be my last but like the good Dr. said, we'll see what the weather brings at that point.
    I tapped on 2/16 ( resisted temptation ) and have processed 400 gallons of sap so far. Last year I tapped on Feb 1 and went to March 25th and processed 500 gallons of sap on the same trees.

    So I feel ahead of the game at least time wise and feel good about my 2/16 decision.

    Another good reason not to count the season out after this weekend is that while it has been above average temp wise, we have not not really had any of the "knockout" warmth ( above 58 degrees ) that we usually have. And we have only had a couple of those days.

    Although I must admit after this weekend it does not look good. However their was no frost forecast by 2 or 3 degrees for our location last night and what do you know a bit of crystals ( ice ) this AM. Sap started to run fairly well while the sun was out this AM but backed off with cloud cover in the afternoon.

    The sap really wants to run this year at the slightest opportunity and even days when the night did NOT fall below 32 the night before.

    Almost like the trees can sense their "best opportunity"

    We will see.
    If you think it's easy to make good money in maple syrup .... then your obviously good at stealing somebody's Maple Syrup.

    Favorite Tree: Sugar Maple
    Most Hated Animal: Sap Sucker
    Most Loved Animal: Devon Rex Cat
    Favorite Kingpin: Bruce Bascom
    40 Sugar Maple Taps ... 23 in CT and 17 in NY .... 29 on gravity tubing and 11 on 5G buckets ... 2019 Totals 508 gallons of sap, 7 boils, 11.4 gallons of syrup.
    1 Girlfriend that gives away all my syrup to her friends.

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