Should we tap?

[gleasondaddy]

I live over near lake michigan and the weather man is forcasting mid to upper forties to near fifty be the end of the week. Is this to soon to tap trees or should I wait?

[adk1]

You are in the same boat Iwas last year. I basically followed what other local sugarmakers did if this is your first year. Once you get one year under your belt, you will have a much better idea

[sugarman3]

I would wait,old man winter will return.tapping now without checkvalves, will allow bacteria with the warm temps to grow a little and make the tree want to heal plus it is still a little to early-just a jan thaw

[MIMapler]

Last winter was my first time tapping in SW Michigan (or anywhere, for that matter) and I started towards the end of February. Although I was debating placing my taps this week to catch the warmer weather, I have decided to wait a bit - I've heard that the sugar content in sap goes up as we move into Feb/March, and I worry that if I tap too early, my taps may dry up before the season is in full swing. Unless I see a forecast with a long warm spell, I'm going to wait until at least the second week of February to get started. That's free advice, and worth every penny!

[DonMcJr]

I'm with MIMapler... I'm thinking about it with the warmer weather forecast but I'm gonna wait til Mid Feburary at least... Feb 20th is the goto date arround here in SE Michigan for a normal year...

[Galena]

Wow, it's barely January!! The local big producer around here, with 1800 trees, starts in February. I usually wait til March. As has already been pointed out, a simple thaw this time of year doesn't mean much! Patience, grasshopper.

[Don(MI)]

Wow!!!

I think you need to wait.

I see people posting that have only a few years under there tappin belt. While the post are helpful, you need to remember that one quick 3-4 day thaw means nothing. This upcoming thaw is no different than our normal january thaw.

Presidents day is what a good friend of mine always shoots for. Last year we tapped before presidents day by about 4-5 days if i remember right. We hit it right on too.

Remember you limit your run the earlier you tap. 4-5 weeks of sap flow usually is what you will get.

Hang in there!

[Four D Acre Farms]

Got a friend over by ludington that is usually watching the weather forecast real close about valentines Day but he is right on the lake. Watch the weather in mid feb. in north east mi where i am at i start watching in mid feb now last seasson i was able to make a season where as others around me shoot for a date and some missed the extremely short season all together but last year was an exception and not the norm hopefully lol good luck with your season

[Don(MI)]

Also, one other thing to watch out for....

It seems with this very quick thaw before we dive back into freezing weather, we will be getting higher winds and rain.

Winds and rain do not equal sap.

You will most liikely find your buckets empty on the days of bad weather.

[Too Tall]

Thanks for the replies guys. I was considering tapping a few "just to see what happens". Then I decided to log on here to see if anyone else thought it was a good idea. Looks like I'll wait a month or so.

[shane hickey]

I plan on tapping the 1st of February it takes me a while
That should be the earliest in are area. I am the only
One that drills the holes now because i have had bad experience
In the past. Some people just isn't detailed enough
18000+ this year see how it goes.

[adk1]

I plan on tapping the 1st of February it takes me a while
That should be the earliest in are area. I am the only
One that drills the holes now because i have had bad experience
In the past. Some people just isn't detailed enough
18000+ this year see how it goes.

18,000 taps?? wowsers..

[toquin]

Shane, what brand of drill do you like?

[shane hickey]

Stihl it has a lot of power with low rpm i run this most of the day
Until i get wore out then switch to a dewalt. I also have 2
Tanakas but dont really care for them.

[Don(MI)]

Shane, 18,000!!

How many days of drilling is that?

A week straight?

[shane hickey]

I always figure 2 weeks. You can tap many in a week
with 3 drills. I had 11000 taps last year and i could tap those
In a week