Question

[Payton maple]

Do you have to tap on the north side of the maple tree?

[FunnyFarm]

Nope...I mix it up the north side will thaw last. Southeast will thaw 1st. In the end I think its likely best for the tree that you mix it up.

[unc23win]

Funny farm is right. If you don't mix it up you will have less area to work with from year to year. Some people have their entire bush facing mostly North. They find the sap runs later than others.

[Payton maple]

Thanks we put ours in mostly to the east and south sides this year!

[Payton maple]

What temp will the sap run at?

[PerryW]

As a general rule of thumb, you want 20 degrees at night (to recharge the trees) and 40 degrees during the day.

However, at the beginning of the season, when everything is still frozen underground and snow is piled around the base of the trees, it takes some pretty warm weather to get them going; probably in the 50's or so.

Toward the end of the season, when most of the frost is out of the ground, they seem to only need 34-35 deg. F to run.

[Payton maple]

Thanks we just put the taps in yesterday and today it has been 39 and sunny will the sap run?

[unc23win]

That would be a good temperature for it to run some. Sometimes it takes more than one day of those temps to get flowing good. We are having the same weather here today still waiting for the season to start.

[Payton maple]

Yeah we put the taps in yesterday and we are hoping to get had buckets at least😉

[Payton maple]

I meant half buckets

[Payton maple]

Think we will get half buckets?

[Payton maple]

We have a block mortared evaporator and it has a arch. should I throw wood up on on the arch a little or not?

[Payton maple]

Do you lay wood on the arch of the evaporator?

[happy thoughts]

We have a block mortared evaporator and it has a arch. should I throw wood up on on the arch a little or not?
You want to keep your fire to the front. The heat from the front going out back through to your stack will heat your back pans. In my short set up the back pans burn the hottest with little fire beneath them.


Think we will get half buckets?
as for how much sap you'll get, sometimes a little, just a few drops to a few cups and sometimes more than a bucket. It's not easy to predict because there are so many variables from weather and temps to tree health and location

[Payton maple]

Thanks we also have a block arch we tapped yesterday and didn't get much do you think it needed today to warm up the tree?

[happy thoughts]

Thanks we also have a block arch we tapped yesterday and didn't get much do you think it needed today to warm up the tree?

Predicting when the sap will flow is a lot like predicting when the baby will come:) When it's ready, it'll come. I don't know where you're located, but at my place it's been too cold to run for at least the last week. We've barely been above freezing during the day with mostly cloudy weather. Some trees dripped a little today but not much. I'm hoping for a good week though as the temps look a little more promising.

Good luck this season. Just be patient because the season is just starting :) By the end of it I can almost guarantee you'll be craving sleep:).

[Payton maple]

I live in cochranton pa our week looks cold

[Payton maple]

Will the sun make a big difference for the sap running?

[happy thoughts]

Will the sun make a big difference for the sap running?

Yes. I have seen taps drip even when the temp is a few degrees below freezing if the day is sunny enough and the tree is open enough for sun to warm the trunk well on the tree's tap side.

[Payton maple]

Does rain help the sap run at all I am an amateur so I hope I am not bothering you guys😉

[happy thoughts]

Does rain help the sap run at all I am an amateur so I hope I am not bothering you guys��

You're not bothering anyone :) Feel free to ask all your questions. I think we all like to see new people starting out and love to see them turn into addicts, lol.

Rain and low pressure often go hand in hand. Lower barometer readings often help sap flow if the pressure inside the tree is greater than the air pressure outside the tree. The sap then runs out through the taphole to help equalize the pressure. But a lot more needs to happen for sap flow to begin than just a drop in pressure. You still need freeze/thaw cycles and other variables to be just right to get the juices flowing:).

[Burnt sap]

From all the ole timers I learned from tap the side that gets the most sun when you can. This helps to thaw everything on those cold mornings. Works for us not on vacume.

[maplehillbros7179]

absolutly not tap where ever on the tree and when the hole heals next year go 4 inches in any direction from it