Fertilizing your sugar bush

[mntapper]

Has anybody ever fertilized their sugarbush? and has it helped at all?

[gar]

do a web search for Proctor research center and check their web site. I think I remember seing something on there.:)

[cncaboose]

Proctor does have a good article that I believe is a free download. If you can't find it shoot me an email and I'll send it to you.

[3rdgen.maple]

Had a great uncle that claimed the best fertilizer for your trees was the ash from the fireplace.

[maple flats]

AS I remember it, Dr. Tim Perkins said fertilizing does not generally help except it might improve the health of the tree. I think the jury is still out.

[Brent]

An old guy who just quit sugaring 10 miles north of me had taps in the trees on his lawn around the house. The lawn got fertilized and he said the sugar from them was 5 to 6% year after year.

[Ausable]

Has anybody ever fertilized their sugarbush? and has it helped at all?

Not sure if this is correct - But - I heard the old maple leaves on the ground around the trees breaking down - was great for the trees.

[Mackdaddy]

If you fertilize, you cannot be considered organic.

[Frank Ivy]

Interesting thread.

I just finished grafting some sugars on some reds.

Maybe I'll pick a field red and fertilize on the drip edge over this summer - all my field reds were in lock step all season with the percent.

[Ausable]

If you fertilize, you cannot be considered organic.

Haaaa - Thanks for the idea - my last batch had a little off taste and was on the very dark side. Was wondering what to tell the relatives when they ask about the taste ---- now I know - "Why - that is Pure Organic Maple Syrup, made from the trees I fertilized with Cow Manure - if you had to buy it - it would be very expensive". Cant wait to see the look on my grandchildrens faces................. Mike

[TF Maple]

Leaves are great fertilizer and when they break down they make the crumbly black soil you find in the woods.

I started returning the wood ash to the sugar bush this year. It will have the minerals in it from the trees.

I think the fertility of the soil has to make a difference because it makes a difference in raising other crops on a farm. The soil on my farm is some of the best in my area, and that is the opinion coming from custom operators harvesting our crops. My trees started out at 5% sugar this year the first weekend in March. It slowly dropped to 3% by the end of the month and the first 2 days in April it finally hit 2.5%. I'm sure genetics is a factor too because the trees have to have the potential to reach high sugar levels, just like other farm crops have a genetic potential for a certain amount of yield. Then it takes the right weather and soil fertility to reach that potential yield.

[DrTimPerkins]

AS I remember it, Dr. Tim Perkins said fertilizing does not generally help except it might improve the health of the tree. I think the jury is still out.

See http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/?Page=publications.html and click on the "Fertilizing a Sugarbush" link.

Fertilization can help increase sugar yield from a site, however there are still some unknowns. In general it will help most if your site is low or deficient in some nutrient, but it can also help to increase growth, which results in more sugar. Also, if your site is moderately-strongly acidic (not uncommon in the northeast, especially in the hills), an amendment (calcium or dolomitic calcium) to make the soil somewhat more neutral might help -- maple trees do tend to like calcium. If you do fertilize, do it in relatively low amounts more frequently rather than trying to dump a lot on the site at once, which might cause more problems than benefits.

As somebody else already pointed out, if you're an organic maple producer, there are severe limitations on what you can fertilize with. Check into the rules of your certifying agency before proceeding.

First step though is to make sure your site is managed properly through thinning. This will encourage good strong growth of trees.

[Slatebelt*Pa*Tapper]

we do, we have almost 200 birds here, pheasants, quail, wild eastern turkeys and different chicken breeds. we haul lots of our fine pine bedding which is mixed heavily with manure and spread it around the sugar bush, we put it out towards the end of the root systems on individual tree's.. the tree's really seem to like it..been doing this for almost 8 years..very lush and healthy looking tree's