Holes

[surfin]

Where is the best spot on tree to tap? I drilled a couple of holes on a tree today and one is producing while the other remains dry. Is there any particular reason that this may occur? Thx

[Mapler Jim]

They say to tap above a large root. It sounds logical as that is were the sap comes from. But then what do you do next year as you run out of root spots? I'm new at this so it's just a thought.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Sap does not run directly up and down a tree so directly above a root or below a branch does not make a difference. Your wet and dry hole could be due to the particular orientation of the taps. Often at the beginning of the season those taps on the warm side of the tree will run best while later in the season those on the cool side will do better. It is also possible that the dry hole hit some dead wood in the tree.