All 23 buckets out in Tamworth

Well I have all my buckets out, unless I decide to find more. I am not sure if I should find more.

If there is a run, then I will have more than I did last year with 15 buckets, and if there is no run at all I will just have 23 + buckets to wash and put away.

I don't understand why no trees are running with this warm spell. I am wearing 2 shirts and sweating my tail off in the sun.

None to sure there is going to be any run here in Tamworth..

ALl these trees are in the woods trees, but some are in full sun much of the day.

Whats up with my trees?

I have the same problem Mac. I fogure it has to run sometime. The old timers here abouts figure it should run this week also. I guess when its your first time you have no idea what to expect and of course we are working with nature and she has her own ideas sometimes.

This is my first year too mac & the sap flow seems funny, according to what I read and imagined. Just when you think you got it scientifically figured out it all flip flops on you. I wouldn't worry, somehow I think you'll end up getting sap.

Well I don't want to wait! I like the outdoors just fine, but it's nature I hate :razz:
Maybe some one from the Govt will come to help?

Patience my friends, sap will come it does every year, one thing I learned over the years is that it will happen, just on its own terms, it didn't run because it didn't want to and something wasn't right, blame it on south wind, no freeze at night, barometric pressure, or the moon, but when it happens it happens, just be ready then.

That's my next guestion does the fact we are coming into a full moon mean anything.

I wonder how this effects the trees budding out... it seems budding out means the end of the season.

Now I could use a bit more advise..

My pan more or less is 2 x 3, and wood fired.

Last year I made 3 gallons for lack of sap and wanted to make about 5 gallons.

I didn't want more sap than to make 5 gallons either. Now I have 23 buckets out, and still don't want to make over 5 gallons.

But if the run is going to be short in time, is it wise to find and add more buckets over all?

I have 12 nore taps, but no more buckets right now.

If I hung more buckets and the run is good, I could have more sap that I can boil.

What to do?

Maybe this is "THE GREAT MAPLE MOON" alot of folks talk about!!!!

"THE GREAT MAPLE MOON", That's a joke right? I have never heard of this before. I have heard of sugar snow, before, but never this..

I would think that depends on a number of things like, wood supply, your time available and weather you have storage for sap. As a general rule of thumb you should plan on two gallons of storage for each tap in really good runs. I would think 25-30 taps in good healthy sugar maples should get close to the 5 gallons of syrup. Of course low sugar content would effect that some.

I believe that good runs are still to come, this past warm up was just a preview and really although it was warm was not ideal conditions with south wind and no freeze at night. Most of the people who got sap of any significant amount were running vac. and that can make huge difference in marginal weather conditions

When the weather turns right you have have all the sap you will need and unless you have unlimited time to commit to boiling 25 taps will give you 20-40 gals on each run. I estimated that your 2x3 pan will boil 5-8 gals of an hour so you do the math and make the decision.

good luck