how many taps

[philkasza]

How many taps should I put in a tree 3ft in diameter? I have heard you should only put at the max 3 taps in trees.Is that true ? Any thoughts?

[adk1]

How many taps should I put in a tree 3ft in diameter? I have heard you should only put at the max 3 taps in trees.Is that true ? Any thoughts?

3 max. The days of hanging 6 buckets on any large trees are over for the majority of folks, although I have seen it being done still.
THe science to it is that the internal pressure of the tree must exceed the outside pressure in order to produce sap. more holes in the tree technically doesnt mean that you will get more sap. This is how I understand it

[BryanEx]

Good answer adk1... I will also add that more tap holes increases the total area of wound on the tree - the larger the wound, the longer and harder it is for the tree to heal. That is also why 5/16" spouts are encouraged over 7/16".

[adk1]

Good answer adk1... I will also add that more tap holes increases the total area of wound on the tree - the larger the wound, the longer and harder it is for the tree to heal. That is also why 5/16" spouts are encouraged over 7/16".

See I am learning, thanks to this site!

[red maples]

very good gentalmen I still cringe when I see 4(borderline) ,5,6 buckets hanging off an old maple.

and they probably still use 7/16 taps too.

but I will add 1 more thing, depending on what your using buckets gravity or vac my personal view is if your running buckets or gravity no more than 3 to a tree and that woould have to be about 30" diameter and vac I do max 2 taps per tree period and thats anything over about 20" diameter. even if its 4 feet wide 2 taps. my biggest on vac about 25" 2 taps