Tapping Red Maples near water

[mspina14]

I have about 100 red maples on my property.

About 20 of them are along the banks of an intermittent stream. They have their roots in wet soil or standing water maybe 50% of the year.

Are these worth tapping? I'm using 5/16 tubing and a diaphragm pump.

I heard somewhere that Red maples in water don't run very well.

thanks

Mark

[BAP]

Tap them, they will run.

[randomseeker]

Definitely tap them. 75% of my taps are on reds and everybody loves my syrup. My yields are low because I run gravity tubing picking up 20 to 22 trees (one tap per tree) per gravity line running a 2% grade. I only yield about 1/2 litre per tap but I think that is more my collection technique than the type of tree. I am most interested in your application of your diaphragm pump. Can you please tell me what model you use?

[mspina14]

Definitely tap them. 75% of my taps are on reds and everybody loves my syrup. My yields are low because I run gravity tubing picking up 20 to 22 trees (one tap per tree) per gravity line running a 2% grade. I only yield about 1/2 litre per tap but I think that is more my collection technique than the type of tree. I am most interested in your application of your diaphragm pump. Can you please tell me what model you use?

Thanks Bob.

This will be the first season I'm running a diaphragm pump. I purchased a "LunchBox" pump/releaser over the summer (northwoodsugarworks.com). Have not used it yet.

I tried tapping some of my Red Maples with buckets over several seasons. Most didn't run at all. The most sap I got out of any one tree that did run was about 2 cups. I don't have any sugar maples on my property, so I've had to tap neighbor's that had sugar maple trees in exchange for a bottle of syrup.

I'm hoping the diaphragm pump will get the Red Maples on my property to produce sap this year. If not, I'm back to running around town to collect sap from the neighbors!

I will let you know how it goes.


Mark

[lyford]

Mark, I tap mostly reds, about 75- 80 of my 85 taps, some are in standing water during the season. Some of those will fill a 3 gal bucket about 2/3-3/4 on a good run. So yeah go for it.

Quick ? for ya. Is the sugar shack in your profile pick built on skids and resting on crushed gravel. I'm looking to build my own shack this summer and was thinking of goin the skids route and was just wondering what others who had them thought. My major concern is frost heave and not having the shack level.

Justin

[lyford]

Mark, disregard that question about the skids. I just realized I asked you the same question a while back and you replied it was on skids if I remember correctly. Thanks anyhow and good luck with those reds!

[BSD]

i'm a relative newcomer to this hobby, but i tap several reds (we call them swamp maples) and they produce well. about half my taps are from trees in or bordering a swamp.