So I had to rethink my plan. Was -3 last night currently +6. Ice still on the lake. No peepers. No buds on the trees yet. Not a drop was coming from my lines. So I re tapped 400 or so. Moved all the taps to the north side of the trees. Flowing like crazy right now. Collected 400L so far this morning. Did a test boil. Still very mid season flavour. I think tapping to catch the weird early runs is affecting the sap production later in the season. Holes are drying up.
Longevity of tapholes will depend upon the weather, method of collection (gravity collection vs tubing collection), sanitation level of spouts and drops, and whether you are using vacuum (as well as your style of vacuum management). Typically retapping or taphole rejuvenation practices are not recommended -- you are essentially turning each 1-tap tree into a 2-tap tree in terms of internal wounding. Generally this is not a sustainable practice if repeated frequently in the long-term.
Dr. Tim Perkins
UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
https://mapleresearch.org
Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu
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