plugging tap holes?

[Jim Schumacher]

One of the local guys near my cabin plugs his tap holes with small, thin, dry sticks. He breaks off a dry twig that is about the right diameter and gently taps them into the holes and then breaks the remaining twig off. He said that it might help the tree heal. Does anyone have any ideas? Good? Bad? I would go through any effort to help my trees along.

[3rdgen.maple]

My dad did that to one tree several years ago and here is what I found out when I cut it up for firewood. Tree died, was it from the twigs tapped into the holes? I have no clue, but when I was cutting it up I cut through the center of alot of the tapholes. I found three old holes that were healed over on the outside but there was a black grainy powder in them. Seems the twigs just rotted inside the tree. They did not close up at all just healed over the outside with new growth. I figure it had to be the same three tap holes that he plugged cause all the others were healed. The ones that healed completely had a stain around the perimeter about a half inch.

[KenWP]

They sell little corks at D&G for the holes but I never bothered useing them after people on here said not to. The 5/16 holes on most trees grew over already but I am finding the 7/16 holes are slower. I would go to a 5/16 tap even for buckets if I could figure out how to do it.

[dschultz]

Ken, I use 5/16 tubing taps on all my buckets,works great.Will tell you how later if you want to know have to go to work for a few hrs.

[Tapmealot]

hey everyone. leader makes a 5/16 bucket spout. i just bought hundred of them and i like them alot.

[vermaple]

I've used Leaders 5/16" bucket for several years. It's a hookless spout so you may have to punch the hole in the bucket out to hang over the spout. They also are cast aluminum so you may break one once in a while if you are not careful.

[Farmboy]

I hate cast aluminum taps I broke three last year and i only had like 10 of the cast ones the rest were regular taps.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Back to the tap holes. If you look at the hole as it closes up it starts in the inside and fills in over about 1 1/2 to 2 years. Sticking something in the tree that is not natural to the trees makeup can cause it to rot and reject it. Just like smearing tar all over a wound in the bark will make it harder for the tree to heal/grow over the damaged area. The slabs of old taps trees I have show the hole has completley filled in with wood so having foreign meterial in there will cause the tree to not fill in as it would if left alone.

[red maples]

as for my trees most of the holes are already closed up and the other's? well littl epests spiders and such have kept some open but all of the literature I have says to just leave them alone and they will heal by themselves. that is what is good about the 5/16 holes small enough causing less stress to the tree.

[ennismaple]

Don't put anything in the hole - the tree will heal itself. My children are tapping trees my grandfather tapped when I was their age. I expect more than 50% of my 5/16" tapholes from this year will be completely closed over by next season.

[Jim Schumacher]

Thanks for the advise. I guess the only reason I was considering plugging the holes was to allow the tree to use all the sap instead of letting it run all over the forest floor after I pull my taps. You have made very valid points. Thank you again.

Jim

[brookledge]

if you tried to stick a twig in the hole and wedge it in the hole it would still leak out the hole. As for me I boil until it stops running so when I pull my taps there is usually only a day or two that the hole will seep before it dries up for good
Keith

[KenWP]

I checked almost every day and never seen a maple trees run after I pulled the taps. The birch trees ran a lot after but no maples. I check the holes once in a while and some of the 7/16 holes have made no progress healing and in the same tree where I also put a 5/16 it's almost healed up.

[gmcooper]

Here is what I now tell visitors that are convinced that plugging the tap hole with a stick or anything else is essential to saving the tree.
"Next time you get a deep cut shove a stick in there and leave it." "You and the tree will heal at about the same rate"

At least it gets there attention.
Mark

[Farmboy]

Here is what I now tell visitors that are convinced that plugging the tap hole with a stick or anything else is essential to saving the tree.
"Next time you get a deep cut shove a stick in there and leave it." "You and the tree will heal at about the same rate"

At least it gets there attention.
Mark

That's funny. That will teach them.