First time Maple Tappers!

[MichiganWoods]

I had a really really hard time too. Here, check this chart.

http://www.massmaple.org/treeID.html

Essentially you can use four different kinds, but two are better producers than the others as far as sugar content in the sap.

I have a few sugars, a few blacks and a few of the red and silvers, if I'm seeing their graphics right.




Birch Run Farm, birch sap? Does that make birch syrup then?

 

[halo]

Does it hurt the tree to tap the sap out of it?

 

[MichiganWoods]

Not according to the FAQ on that maple site I posted for tree ID.

6. Does tapping harm the maple trees?

Proper tapping does not harm the tree, and the amount of sap taken from the tree is a mere fraction of the volume of sap in the tree on any given day. Trees must be about a foot in diameter before they can be tapped, and most trees can have one or two taps per season. Larger trees may have more. Many of the big maple trees in New England have been tapped yearly for well over 100 years.

I followed the guidelines for tapping that were listed here:

http://www.mi-maplesyrup.com/Activities/activities_homemade.htm



ETA, I just walked outside with a flashlight to check all my jugs, and I think collectively now I've got over a gallon already. 8.5 hours.​

 

[chicken_boy_Kurt]

I just learned about maple sugaring today. It was very interesting.

 

[halo]

Really interesting.

 

[deerman]

Have lots of sugar maples, is it getting to late to tap them??

 

[chicken_boy_Kurt]

Quote:
I think there's about one week left. At least in Pennsylvania.

 

[MichiganWoods]

Well I just tapped mine today and the sap is flowing.

To quote them,

1. When is the Massachusetts maple syrup season?

The Massachusetts. maple production season usually starts in mid/late February in the eastern part of the state and at the lower elevations in the western parts of the state. At higher elevations in western Massachusetts boiling may not start until the first week in March, or later in cold years. The season lasts 4-6 weeks, all depending on the weather. Most all producers are done boiling by mid-April, when the night time temperatures remain above freezing and the tree buds begin to swell.

4. What are the right weather conditions for sap flow?

The tree's sap flow mechanisms depend on temperatures which alternate back and forth past the freezing point (32 degrees F.). The best sap flows come when nighttime temperatures are in the low 20's and daytime temperatures are in the 40's. The longer it stays below freezing at night, the longer the sap will run during the warm day to follow. If the weather gets too cold and stays cold, sap flow will stop. If the weather gets too warm and stays warm, sap flow will stop. The cold weather at night allows the tree to cool down and absorb moisture from the ground via the roots. During the day, the tree warms up, the tree's internal pressure builds up, and the sap will run from a taphole or even a broken twig or branch. For good sap production, maple producers must have the alternating warm/cold temperatures. This is why its so impossible to predict the outcome of the maple crop from year to year.​

 

[deerman]

Well thanks, to late here now we are in the 60s lows 50s.

 

[MichiganWoods]

If you end up with a spell of days that dip back down to around freezing at night and 40's during the day, you might still be able to do it.

I found this one section on their site extremely useful, and good reading for anyone who is doing or is thinking about doing sugaring.

http://www.massmaple.org/how.html