tapping in

[PATheron]

Guys- I know you guys are watching the weather and getting ready just like me. Whats your thoughts this year on when your tapping in? Does anyone have any particular thoughts on the weather and such or do a lot of you guys kind of have a date you just usually go with? Whats everyone thinkin? Last year I tapped in the first weekend in Feb and it worked out well course every year is different. Theron

[Jim Brown]

We try to tap on Valentines Day give or take a day or two reguardless of the weather

[Russell Lampron]

I usually plan to tap on the 1st of March or close to it. Some years it is the last weekend in February, four or five years ago it was so cold in early March that I didn't tap until the 14th of March.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Usually start watching the weather (long range) real close by end of Feb. When I was a kid, we used to start Washington's birthday because we had a day off from school and hence had the "crew" to do it with. Reading the research results from last year concerning tapping dates and production, I think I will start drilling for any taps I am erecting sometime after Feb. 20th. Just so I don't have to go back to that area.

[maplwrks]

There are producers in Franklin County of Vermont that have tapped already and are making syrup now. MAN!! -- if that don't get your tappin trigger finger twitchin!!

[Dave Y]

Theron,
I Plan on tapping my tubing the second week of Febuary and my buckets on presidents day weekend.

[Maplewalnut]

I plan on tapping around Valentines day this year. Looked back and I tapped around the 20th years before but now that I will be on vacuum, look out! May do the roadside trees a little earlier depending on long range weather.

[Dave Y]

I just looked at a calendar and I see the second week of Feb and Preisdents day are just about the same time. So thats when I'm firing up the drill.

[dano2840]

around the 23 of feb. but not this year im going to florida the last week of feb. so i will tap before i go and eather let it run on the gound and have some one stick the pipe in the tank before i get home or have some one buy my sap

[jrthe3]

dave y i with you i will tap about same time

[ennismaple]

Some of you will have half your syrup made by the time I tap. I'm planning to tap March 7-8, possibly the weekend after. Hopefully I can round up enough bodies to get everything done in 2 days!

[3% Solution]

We're planning, as usual, to tap around the 16th of February (our anniversary).
Of course this all depends on the weather.

[caseyssugarshack93]

Last week in feb im going to tap here.
hoping for some big sap with vac this year maybe next year i can sugar this peice of land (hopfuly) 20 acers of maples. but who knows depends on how this sugaring season. if i do get the bush id have to get a new evaporator. first year with a r/o this year and i probably wouldnt have to get a bigger r/o if i got a 3x10 but ill see how this year goes and hoping for big sap on around 800 on vac hopfuly. and the rest gravity.

[markcasper]

Your last sentence pretty well sums things up. I don't know til about 2 days before when I am actually going to start.

[Gary R]

My thoughts also Mark. Although it will take me a couple hours compared to days for some of you guy's. Because of where we live, near the end of this month if I see a couple of days in the upper 30's, I'm tapping. I'm going to wash buckets next week and make sure everything's ready. Bring it on:)

Besides, tomorrow I will open my last pint of syrup I made. I'll need to make some soon!

[danno]

I try for the last week in Feb, but I won't tap until I see sap weather. This has prevented me from tapping till March for the past couple years. After warm winters, end of Feb/March have been cold the last couple years. This winter has been much more traditional. Cold and snowy should be setting the trees up nicely.

Also like to tap on a warm day - it's just so darn easy to split the tree when setting taps when the trees are frozen. And, I refuse to miss the first solid run. So, I need the first warm day with sap weather forecasted - not too picky am I:)

[Jim Brown]

Gary R. I have a couple of quarts left I would be willing to part with if you run out and need a "fix" before you get some made!


Jim

[ackerman75]

Does anyone know how long it takes a tap to dry up, I'm thinking of tapping my 225 taps on or around Feb. 1st. but I don't want to tap to early and have some dry up before the BIG runs. I live in Wisconsin on the southern "Iowa" border and very few people sugar down here so this site has been very helpfull to me. No one around my area to ask questions and share ideas (good or bad) Last year was kind of funny and I think I missed some of the first sap and that's why I didn't get any light amber :( But I sill managed to make 54 gallons off of 130 taps (all sugar maples on six acers) no soft maples or any others.

[MaplePancakeMan]

I'm a fan of the redrill. place your taps in only about 3/4" deep hole then re drill to 1" or 1 1/4" and its almost a new hole.

[ackerman75]

MaplePancakeMan,
That sounds like a good idea, I also thought you could use just a little smaller drill bit if you tap eary and later on redrill with your regular tap bit ?
Anyway thanks alot for your input

[MaplePancakeMan]

You could do that also but i'm always worried about it being too big and getting seepage around the spile. Always making sure that you clean and dip that taps in a rubbing alcohol and water solution before tapping helps. I take my taps out mid way and clean them up but i only have 190 ish taps so its not that labor intensive to do.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Akerman How long was your season last year 54 off 130 is a great ratio up in Door County the season was about 11 days long so its fast and furious no redrilling for us.

[ackerman75]

Haynes,
Yes, we had a great season last year, 30 + days. Also all of my trees are very large, so I would guess they are better producers than the small ones. They also run a higher sugar content then most. My inlaws live in Medford Wisconsin (about 4 hours north of me) and sraight west of you and they said everyone in their area hade a real short season like you. FYI I got married in door co. on the lake front in Sister Bay seven years ago last September, beautiful county !

[Russell Lampron]

Ackerman75,

With buckets you can usually get about 4 weeks out of a tap before it drys up. With new or sterile taps that can be stretched to 6 weeks. I drill my holes to about 1.5" to start and if I have to redrill them I go a 1/2" deeper. That will make them run for up to 2 weeks longer. I use the 5/16" Leader bucket spouts and those seem to run longer than the 7/16" spouts that I used to use.

[Gary R]

Ackerman, Here's a link to research done by the Univ. of Vermont. My taps were in for over 9 weeks last year and still running when I pulled them.

http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/tapping.pdf

[3% Solution]

Russ,
Would those be the "Tree Saver" bucket spouts?
If so, how do you like them?
I am thinking on replacing my 7/16" taps for those.
Thanks!!

Dave

[Russell Lampron]

Dave those are the ones. I didn't notice much difference in the amount of sap that I got with them compared to the 7/16" spouts but figure that I probably got more because they were still running when 1/2 of the 7/16" spouts had dried up.

[3% Solution]

Russ,
Thanks for the info.
I am planning on picking up 50 of them so we can have everything either Health Spout or Tree Saver.
One drill for all!!
hey it's -6 here, BRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Dave

[Russell Lampron]

Dave,

That's the way it is going to be here now. No more 7/16" taps. Less expensive to only have to have 5/16" tapping bits on hand, better for the trees and can tap get more taps out of a drill battery.

[jmbinventions]

Does spraying bleach water pollute the sap that comes in contact with it? Or is it so minimal that it won't have an effect. Anyone who does this, do you think it is worth the time and effort?

[Sugarmaker]

I think Therons question was when to tap. We will watch the weather like a hawk about mid Feb for any sign that the weather will break and be open for several days to a week. If too cold I will hold off till the first good break.

Some of the last posts were about spouts and solutions in the tap hole. I have gone to all 5/16 and really like the plastic spouts on tubing. second I used Isopropol alcohol in the tap hole and on the spout as I tapped. I think I over did that a little and didn't let any sap run on the ground and it did not have time to evaporate , the first syrup made tasted terrible but was OK after the third draw. Not sure if Isopropal Alcohol is heavier than sap and maybe it concentrated in the first draws? But any way after that we made the best syrup I think we have ever made. Good clear sap was still running when we pulled the taps. We also had all covered containers and that protected the sap.

With the cold weather and All the snow I predict another record year. And I have enough wood for 150 gallons plus this year!

Regards,
Chris

[jmbinventions]

When you first started roadside tapping, who do you contact? And I think it is time to expand from my neighborhoods trees. Does it rquire permits or payments to a person because I am only 14 and cannot do anything like that on my own.

[brookledge]

jmbinventions
The bleach will give the syrup an off flavor. If you do use it to clean a tank make sure you wash it extremely well or you will end up with off flavored syrup.
Keith