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Has happened every single year I've been a member here, Diesel. Weather gets warm after Christmas and noobs start asking if it's a good idea to start tapping. Well, if you want to kill your trees by having the trunks split open during the February freeze up, go right ahead.
Roger that Galena, I'm a noob 2nd year coming up but not tapping till I see a good freeze thaw pattern in march
Anybody tapping this weekend?
Millsy...perhaps you should read the rest of this thread first. ....Weather gets warm after Christmas and noobs start asking if it's a good idea to start tapping. Well, if you want to kill your trees by having the trunks split open during the February freeze up, go right ahead. Leave your trees alone til at least March. Noobs!
I had read it. Looking at the 2 week forecast I thought it looked favourable for tapping. Just wanted to see what the veterans thought
Assuming that you're a hobbyist, you have no real reason to worry about starting early in order to fulfil a contract or meet a quota like the pros here who do have such to meet, and yes, maybe they are preparing to tap soon. But they know what they're doing and have hundreds if not thousands of taps and the equipment (i.e. vacuum) and often generations of experience behind them.
I'm guessing you want to enjoy sugaring for years to come? Then be good to your trees. Leave them be, keep your equipment stashed away. Wait for a long-term warming trend; 2 weeks is not nearly long enough.
You aren't going to kill your trees or split them open by tapping early. A hard freeze up after tapping even lasting weeks is not going to harm the trees. If your trees split after freezing hard, then you are tapping them wrong. What will happen by tapping to early is the tap hole drying up before the season is done because bacteria causing the hole to start sealing up.
Thanks BAP that's kind of what I had already researched. Hey Galena I'm down here in the Banana belt of southern Ontario. You are usually tapping another ten days to two weeks after we have stopped down here.
By the looks of the forecast I will wait another week and see. Tapped last year on the 20th of Feb and it was right on schedule.
I'm tapping Friday in SW Ontario. Last year I tapped Jan 31 and had no issues.
Hey Robinson, are you on buckets or tube?
I'm all buckets
Hey Robinson and millsy where you at in southwestern Ontario?
OK, then if this time of year does work for you, go ahead. But I would still suggest looking at far more than a 2-week warming trend.Quote:
Originally Posted by Millsy
Tapped some here today, well see how they run. but prob wont tap the rest for another week.
Yes I am in SW Ontario
SW here also just south and east of London....12 taps last year and 70 plus this year. walnut and mostly maple. some gravity lines and mostly buckets.
Just north of Woodstock 70ish all sugars this year buckets and a few drop lines.
Cool man! I think Galena has the very best of intentions. I know being from Ottawa myself that the season there starts later and goes later. Im looking at very little snow outside. and a warming trend that starts Thursday. Being close to the lake(Erie) changes everything. last year we had 2 seasons. Last one ended in early April. My trees are all on ridges and have exposed roots on one side. They give more than any other maples Ive ever seen being stressed that way. Im still learning so much.
Yes, you're right Diesel...I do mean well, and Jeez, you guys are south..if lake effect gives you 2 runs, go for it! But how exposed are the roots? I would think that it would be bad for the run.
I wish I could send you a video I have of my flow out of one of the trees...it's like a running tap. I'll try to get some pics up of the roots...
Attachment 15410
Old faithful
Well weather in the Woodstock area next week is forecast for 8-10 during the day. But I'll see next Friday weather that weather continues for 2 weeks.
Too warm is bad for maples but great for walnuts as they will run for days in a row with out freezing at night. They don't give as much but it is great syrup
Do you tap them like maples I planned on tapping a big one on our road. I always wanted to try there syrup.
Same but sometimes you have to knock away some of the bark ....messes up your depth measurement on drilling
Today is a great example of SW ont weather...started with freezing rain , then into heavy rain, then sleet, then heavy snow, then 15 mins of sunshine, more rain, now a nasty wind storm....it's now plus 2 degrees C.
Yup freezing rain then heavy snow fall here now. Stupid weather make your mind up!
Yes now in a blizzard here....
All you sugar makers in Elgin county im looking for sap to buy. Feel free to contact me on here or at 519 860 5208.
Yes looks like nearly a week here of no freezing nights starting Saturday. A February thaw, except there's really nothing to thaw. No snow, no frost in the bush, and the swamps will barely hold you up. So much for winter.Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkReynolds
Yup not much snow left and swamps will thaw in a day with temps close to 10...
Just wondering if you guys get any carry over from one day to the next if there is not a freeze on a certain night? Does it have to freeze every night? Sometimes the temp is one or 2 but my trees are all well below the road line so I'm guessing a couple degrees colder then what it says for temp. Even a slight frost will do it.
If you are at the height of the season and get some perfect conditions your trees can easily run like crazy for a couple of days without a freeze in between. I'm talking about having to empty the buckets at least twice a day with overflowing in between! It's hard to keep up on those wonderful days.
Thanx for the info I'm looking forward to it! ....this weekend will be interesting with plus 10 sat sun mon and 0 to -1 at night...get ready to roll! I have a cliff on my property and ran some 3/16 gravity tubing from a couple trees..it really does create a nice vacuum!
With the warm sun today and the warm forecast for the next couple weeks I couldn't resist at least tapping the two trees in my backyard. Sap was flowing before I even got the tap in the hole. Attachment 15451
Attachment 15452That's awesome! I wish I had some trees that were in the open like that...mine are all in valleys , on cliffs and ridges..what a work out
Are we all tapping this week for the weekend run or are some gonna wait??? We are tapping Thursday.
Let the season begin!
Talked to one of the largest producers in Oxford county and he has started drilling, needs to with around 5000 taps. But I think with the two week forecast the way it is I'll tap Friday.
I'm waiting another couple of weeks. I'm afraid to look at the weather forecast until I finish cleaning up the basement. Winter is flying by and then all of the spring and summer jobs start!
Run Forest Run.......your gonna miss a big flow by the looks of the forecast. It seems early but I think winter is almost done. We dont want to miss this weekend and into next week. Game on.