tapping too early ?

[OO maple]

I thought it would be ideal to tap yesterday,last night got arount 18-22 f. through night today peaked to 39.2 f. just checked my sample buckets(assurance without tapping rest),dry.did I tap too early?will they dry out on me before perfect weather?from southern maine 35 min. from N/H/ border.

[DrTimPerkins]

I thought it would be ideal to tap yesterday,last night got arount 18-22 f. through night today peaked to 39.2 f. just checked my sample buckets(assurance without tapping rest),dry.did I tap too early?will they dry out on me before perfect weather?from southern maine 35 min. from N/H/ border.

It takes 4-6 weeks for taps to "dry out". Trees are fairly buffered to temperature, so unless there was a good strong sun, they probably never thawed out.

[OO maple]

thanks for quick reply. thats great news, was my easier access trees. your right,sun was out but for only part of the day,was mostly cloudy.

[PerryW]

If you tapped a month ago you'd have tapped too early (unless you had vacuum). You can't go wrong tapping now, as the season will be over in 6 weeks.

[Revi]

We tapped some of ours almost a month ago, but they seem to be sending us some sap every week or so. We have always tapped at the end of February, and when we tapped it was flowing. We never thought it would be this long until the sap ran. I hope we still get something. They are tubing taps.

[GotSap?]

I tapped 4 weeks ago this weekend which is the same time that I tap every year. It ran great the first couple of days, but then everything froze up tight, and I have yet to collect any significant amount. It looks like a warm up is coming at the end of next week, but I'm concerned that my holes will be healing up. I'm using the 19/64ths clear, antibacterial taps, at a depth of 1.5 inches. Will using the antibacterial taps keep the holes open longer? Has the cold weather slowed the healing process? Should I pull my taps and re-drill to 2.5 inch depth and re-install? Should I just relax and wait? So many questions and so little sap!

[Ittiz]

I tapped 4 weeks ago this weekend which is the same time that I tap every year. It ran great the first couple of days, but then everything froze up tight, and I have yet to collect any significant amount. It looks like a warm up is coming at the end of next week, but I'm concerned that my holes will be healing up. I'm using the 19/64ths clear, antibacterial taps, at a depth of 1.5 inches. Will using the antibacterial taps keep the holes open longer? Has the cold weather slowed the healing process? Should I pull my taps and re-drill to 2.5 inch depth and re-install? Should I just relax and wait? So many questions and so little sap!

What I do is prick the tree with an ice pick to see if it's running. If you find that the prick hole is running and the tap is not that could be a sign that it's dried up. Wait till it's been well above freezing and sunny before checking though, since different parts of the tree can run at different times depending on sun exposure.

[abbott]

I tapped 4 weeks ago this weekend which is the same time that I tap every year. It ran great the first couple of days, but then everything froze up tight, and I have yet to collect any significant amount. It looks like a warm up is coming at the end of next week, but I'm concerned that my holes will be healing up. I'm using the 19/64ths clear, antibacterial taps, at a depth of 1.5 inches. Will using the antibacterial taps keep the holes open longer? Has the cold weather slowed the healing process? Should I pull my taps and re-drill to 2.5 inch depth and re-install? Should I just relax and wait? So many questions and so little sap!

Just be patient. Yes, the cold weather slows the healing. Those taps will run when they're good and ready.

Rather than re-injure the tree by drilling deeper or stabbing it with an ice pick I'd just find a few more trees to tap (if possible) to make sure I had enough sap. But if you want to try reaming some of the holes late in the season, go ahead because you might learn something and i'm guessing you won't kill any trees. No need to do it yet, though. Its been too cold for bacteria to grow much so the holes haven't healed up much.

[Revi]

It is supposed to get over 40 degrees for the first time in over a week tomorrow and the forecast looks good for the weekend. We'll see if the taps run.

We are not going to redrill, since we are already about 2" deep and we have had very cold weather since we tapped. Whatever we get we'll get I suppose.

Anything is better than nothing at this point! We benefit from low expectations! Next week looks good.

[Maple Ridge]

Last night I found a bucket on the ground tap in all. I had another fall out when I opened the lid. Several I tapped the spouts back in. What I think is happening is where the trees have thawed and frozen so many times that the taps are pushing out of the trees. The ice in the holes I thing is pushing them out a little also. I will be going around when it warms up and reset the spouts before I loose the sap down the side of the trees. Anyone else find this?

[DrTimPerkins]

I'm using the 19/64ths clear, antibacterial taps, at a depth of 1.5 inches. Will using the antibacterial taps keep the holes open longer?

No, don't redrill. That will just create a 2nd wound in the tree.

What exactly is the spout you are using (19/64", clear, antibacterial)?

[DrTimPerkins]

Last night I found a bucket on the ground tap in all.

This is not at all uncommon when there is a hard freeze, especially with some spout designs. Did you drill the holes with a slight upward angle (going in the tree)?

[happy thoughts]

Last night I found a bucket on the ground tap in all. I had another fall out when I opened the lid. Several I tapped the spouts back in. What I think is happening is where the trees have thawed and frozen so many times that the taps are pushing out of the trees. The ice in the holes I thing is pushing them out a little also. I will be going around when it warms up and reset the spouts before I loose the sap down the side of the trees. Anyone else find this?

Same here- two buckets on the ground tap and all in the last 2 days. I've never had that happen before in the 9 seasons I've been tapping. I was blaming it on squirrels but your explanation makes sense, too. Both of mine were metal taps. I have one other metal tap in and yesterday noticed frozen sap that dripped below the tap . It hasn't leaked since it was set a month ago. All my plastic taps look good so far.

[FordHeritageFarm]

Is there any suggested method for "re-doing" the trees/holes if we have been in for awhile and the season is coming on later than we are used to? Or should we, for the sake of the trees, say "oh well, got that one wrong" ? I'd prefer to keep trees healthy and get a short season as opposed to doing long term damage.

[happy thoughts]

Or should we, for the sake of the trees, say "oh well, got that one wrong" ?

Yes, that's the attitude to take for the health of the tree. The recommendation is not to do anything because anything you could do would just rewound the tree and extend the damage. Gravity taps are good for 4-6 weeks but with the extreme cold we've had that might extend their life a little. If you tapped in that window you may still get some sap without doing anything. Next year keep a closer eye on the forecasts and don't tap by some supposed tapping date. Each year is different.

[lyford]

i found one on the ground with the tap yesterday as well. we just had three days in a row of well below freezing nights I attached a pic of the tap setup i'm using with buckets9484

[Maple Ridge]

I tried to keep the tap as straight as I could. It was just my aluminum 7/16 taps. I went around and gave them a little tap so not to split the tree. All my 5/16 tubing taps were fine. Thanks for the response.

[abbott]

i found one on the ground with the tap yesterday as well. we just had three days in a row of well below freezing nights I attached a pic of the tap setup i'm using with buckets9484

Only problem with that bucket setup is that you'd die of thirst this year. Other than that, ought to be effective!