1 tap early and 1 later?

[5050racing]

Can you install 1 tap say2 weeks ago on a tree about 30" and then 1 tap now? I have done this to 1 tree when the sap slowed down then installed 1 more tap and it was flowing great.What got me to this is a woodpecker or something made a little hole and sap was flowing out of it and nothing in the bucket out of the early tap,I use 5/16 leader tree saver so I did it and collected a gallon the next day.Should you do this on larger trees to catch this flow?

[happy thoughts]

Sure you can add taps later if the tree is big enough. I don't think it's a matter of should you, but more about if you want to or need to.

I may not understand exactly what you're saying but adding a second tap will not increase the flow to or from another tap. If your first tap started producing again, that's more likely because the weather was right. It would have flowed anyway without adding a second.

[5050racing]

What I'm also asking does the tree only have so much sap per season to give up,so once you tap it only has so long to produce,like 1 month and if you start early your done early or is it more up to the weather and time of year that controls it?

[happy thoughts]

What I'm also asking does the tree only have so much sap per season to give up,so once you tap it only has so long to produce,like 1 month and if you start early your done early or is it more up to the weather and time of year that controls it?

Both. Some of it is the art of tapping, keeping an eye to the weather forecast and going by your best judgement. I think that's what's made this season so frustrating for many of us. With the mild winter most of us have had, when to tap was even more of a judgement call than usual. Taps will eventually seal off in time mostly due to microbial growth in the tap hole. So you want to try to get the timing right. How fast a tap hole seals also depends on the weather. Warmer temps would tend to cause more growth and faster sealing.

You should still be able to expect at least 4 weeks and often longer on a basic gravity tap. Using new taps and/or using sanitized taps can help prolong the season if the weather complies. There are antimicrobial spouts out now as well.

The species of tree you tap will also play a part. For instance, reds tend to bud out earlier in the season than other maples so their season may end earlier. But by far it's the weather that will play the largest role in when the tap will flow. Without the alternating warm and freezing temps, the sap flow pump won't prime.

And that's just a small part of the story. You'll get a better feel for this the longer you do it. Welcome to the party and have a great season!

[5050racing]

Thanks for the reply,This winter has been crazy.I've made some nice syrup already,17 sugars and 2 silvers,hoping for more just boiled last nite 12gal made 28 oz of super sweet dark with nice flavor different then my early and maybe to some better stronger flavor,I love it all!!! Hoping it goes awhile longer with temps next week looking good at nite.Last year my last boil was 4/1