Our operation’s sap edged towards being “buddy” in the last 2 days preceding the red maple buds popping completely out.įor the sugar maple photos, the differences are more subtle and the progression is slower – a timeline we talked about in Part 1 last week. Examine the leaf bud (in the black circle) which is protruding more but still closed surrounded by the bright red maple flowers. ![]() This is even more apparent on March 27th when I took the last set of photographs. This is crucial to understand because trees have both flower buds and growth buds which break at different times and have different impacts on the sugaring season.īy March 23 rd, despite the difficult lighting, the buds have clearly flowered. In the branch I’m holding, you can see the flower buds cracking open with the leaf bud still tightly closed in the center (black arrow). For reference, we deemed our sap no longer worth collecting on March 21 st.įirst the red x silver “mystery” maple – in the March 17 th photos, the hybrid’s buds are noticeably swollen but the flowers have not burst forth yet. The bud progression is for sugar maple and a red x silver native hybrid maple that are present at the Ohio State Mansfield sugarbush. Using a 60-power spotting scope we took pictures of our trees on March 17 th, 23 rd and 27 th during the 2021 sap season. Read Part 1 released last week to learn how you can start tracking GDDs and incorporate them into your season planning. The good news is that this progression is somewhat predictable if one understands how something called growing degree days (GDDs for short) correlate. We can use our eyes to track bud development as the season progresses, the weather warms, and making syrup draws to a close. As the season progresses and the weather changes towards spring, the tree buds tell the story. When you start the season the buds are tight. Keep a close eye on how the tree buds develop as the season progresses. The good news is you don’t have to rely completely on your nose when boiling that last batch of sap. ![]() That day or the very next, the sweet smell of sap turns sour. Our eyes see it and we know to expect it, but we all hold out for just one more day of collection before the tide turns. “Done” meaning the sap has become buddy and making syrup for the season is over. We have all heard it (or said it) – once the maple trees ‘bud out’ the sap collection season is done.
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