Concerned.....

[WHTTLHNTR]

So my concern is we have very little sap run (Southern, NH). We have been tapped since 2-1-12. Had some ok days but nothing to exciting. since then we have only collected about 40 gallons on about 40 taps. Some of those were just recently put in and the yield is aboun zero sap, where others in the area with trees in about the same area are yielding much more. We are using health spouts all with single buckets. The majority of our trees are sugars with few reds mixed in. Any input to help or put minds at ease would be helpful. Have new evap and sugar house that needs to be put to use. Thanks in advance.

[Mark-NH]

3 things come to mind:
It is still early. Even in your area I bet the typical season runs 3rd week feb to 3rd week March.

Sugaring is a lot like playing slots. It always sounds like everyone else is winning around you.

I have used the 5/16 health spouts on my buckets around the yard for 5+ years now and they have never run well for me. I am going back to the traditional taps this year.

Mark

[Hop Kiln Road]

It's earlier and colder than it feels! And, the two week forecast looks marginal...

[WHTTLHNTR]

That was my main concern, jumping the gun on tapping. Now that they are in Just leave them, or will the tap holes want to start healing before I want them to?

[spencer11]

im a little concerned to..ive got all my taps in and they have been in for about a week. i have only gotton about 50-60 gallons. not impresed, even when the weather seemed perfect! hope im just early and it gets a whole lot better.

spencer

[Dill]

3 things come to mind:


Sugaring is a lot like playing slots. It always sounds like everyone else is winning around you.


Mark

I really like that quote. That is exactly how it is on here when the early people start tapping. But then we all get the same season in the long run.
Its farming mother nature will do with you what she will and you can't do anything about it. If your tapped in your along for the ride at this point.
I did start getting a run on the gravity taps I put in yesterday but nothing major, its probably still a bit early.

[Dill]

sorry double post

[fresh spout]

without a hard freeze, the sap is sitting up in the canopy of your trees. Sugar is in the roots, and without any hard freeze, that sap is not going to move back down to the roots. So what you are seeing is marginal sap runs due to the weather and most likely if you tested your sap you would see low sugar content as well. As soon as you tap a tree, it works to start healing itself, leaving you approx a 6 week window (give or take a couple weeks) before the hole heals over and sap stops running. The danger with tapping too early is you may miss the higher sugar content and have weaker runs when peak season hits because the holes have already started to heal. Being patient sucks at times, but it can pay big dividends when put into place.

[GeneralStark]

without a hard freeze, the sap is sitting up in the canopy of your trees. Sugar is in the roots, and without any hard freeze, that sap is not going to move back down to the roots. So what you are seeing is marginal sap runs due to the weather and most likely if you tested your sap you would see low sugar content as well. As soon as you tap a tree, it works to start healing itself, leaving you approx a 6 week window (give or take a couple weeks) before the hole heals over and sap stops running. The danger with tapping too early is you may miss the higher sugar content and have weaker runs when peak season hits because the holes have already started to heal. Being patient sucks at times, but it can pay big dividends when put into place.

You're confused. Freezing is the mechanism/adaptation that allows maple trees to get sap and sugar to their branches. As the tree's branches freeze, due to the characteristics of maple sap wood, a vacuum is created in the wood tissue and sap is pulled up into the tree. When the tree thaws the sap flows out of a tap hole due to gravity. Without a freeze, the tree will not be recharged with sap and the sap will stop running. With vacuum you can continue to extract sap from the tree however.

I suspect many do not understand this mechanism and what makes maples truly unique.

[red maples]

General stark is correct. Don't worry it will get better. Its still early. It is colder than you think but the sap will flow. you have to remember there is no snow so the ground is frozen around those roots. When the freeze thaw occurs it pulls the moisture in from the roots if the ground is frozen well no water to pull in and therefore very little sap run. especially after this past cold weekend. I got tapped in last week and got about 400 gallons gallons of sap and about 3 gallons of syrup(only 72 more gallons to go to reach my goal) . even though the temps have hit just 40 since tuesday I got no sap because its just not warm enough to melt the ground. today its 47 and the sun was out to help things along and the sap is finally moving a bit. got about 40 gallons today so far there is no feeze up forecast for tonight so hopefully it will keep running at least on my vac lines anyway!!!

Last year everyone else was getting sap but me I started a week later than everyone else. What happened was we had that 3-4 foot snow pack in the woods so the ground was nice and soft and had plenty of moisture. but what happened to me we got rain and I had a nice big ice column around the stump of the tree on all my trees then everything froze. so the temps were perfect but the sap couldn't pull through the frozen part of the tree once that broke free poof I had more sap and more big runs than ever!!!

So remember its only feb 16...there is hopefully a long season ahead of us!!!