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Thought I'd get it started for the new season. I spent the day repairing laterals and installing new arch spiles from Middle Valley Maple today. Got three all repaired and tightened up then I ran disinfectant through them all. I got two more laterals to do and then start on the sugar shack/evaporator and tanks. Looking at tapping around January 1, 2025.
I'm a little south of you in eastern Ky, been cleaning lines and also trying the middle valley spiles this year, waiting on the weather to tap.
Good luck with your season
Thanks eastky, I am about to finish up my lines and move on to getting the shack ready. Which middle valley spouts did you choose. I went with the clear barbed spouts. I am curious to see how they preform. I discovered the tubing tool is hard to use on them with no shoulders, but the spout ID seems a bit smaller and I been able to put the drops together by hand. I got the tees too. So far I only put one in a line with the arch backwards. I hope this cold and warm pattern holds, I already see trees running from woodpecker wounds. Good Luck to you too
I may pass on this year or only tap the few tree in the very bottom of property. I'm in Morgan county and the drought was extreme all through fall. Trees dropped leaves early and were very stressed going into winter. Really not much rain fall to date and what have had has happened after leaves dropped.
I am far from expert in forestry or maple syrup, just old retired hobbyist guy that does this to give to family and friends. I love doing it, however after losing all my Ash, my big Elms dying and old mature white oak being threatened, I just not needing it bad enough to even take small risk. I have no idea how rest of year weather maybe to interrupt the spring food to my trees.
Of course just my opinion.
I only tap 25 to 30 trees anyway, but I sure do enjoy heck out of it.
Best a luck to you all, happy holidays and Happy Trails
Sorry to hear that. We had a very dry fall here too, with just enough rain to keep us going through summer. I know the drought maps always showed we weren't the hardest hit area though. The trees here seemed to be pretty normal this fall, with good color and normal leaf drop. We still haven't had a wet spell with much rain. Hopefully, there is good rainfall in all our futures and maple production maintained.Quote:
Originally Posted by HappyTrails
I too need to clean the shack and get collection barrels ready, I got the green barbed spouts and tees as well, I am changing drops and tees this year, need to get them made up and put in, seems there is always something more to do, weather shows in the upper 50's and low 60's by the end of the week here, it looks better after the first of the year.Quote:
Originally Posted by buckeye gold
All my lines are repaired and ready to go. I done some preliminary cleaning in the shack. I need to wash tanks and wash/disinfect all the working surfaces in the shack. I noticed several trees weeping sap from woodpecker wounds while I repaired lines. I'm glad I didn't tap any early trees as this weather would just have started bacteria in the lines. Looking at the long range forecast, I am thinking I may wait until mid to late January to tap. I usually do 50 early then the rest around the first of February, but I may do them all at once this year. That means more sap to deal with on individual days, but I'm concerned we'll see big warm ups in February that will be detrimental to sap flows.
Hi guys just checking in. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Will be second year tapping for us. Didn’t take detailed notes unfortunately, but last year we ended up with 25-30 taps at the peak, give or take, over a month of collecting. Probably just gonna zero in on the top 20 or so of those this year I suppose. We ended last year with almost 2.5 gallons of syrup and would be happy with that again not necessarily trying to beat last year which is surprising for me, I usually scale up anything and everything I enjoy and have had even a little success at. But in this case and in this year I feel content to stay the course and enjoy the process again haha.
I’m on buckets with a drop tube. End of season last year I soaked all tubes and flushed them with a light bleach solution, they were rinsed heavily then dried and stored. Would you guys recommend repeating that process or should I be good to roll. I also boiled all my metal taps too.
Thanks guys! Good to be back on mapletrader after a long year! Looks like a cold couple weeks into mid January at least down here in southern Clermont county.
I'd give them another disinfecting. You could just mix up a little stronger chlorine solution and flush them. Don't rinse them with tap water, that will undo your efforts. The chlorine will dissipate on it's own as long as you use unscented. Let some of the first sap run on the ground and then collect. I suppose you could flush with distilled water, but I wouldn't flush with anything short of your chlorine solution.
I would run them and not look back. That is more than some people do. If it is not to much work just rinse them with water and call it a day and run them.