Checking what VT sugar makers are doing

[tcross]

bout the same as spud here. bout .5 gpt the last couple days, but my sugar content is still 2%... so the pump is still running. i'm not sure if i've ever ran my bb4 dairy vacuum pump for 6 days straight. She's gonna need an oil change come tomorrow evening when it freezes up again! should have some good runs by the weekend.

[Mooneybc]

Last 36 hours was 1.15gpt at 1.1%. I’m hoping the upcoming cooling temps will bring the sugar up a bit for me.

[DrTimPerkins]

Spud posted....In the last 24 hours I have dropped to .65 gpt and sugar is 1.4%. I’m looking forward to the upcoming freezing nights.

Last 36 hours was 1.15gpt at 1.1%. I’m hoping the upcoming cooling temps will bring the sugar up a bit for me.

On extended thaws and sap runs, the bulk flow of sap transitions from coming down from above the taphole over to sap being pulled upward from below the taphole. When this happens, assuming your vacuum is good enough, water is pulled up from the soil into the roots and up the stem and out the taphole. This dilutes any sugar that is present in the wood. The result is that the sap flow becomes fairly constant, but the sap sugar content will steadily drop until there is a refreeze and recharge of the stem with moisture. Sap sugar content (and sap flow rates) will go up again when the trees subsequently thaw.

[spud]

I’m close to 2000 gallons for the day. I should be froze up by 10 pm tonight. Tomorrow is full sun and 45 degrees. Should be real good.

Spud

[spud]

Woke up to 25 degrees this morning. The lawn is white with frost. Full sun today and 45 degrees. Let’s all hope for a gusher and higher sugar. I feel I’m at 1/3 of a crop so far. Lots of time left. Good luck everyone.

Spud

[johnallin]

On extended thaws and sap runs, the bulk flow of sap transitions from coming down from above the taphole over to sap being pulled upward from below the taphole. When this happens, assuming your vacuum is good enough, water is pulled up from the soil into the roots and up the stem and out the taphole. This dilutes any sugar that is present in the wood. The result is that the sap flow becomes fairly constant, but the sap sugar content will steadily drop until there is a refreeze and recharge of the stem with moisture. Sap sugar content (and sap flow rates) will go up again when the trees subsequently thaw.

So it is possible to pull mostly water up out of the ground. That's really interesting and kind of what I suspected. I swear some of my trees look shorter now
Up until Sunday; I had my vac running for 10 days straight and got sap - even in 60 deg temps.
The sugar on the last weekend was below 1% and it sat for a day in +70 degrees...it was too cloudy and I dumped it.
I'm still in and hoping the 48 hr freeze/thaw cycle we have coming will offer up one last boil. Good luck to all.

[Andy VT]

28 bucket taps here. All 5/16" sap-meister including my 3 hanging buckets (the other 25 are tubes to pails). Tapped most 2/27 but a few 2/26 and 3/1. Currently stand at 2.7 gallons sap per tap for the season. Don't know the sugar content but these suburban trees are big with full crowns. Also finally made my first 2024 syrup batch yesterday, about a gallon on the extreme light end of the Amber (rich) spectrum. Sailed right through 3 prefilters and the orlon cone. 26 degrees this morning at 6AM, the first freeze of March here. Hoping that extends things a bit.

[Andy VT]

Note: I did dump a few gallons (probably 5 at the most) of very yellow "rain" sap the other day, plus a half gallon of chipmunk-drown sap. Not counting any of that!

[spud]

Sap is running 490 gph. Sugar is going up. Going to be a good day.

Spud

[Ultimatetreehugger]

Sap has been running 750gph off 3750 taps since 1pm. The releaser hasn't stopped pumping since 1. I think it's time to upgrade the pump?

Sugar content jumped from 1.5 to1.9.