How long do you wait?!
4 of my reds just started flowing REALLY well today. I tapped 10 total. The other 6 are only producing a few drops per day....I've had the taps in for about a week now. How long do I give them to start producing before moving on to other trees?!
Thanks, everyone.
once you tap them, produce from them until they stop running or the sap turns sour. you keep using the same trees till hte season is done.
Awfully thankful for an understanding wife!
“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
- Vincent “Vince” Lombardi
Good luck to all!
Thank you for the reply. Very much appreciated. This site is an awesome resource.
Forgive the newbie question, but is what you mention the "ethical" thing to do or would it damage the tree? Sort of like hunting - don't shoot something unless you're going to eat it sort of thing...?
Be patient. My trees that are in the sun are running a bit today, but ran better yesterday. The trees that get only partial sun, are dry are dripping very slowly. This time of year, they are still thawing out. You will probably see more and better quantity of sap next week. Have fun and a good season!
2024 - 16 taps - buckets on our best producing trees, still boiling on a block arch with slight modifications/refinements over the years.
2021 - 25 taps - all buckets
2013-2020 - 30/41 taps: discovering which trees were the best producers
2012 - First year - 21 taps in our backyard - block arch evaporator with 3 steam table pans!
I will hold off pulling the taps. Thanks for the reply - I very much value all of the feedback.
Reds are finicky on buckets and gravity. Some will run good and others very little or not at all. If they don't start running when the conditions are right pull the taps and move on to different trees.
Russ
"Red Roof Maples" Where the term "boiling soda" was first introduced to the maple world!
1930 Ford Model AA Doodlebug tractor
A couple of Honda 4 wheelers
Four chainsaws and no chickens!
+1Originally Posted by Russell Lampron
Before this year I never moved taps. This year, with the possibility of a shorter season, I'm moving taps that haven't produced for a week. All my trees are reds. I don't know why, but I figured this out, some reds just don't run. I collected yesterday, and kept riding by this one tree that was doing nothing. All the trees around it had sap in the jugs. The tree is healthy, the tap hole had nice white shavings, and it was tapped just like all the rest. I pulled it, drilled a hole in a tree 10 feet away, and the sap was running before I could get the tap in.
I agree with having patience. But if you only have a few taps, it"s hard to watch even one do nothing and not pull it until the season's over.
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