How much sap can I expect from a road side tree?

[Dave Lister]

First off, I know this is a bit of a loaded question so I will give as many details as possible.
My sugar bush at my parents place is on gravity tubing, in the woods, and 100% red maples. It faces mostly south west, and a decent amount of the tubing is shaded by large pine trees. Unless the conditions are perfict, my runs are small, but I get enough sap to make about 5 gallons from 90 taps.
(hopefully vaccum will help this next year)
I now live 40 minutes away, next door to an old farm house with 6 large sugar maples in the front yard that have only been tapped once in the past memory of the owners who are in their late 80's. I've just been granted permission to tap them.
They get full day sunlight, and on average are about 4 feet + in diameter with huge healthy branches and large crowns.
Having never tapped sugar maples, nevermind roadside giants like these, how much sap could I expect on a good day?

My mailman says he taps trees this size and has gathered as much as 20-30 gallons per day per tree. Am I being told fish tails by an old Mainer? Or could I possibly have a wonderful problem on my hands?

My current plan of attack is 3 of the 5/16 stainless taps per tree with a small piece of tubing going to a 5 gallon bucket for each tap.

Thoughts, opinions, questions?
I should be back to answer monday night, off to help a friend tap his woods on vaccum.

Thanks in advance !

Tim

[BryanEx]

Tim... I tap three trees in my front yard that are similar to what you've described and they all produce on the lower side but within your estimate range. The biggest difference I find taping these giants compared to my younger trees is that they are usually slower to get going but run longer when they do and in high volume. All nine hanging buckets will be over-flowing when I get home from work and I can usually fill each twice a day on weekends if the weather is right. What do you have to loose by trying them out for a season? If they don't produce... no harm done but if they do... you'll be busy closer to home.

[Dave Lister]

Hrmmmm. Wonderful. Just wonderful.
I got the gravity tubing set up to prevent myself from driving 45 minutes both ways wednesday night to collect sap. If I get as much sap as I have been told, I will end up making that trip twice a week just to bring more sap home. Hopefully my Ford Ranger will do ok with a full 55 gallon drum in the back.
Already replaced a helper spring on both sides carrying stone dust, so they should be a bit stronger now, I hope!!!

[Toblerone]

but I get enough sap to make about 5 gallons from 90 taps.

Is that for the season? You should be making at least 20 gallons of syrup from that many trees, shaded or not. What size trees are they?


My mailman says he taps trees this size and has gathered as much as 20-30 gallons per day per tree. Am I being told fish tails by an old Mainer?

Per DAY? I smell an old fish tale here. I would expect 1 to 3 gallons of sap per day per tap.


My current plan of attack is 3 of the 5/16 stainless taps per tree with a small piece of tubing going to a 5 gallon bucket for each tap.

I think that sounds like a good plan, you could even go two taps per 5-gallon bucket if you can dump every day. You might also want to check out other threads about stainless spouts, I guess some people have had trouble with them. Also check out the thread about 5/16 vs 7/16 taps. On gravity, the 7/16 taps can yield up to 10% more sap, but will damage the tree more.

My sugar bush is about 30 minutes away, so I wish I had your situation where I could tap a neighbor's trees. Just so I could go out and check it every day. I now have to rely on sparse reports from the farm manager at the center.

Good luck to you.

[KenWP]

Lots of fish tales going around. One thing I found is only believe half of what your told about maple and disregard the rest. LOL.
I have got 5 gallons from one tree and that seems to be a lot me thinks. 30 gallons even the puny US gallons would be a tale from Texas maybe.

[BryanEx]

I have got 5 gallons from one tree and that seems to be a lot me thinks.
One tree with one tap or one tree with three taps Ken? I didn't catch it at first but Tim was asking "per tree" and we are all used to discussing "per tap".

[KenWP]

Two taps in the one tree. One is a huge silver we called old faithful and the other is a weird looking maple out in the bush stands by its self with no other trees close by. It pours sap.

[maple flats]

I had one tree such as you describe that I put 3 buckets on. I emptied 2x/day when season was in full swing. These were the full size galv buckets, 4 gal I think. On good days every time I checked one was overflowing in 7 hrs, another was almost full and the third typically half. That is the best tree I ever had. I no longer tap it only because of the driving time for only 60 taps. Of these 60 that was the only super tree. At that site I had 8 buckets on their lawn and 52 taps on tubing off the lawn. If that site had another 300+ taps I'd still be tapping it. The numbers you quote for a tree are rather high but might be possible if like my one good tree but if it is consider yourself very lucky.

[ejmaple]

i would say you will be filling those 5 gal buckets per tree per day when its running good, maybe more. i too have 5 old giants out front of the house and they fill a 35 gal pail on good days. thats with 3 tree savers per tree on gravity lines.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Be nice if you had bigger containers than 5 gallon. 3 taps is fine in a tree that size and on good days, your buckets will be running on the ground probably a few times each season at least on some of the trees.

[TapME]

Tim thats all I tap is large roadside trees. Last year I had 3 taps to a 5 gal pail and after what happened last year there is going to be only 2 to a 5 gallon pal this year. We would enpty 2 times a day 8 am and 4 pm and on most pick ups the pails were running over with 3 to a pail. I wish I had all that sap the ran to the ground.

[JuniperHillSugar]

My folks have three old trees with huge crowns that have produced around 5-6 gallons of syrup each year for many years. We only wish that great-grampa had planted a few more. Catch it all.

[Sugarmaker]

These roadside trees should run a 4 gallon bucket over in a day if they are good trees. 2-3 buckets per tree would not be over tapping on these beasts.
If your not collecting each day you need larger containers and or some one to gather and store cool sap for you.

Regards,
Chris

[Maplesedge]

I've read that road salt can effect syrup flavor if I'm tapping a roadside tree. Is there any real evidence to support this?

[michiganfarmer]

I have a few 2 1/2 foot diameter trees. I put 3 4 gallon buckets on them, and some days the buckets will be running over

[Dave Lister]

Wow, thanks for all the responses.
I guess I will just have to wait it out and see.
I have enough 5 gallon pails at my house for 3 per tree, so one 5 gallon bucket for each tap.
I do have 4 larger containers that should hold about 20 gallons, but I will have to figure out how to get the sap into my truck, as its only me and my wife out at my place.
Think I will just go with the 5 gallon pails and see what happens. If I get more than expected, guess I will have to figure out that "problem" when or if it occurs.
I'll keep you guys posted.

Oh, and as for having buckets to collect at my house, away from my sugar bush, Yes. Its going to be wonderful. Except for the fact that I will be sitting on sap knowing I could go home and start a boil, but the back and forth drive would just about kill me as I usually have to be at work at 7am the next morning. My wife and newborn might have issues with it as well...... : )