First year mapler. Wondering on people's thoughts.
Anyone using buckets thinking of tapping early next week.
Temps look pretty decent for next week.
Printable View
First year mapler. Wondering on people's thoughts.
Anyone using buckets thinking of tapping early next week.
Temps look pretty decent for next week.
I'm not quite as far north as you (I'm tapping just north of Appleton) but we're tapping this weekend, based on next weeks forecast. If there's a lot of frost in the ground the trees don't start running right away, but they should very soon by us.
The forecasted temps look encouraging, but I plan to hold off for at least another week.
We are located north of Tony - plan to tap possibly next weekend or during the week after depending on the forecast at the time.
Probably jumping a couple weeks ahead of action, but upper 30's to low 40's forecast this week, I put out 2 taps today just to see. About 16" of snow cover, with bigger drifts.😊
4" inches of frost under knee deep + snow in our woods north of Tony. Wonder how long before the sap flows with 40 degree days predicted all week. Think I too will scatter a few test buckets about the woods to see what I'm missing out on.
Think Saturday I'm going to put some test taps out.
If anyone has tried any yet, would appreciate
any results people have had.
I have been tapping all week. Plan to start vac on sat. Slow going on snowshoes. Some trees are flowing. Some are wet. Some are still frozen
I've put out 75 taps today. On snow shoes, hard with 27" of snow on the ground. My 67 year old body is feeling it. My Allis Chalmers WD doesn't do very good at all, front axel pushing snow. The trees were running a bit when I first tap them, but it does slow down. Early this year, as we usually start around the 10th of March. But getting them out early won't hurt. The snow is getting real heavy as the day goes on. Real hard walking with snow shoes on. I'd like to get the rest of the taps out in the next few days and hope to make some trails with snow shoes that I can drive the 6x6 on to collect when needed. Caught with my pants down this year as I don't have my evaporator set up yet. Hope everyone is ready, and that you all make a load of syrup this year. Let's hear what's going on with everyone!!!!!!!!
2 inches in my aluminum test buckets this evening. I put them on good runners too, (south side) yesterday. I think I'll start tapping tomorrow and finish Friday. I have to get the evaporator set up this weekend too and rinse the tanks etc...
Okay, I decided to hold off on tapping for now. Probably ran another inch today but was very slow when I checked this afternoon.
I have out a total of 100 aluminum pails out so far. I checked out the ones that were out for 2 days and anywhere from a couple of table spoons to a quart in them. Even if I had out all 400 I would not have been enough to collect. The snow is still way to deep to think of collecting anyway. I've got to get my wife to get our web site up and running for this year. Once it's up and running check it out at blsugarbush@yahoo.com
That's pretty slow. Maybe not worth tapping till next week.
Give it more time to thaw out ground.
Put out another 75 taps & pails today(175 total so far). Ones that were out for 3 days ranged from 1 cup to 3/4ths of a pail 2.5 gal pails. We haven't checked sugar content but it doesn't matter because we can't collect till the snow goes down. We can tap with snow shoes but can't collect.
My test buckets are at 1/4 - 1/3 full. Also 2.5 gal. size. Its slowly beginning to happen.
At 8:30AM this mornings I put in 4 taps. Checked Pails at 5pm
Tonight and sap that did flow didn't even cover bottom of pail.
Guess a little early yet. Maybe tap next weekend.
I put out 2 test taps yesterday and another 8 today. Absolutely nothing. No drops from the tap holes, nothing in the bags. Snow is about knee deep and everything still seems pretty well frozen. I plan to set the rest of my taps next weekend and see what happens after that.
Put out another 125 with 100 to go. We will wait till some of the snow goes down to get the rest out. The wife has the web site up and running, so if anyone wants to check out what we're up to check it out.
Anything happening for you Brad?
We tapped our tubing last week. Not much happening, but we had about 160 gal of sap in the tank before everything froze up. We'll probably start tapping the bags this weekend, or early next week. For now, we've just been beating down paths to the trees with snowshoes. It's tough going with 2-3 feet of snow in the woods, and deeper drifts in some places.
Well my test buckets from early last week are only 1/4 - 1/2 full. How's your sap flow?
All tapped. Still froze up.
Tapping today here in Hayward, WI Let the season begin
That darn snow is still so deep in the woods here in Barnes. I have two 500+' of sap lines to wrangle in the woods to get my trees tapped. I'm hoping for a good thaw this week, and maybe finally tapping next weekend with help.
I'm heading out to tap today as soon as I can get the kid moving! He's not as excited about it as me for some reason.
Saturday tapped 100.
Yes snow is deep.
Checked buckets this morning and most
all had sap. Few buckets were actually 1/3 to half full.
Most had 1-2 inches in bucket. I should be boiling later
This week.
Not tapping til next weekend. Way to much snow out there. Tapped a few today and all were dry.
I packed down trails with snowshoes a couple days ago, tapped today.
Most trees were runnng this afternoon, looks like a good week ahead.
There is a lot of snow in the woods, gathering is going to be a challenge.
The evaporator and sugar House is ready to go, looking forward to a good season!
I made some paths with snowshoes and am all tapped as of this afternoon. Trees are a mix of still frozen, wet, and some flow. A few trees had about 1" of sap in the bag from the past 24 hours.
I tapped 27 out of 50 yesterday ... until the heel strap on my snowshoe broke. Actually, it broke on tree 24 ... and I did the last three without. Still over the knee in spots (Hayward). Most trees running before the spiles were in. Bags this AM looked to have about 2" in them. I'm holding off on the last 23 until this snow goes down some!
Finished tapping the rest of our bags today. Snow's still deep. Tap holes were all wet, some running good already. Looks like it's "game on." Not looking forward to hauling buckets through all that snow though.
Looks like a collection for sure by Wednesday. Some buckets over half full, others only an inch today. Sap flow rate is all over the place, as expected early season.
Winter, WI
Test tree has done nothing, almost all of my trees (reds) are north facing or in middle of woods. Will be replacing 2 3/16" lines and adding a 3rd so I walked those routes today, clearing branches as needed. Crusty the first 3-4" on top and then another 16" or so of very dry snow, no compacting trails.... Will get out 20 or so bags tomorrow and then set the lines on Friday. May hit 80 taps (20 bags / 60 on 3/16" mechanical vacuum) this season, need to try to make up from a dismal season last year....
Winter, WI
Got 16 bags out today, 90% were dripping right away.
Got up to land today and gathered 30 buckets. Got 40 gallons.
Buckets were tapped Saturday.
Are you guys getting decent flow even with heavy snow cover and still-frozen ground? We are in the great white north, and I'm trying to figure out what to expect this weekend. We tapped two weeks ago, and Old Man Winter just laughed.
Flow is better then I thought it would be with the heavy snow.Quote:
Originally Posted by TwoSaps
Of the 30 buckets I dumped, 8 of them we over flowing. I also had a few
With not much at all.
Most of my trees are either north facing or deep in the woods. It feel it is gonna take some time before those flow. I ended up tapping some on my neighbors property yesterday, those had a lot of sun and were flowing nicely, even though there is still 20" of snow on the ground around them.
I guess I don,t understand the talk about frozen ground having anything to do with sap flow. The root systems are well below frost line in most cases. Here in Florence county the ground is always frozen when I tap and usually still is when I tear down.
I understand that to be correct with maples, what is happening above ground determines when the sap flows. With birch, it is what happens below the ground (roots) that determine when it flows. (that is why birch tapping season comes about the time that maple has ended.)
That is also why the birches run almost continually once tapped. The tap holes in birch should be plugged once the spoiled are pulled