Too Early to Tap?

[SugarMama]

Inpatient newbie here! We are in southern Wisconsin and they are calling for temps in upper 40's all week. Last year started tapping 3rd week in Feb. Almost no snow or frost in the ground here. Still too early to tap?

[Rhino]

I hate to put my foot in my mouth but i would say it's to early even for you in southern Wis. BUT..... If you are only doing a small amount of taps AND you have enough trees that you could always retap those later on....I would try to make some February syrup, crazy weather. I did put a test tap/bag out today where we are logging, I picked a very large crowned tree in a warm area of the woods where we didnt work that we may of drove frost down to the roots, When we left it was still dry but the sun first came out after 3pm up here and then it got to the 40's. Will watch it all this week and see.

[C.Wilcox]

SugarMama- not sure where you're at, but I'm in SE WI and I usually tap the first weekend in March. My neighbors tap the last weekend in February, but I think that's mostly because they have a number of taps to get in and they have to walk in to all of them. This is a strange year no doubt, but I think the season will still be about the same time. I say hold steady for the time being....

[MapleMounder]

SugarMama, Not sure where you are but we are South of the border West of Rockford. We usually tap around Valentine's day but with the weather forecast like it is I put one test tap in yesterday. The shavings where wet when they came off the drill. In about 4 hours I had over a quart of sap, I tested it and it is at 2% so we decided we are going to start tapping the rest tonight. I know one producers just south on Monroe and I talked to him Saturday and he was thinking another week or so for him.

[cjmiller272]

Glad im not the only one second guessing the time to tap this year. I decided last year to tap sometime in first week of february, after two years of waiting til third week and realizing the tree were already running. Who knows how much I missed. I havent heard anything negative about tapping too soon other than wasted energy checking taps

[C.Wilcox]

Cody- did you mean to say you tapped in the first week of "March"? Tapping in the first week of February seems way early to me and the earliest I've ever heard anyone around our area tapping is the 3 week in February. Of couse, this may be the year where that all changes. If I remember right, there's some evidence to suggest that people who waited until the trees are really running before tapping actually obtained the same amount of (or more) sap as people who tapped earlier. The downside to tapping too early is that your tapholes will dry up before the best part of the season arrives. It's a real game to figure out when the best time to drill, but jumping the gun can have a negative affect on your season.

[markcasper]

I had heard this afternoon that my neighbors have started and the sap was "running like a stuck hog." These particular people will end up making new holes in March I am sure!! This particular producer has 3000 plus taps. It is a messed up winter for sure and if I was doing it, I would probably start in as well but not without check valves.

[Dave Puhl]

yes its way too soon ..if it was the first of March it would be another story...was up at Roths today getting stuff...

[Rhino]

Today is a day off from logging, going to run to Roths to pick up my order of jars and taps. Test tree in the woods didn't drip a drop yet. Only got to 34 though yesterday and we still have around 9 inches of snow.

[maplematt]

This has been a very mild winter so far, obviously! Does anyone really know how the warm temperatures and very little snow fall affect the sap conditions? We had mid-50's the other day. Does the sap flow when its that warm only for a day or two? Does that mean that the first sap we get when we tap is going to have less sugar?

[Rhino]

Did my Roth run today, Very good crowd, would of liked to stay for the seminar but had some welding at home to do on the tractor forks. Couldn't believe the lack of snow down in that neck of the woods (Cadott WI.) With the forecast it probably will just be patches here and there by the weekend.

[markcasper]

Wouldn't it be cheaper and closer for you to go to Polaks?

[Rhino]

Mark, Not sure of this years priceing, but Roth is usually cheaper on most of their containers except glass pints, and I buy 300 gallons worth of containers so it does add up. The gas sets me back a bit but another reason is Roths Wisconsin jugs have a bolder silk screening picture on it which i like. Also my dad likes to take our annual road trip over there. I also do business with Polaks with my pipeline needs.

[cjmiller272]

Boy am I glad I tapped early february against many warnings, I was boiling in 60+ temps yesterday, unless I see reason otherwise I might be pulling my taps this coming week

[jmayerl]

Same here, we tapped end of Feb, I wish we would have the first week of Feb. Trees are all done here. We will collect and pull all 800 tomorrow morning after work. Last day of boiling and its gonna be 70!

[C.Wilcox]

I also tapped earlier than usual and am glad I did so, but I don't think you can use this season as a typical year to judge by. If I had tapped early February last year I would have been sitting without sap for at least 2 weeks and then the taps might have dried up early March before the season really got started. That's part of the game I guess. When you gamble with Mother Nature you sometimes win, you sometimes lose, and in the case of 2012...she sometimes cheats.