The ten day forecast is perfect. Anyone thinking of tapping yet?
Anyone Tapping Yet?
The ten day forecast is perfect. Anyone thinking of tapping yet?
Too early. Spring will come when the winter is done. As cold as it's been the last couple of days, it'll take 3-4 days of warm weather to thaw the trees out.Originally Posted by Cranberry Hill Farm
Last edited by DrTimPerkins; 01-04-2012 at 04:12 PM.
Dr. Tim Perkins
UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
https://mapleresearch.org
Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu
I'm still waiting for winter. A reasonable snow cover will give us a nice succession of cold nights and warmish days.
2 1/2 X 8 Leader revolution pans on an inferno arch with steamaway. 1500 taps, 600 gph Springtech RO, 3 vacuum systems (3/4 hp. Airablo, 2 hp. Tuthill oilring pump and a 2 hp. Busch claw pump)
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Well actually it depends on where your at, with all due respect Dr. Perkins. Here in southern Ohio I have watched this stupid weather all fall and more than once debated even fall tapping, but always talked myself out of it by saying winter will set in soon as I tap. I have given in and started the process to gear up today. I been cleaning and making up drops. Ordered supplies and will set up the evaporator first thing next week. I'd do it now but have an out of state trip for a couple days. My guess is winter will come, but it will be February and early March and season will be heavily impacted, so I'm getting what early syrup i can. I have a maple behind the house I had trimmed a limb off from a month ago and that thing has dripped sap day after day. I could have already made some syrup! Two years ago it was like this and I tapped on the 20th of January and made half my syrup by February 10th, the next six weeks turned cold and snowy and then boom spring. It took me six weeks to make what I made in 4 or five early boils. Other syrup producers that waited took it in the shorts. I just sense this will be a lot like that year. My ace is I have enough trees to tap early then pull and tap more if I'm wrong. Since I'm a small hobbyist, clean up isn't an issue. If it turns bad I'll shut down, clean up and wait. That is a long answer for saying, that by next weekend (if the weather is unchanged) I'll have taps out and hopefully be boiling.
Absolutely....the original poster is from Ashford (northeast), CT, where it is inland a bit, rural, slightly hilly. It is (in my opinion) too early to tap there, especially if you can't pull taps and move them to other trees.
Fall tapping just isn't something that pans out too often for the vast majority of producers.
Dr. Tim Perkins
UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
https://mapleresearch.org
Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu
Six weeks to go maybe seven.
New 2 x 4 W.F. Mason Hobby Evaporator
145 taps
12 X 12 Sugar Shack
11 Chickens
One man gang
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Boy do I agree with you Doctor Tim! Know offence to anybody but I just can't believe that some people think winter is coming to an end. If that is the case than I guess we wil be mowing hay in April ! My personal thought is we are going to have a late winter and sugaring won't start until March. But, that is just my gut feeling. I plan to start tapping sometime in early Feb. just so I can get them all drilled before it starts to run.
Last edited by Greenwich Maple Man; 01-04-2012 at 07:42 PM.
I realized after coming back that I had replied to a post in the Tapping CT category, sorry. I have this habit of clicking on the "today's post" link and not looking what column they came from. So I put on my dummy hat and will sit in the sugar house corner for a bit.
with that said, Southern Ohio weather is more temperate than you Northern sugar addicts. Our season has a habit of turning too warm suddenly. In my short experience I have rarely had much flow past march 15th. Oh you'll get some cold snaps and a day or two of sap, but all the equipment has to be cleaned over and over if you hang around for those dew days off and on. I am almost always tapped by January 30th, so the 15th isn't that far off from normal. As for winter, I have no delusions that it is about to end early, in fact I think it's coming late and then change to spring fast.
Oh yeah, I have not seen hay cut in April, but I have seen hay cut by mid May around here.
Last edited by buckeye gold; 01-04-2012 at 05:50 PM.
I am in southern CT by the shore and have been watching the weather be in the 30-40s day after day I am tempted to tap but still think winter will come. The question for the Dr. is if we never get winter how will that impact the flow. Three years ago I tapped Jan. 20 th and the sap flowed so good and so hard I could not keep up. Nice light syrup. I watch the 10 day forcast in late Jan. and decide to tap if it looks like a good run. I am so close to the water that the weather can change off warm and stay that way if I miss the first chance. However I also have extra trees to tap if I am wrong on the first guess.
Was wondering if you have ever seen the North East not get a winter?
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