A little concerned please advise

[huntingken111]

I put in 34 taps behind my church which is little open and I get about 25 to 35 gallons of sap from there since weather warmed up each day. I got permission on a farm to put as many taps as I wanted if they had maples. I put in about 90 taps on about 40 trees most sugar maples. I have at most got 26 gallons of sap from there at one time. Some of the trees which are sugar maple and big ones at that hardly given me any sap and the smaller trees have given up the most. I have one big sugar maple out in the open that gives me about 5 gallons each day last few trips. My question is why am I not getting sap from about 20 trees by now I thought they would have been defrosted with the last few days above 40. I have 6 sugar maples that have not given me more than 5 gallons of sap in the last 3 weeks. Since this my second year sugaring I am a little concerned I did something wrong.

[team40]

I put in 34 taps behind my church which is little open and I get about 25 to 35 gallons of sap from there since weather warmed up each day. I got permission on a farm to put as many taps as I wanted if they had maples. I put in about 90 taps on about 40 trees most sugar maples. I have at most got 26 gallons of sap from there at one time. Some of the trees which are sugar maple and big ones at that hardly given me any sap and the smaller trees have given up the most. I have one big sugar maple out in the open that gives me about 5 gallons each day last few trips. My question is why am I not getting sap from about 20 trees by now I thought they would have been defrosted with the last few days above 40. I have 6 sugar maples that have not given me more than 5 gallons of sap in the last 3 weeks. Since this my second year sugaring I am a little concerned I did something wrong.

i am in the same vote you are i have 66 taps and my trees are giveing me about 12-19 a day so i hope some one tell you something good
so maybe i can learn as well but i think the small trees have thawed out but the big ones have not. hope this helps

[BoarsNest]

I have found that sometimes the taps on the north side of the trees don't run at all versus the taps on the south. Also trees that have pines around them never really ran. If the trees are in the woods or on north slopes I've also found they can be stubborn early in the season. Hope that helps.

[huntingken111]

No pines around a hill in my way so your saying they probably will run eventually

[DonMcJr]

Just a thought... the Taps on the bigger trees did you drill 2 inches to makes sure you got through the thicker bark?

[psparr]

I've got a few trees with two taps. One tap sunny side one not. Sunny side was getting a gallon a day. The other side about a gallon a week. They should run soon. As long as the weather doesn't stay warmed up.

[bowtie]

in the few years i have tapped i have learned that while sometimes you get the fabeled 1 gallon to 2 gallon per tap that is not nearly the norm. i have had days when i average 1 galon or a little more but it is not consistent throughout my taps, some will have 2 gallons some 1 gallon and some hardly anything. unless you are on vac, or have alot of open sun trees, expecting 1 gallon per day on each day that sap runs is unrealistic. i think you are finding that some of the smaller trees are thawing out faster, this should change soon. but look i have trees that in 4 yrs probably have given me 10 gallons total, that is mother nature. i have 290 taps in the woods on a south facing hill, and in three days i have collected 270 or gallons total, not per day. my 10 yard trees are producing about 1 1/2 each per day. i have taps facing every direction and unless the sun is shining directly on them it does not seem to matter the orientation. i just believe there are so many variables involved in how a tree runs and it's sugar content that i am not going to worry about it. if i had access to an open woodlot full of 18"-27" sugars, you ahd better believe i would concentrate there but most of us must deal with nature gives us. this is just my opinion and some have had other expereinces but wit hmost of us bucket guys i think on average 1/2 gallon is more realistic per day.

[psparr]

in the few years i have tapped i have learned that while sometimes you get the fabeled 1 gallon to 2 gallon per tap that is not nearly the norm. i have had days when i average 1 galon or a little more but it is not consistent throughout my taps, some will have 2 gallons some 1 gallon and some hardly anything. unless you are on vac, or have alot of open sun trees, expecting 1 gallon per day on each day that sap runs is unrealistic. i think you are finding that some of the smaller trees are thawing out faster, this should change soon. but look i have trees that in 4 yrs probably have given me 10 gallons total, that is mother nature. i have 290 taps in the woods on a south facing hill, and in three days i have collected 270 or gallons total, not per day. my 10 yard trees are producing about 1 1/2 each per day. i have taps facing every direction and unless the sun is shining directly on them it does not seem to matter the orientation. i just believe there are so many variables involved in how a tree runs and it's sugar content that i am not going to worry about it. if i had access to an open woodlot full of 18"-27" sugars, you ahd better believe i would concentrate there but most of us must deal with nature gives us. this is just my opinion and some have had other expereinces but wit hmost of us bucket guys i think on average 1/2 gallon is more realistic per day.

Agree. Only my second year but noticing a trend already. Some trees I consider my baby's. Others, the red headed step kid.

[crawflyer]

Some of my trees have been stubborn this year too..big trees that are usually so productive we name them are slow to run and the smaller ones seem to be fine.

[PerryW]

Trees vary quite a bit. With no freeze last night and temps in the 40's today, the buckets on my small trees were almost dry whereas, some of my large trees have as much 1.5 gallons. When the weather first warms up (after a freeze) my small trees run well but my big trees are bairly running.

Also, year after year, some trees just run better than other.

[huntingken111]

I have heard this trees not doing good some years just my luck to have a bunch this year that are not producing well. It stinks because its amazing what people trade for maple syrup (guess thats why its nicknamed liquid gold) Don I tapped the big trees about 2 to 2.5 deep because of what I read on this forum. I see snow flakes tonight so maybe it will run tommorrow. Thanks for all the support

[MJFlores]

The roots could still be frozen. If the trees are in the deep woods, with the trunk and root area shaded they wolnt give as much sap as one that's right out in the sunshine.