Heating trees through a cold snap...

[DrTimPerkins]

I'm willing to think a little outside the box given the constraints. Lots of ideas are stupid, but not trying anything is antithetical to my person!

Thinking outside the box is great. Putting your head in a box and lighting it on fire is not. Put half as much energy into thinking of something else that would be fun to do and you'd be far better off.

[Galena]

Thinking outside the box is great. Putting your head in a box and lighting it on fire is not. Put half as much energy into thinking of something else that would be fun to do and you'd be far better off.

Listen to an international authority on the subject. And you even refer to it yourself, in your very first post here, that it might be an ill-thought out plan. And guess what, it is!!!!! And it takes the cake for stupidest, greediest, most selfish, and disrespectful and ill-conceived plan for getting sap that I've ever heard of.

Guess what, all of us had to all wait all winter for conditons to be right for our trees to produce. Oh and btw you say this technique works for fruit trees? Well uhm if your maples are as big as you say they are, they are miles bigger than any fruit tree...and they are not f**kin fruit trees, or have you not noticed?! You're clearly a dumbass city person with no knowledge, and even worse, no respect at all for your trees or the rhythms and flow of nature and life in the country. Go ahead and fill that vacancy for village idiot.

You are about to do something staggeringly stupid, and all for the sake of not letting down your little princess. Really? Maybe it's time she learned that she can't always get things her way. And nor can you. Bet anything that, should she start jonesing for a glass of milk and you're miles away from any store, but there happens to be a cow or two standing in a pasture, that you would pull over, jump out with a container in hand, and start hauling away on their teats. Or what you thought were teats. Guess you'll have plenty of time to think that over while recovering in hospital from getting your head half kicked off your shoulders.

Ever considered doing something that actually makes sense, like hiring someone local to tap your trees for you, sans stupidass plan, and collect and freeze the sap when the trees are ready to give it to you? Then you can come home and make syrup at your leisure, or have them make it into syrup for you and ship it to you in Sparklefart Land. No probably not, that would make far too much sense.

[berkshires]

<a darn fine rant followed by> Last edited by Galena; Today at 04:26 PM

Wow, I want to see what you wrote before the edit. LOL I bet it was strong enough to send one of those not-a-cows running for the barn!

GO

[Galena]

Wow, I want to see what you wrote before the edit. LOL I bet it was strong enough to send one of those not-a-cows running for the barn!

GO

Let's just say that my keyboard's still smoking. I take care of my trees and treat them and their sap with respect. So when some greedy a-hole starts spewing about how he's gonna carry out this asinine plan, against all advice, all just for his preshus l'il darlin so she won't be all sad...makes me see Canadian red. You think it's any coincidence that the maple leaf on our flag is the colour of arterial blood?

Furthermore, speaking of his daughter....look at the example he's setting for her in doing this. He'd not showing how much he cares for her. He's showing her that it's OK to be selfish and greedy do whatever the hell stupid and dangerous thing you want for some short-term jollies, and not think about the future and the possible consequences of your actions. Maybe next year he won't have any trees to tap cause he'll have burnt them down.

[psparr]

Just buy a gallon of syrup, and 40 jugs of water and mix. Then boil until 40 gallons of water are removed.
You've made your syrup!

[mike103]

As you state in your post, you dont have much time to play with. And the fact that Sugaring is probably the most labor intensive and weather dependent winter time Hobby you can possibly do.... That said, there are a few well meaning posts above, such as visiting a nearby Sugar House and purchasing syrup or sap . Trying to cheat mother nature is probably not going to work, and running small propane tanks for any length of time in sub freezing weather will shut heaters down after an hour or two do to pg evaporating poorly. But they are however your (trees) and best of luck with your choice....

[ennismaple]

The teaching moment here should be that as farmers we take what Mother Nature gives us. We have some control (irrigation, tile drainage) but by and large we are at her mercy. Boiling sap into syrup is only a part of the complete experience.

[FDA]

Let's just say that my keyboard's still smoking. I take care of my trees and treat them and their sap with respect. So when some greedy a-hole starts spewing about how he's gonna carry out this

Respect eh? You signature says 17 taps in 6 tree's.................... Just saying...............

[NTBugtraq]

And here I am thinking that sap flows as a result of changes in barometric pressure. While temperature changes are the driving force in changing barometric pressure, it is not a matter of isolated temperature changes (e.g. the type you would create by using propane heat), but instead a broader area of pressure change. You are trying to affect the tree from head to toe (tip of branch to tip of root)...I laugh out loud thinking you think you can do that with a propane torch...no matter how big it is.

Propane torches may work in California as a way of preventing frost from forming on above ground produce...but trying to get tree roots, buried 5-10' underground to release sap into tree trunks likely 60+ feet tall is hilarious.

[tcross]

this thread is great...