What is good tempature for maple tree tapping?

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

I am going to tap maple tree's this year (first time) and I wanted to know if this was good maple tree weather? This weeks forcast for my area is the hottest day about 59 degrees and the coldest day about 44 degrees for this week. With the lows being in the 30s. Is this a good time to start tapping the maple tree's?

 

[silkiechicken]

I thought tapping was to be done in the early spring? (I don't tap, or have maple trees, in other words clueless!)

 

[Jane Jill Jack]

Have you had a hard freeze yet? Your temperature sounds just a little too warm, since the peak flow occurs during freezing nights and day temperatures in the 40's.

 

[ambrosia]

We dabbled a little in maple syrup making, and did it all in the spring... 27 trees yielded approx 30 gallons of sap per day! Be prepared to run amok

But we do ours in the spring, because we were told the water drawn up is for leaf production and it doesn't hurt the tree at that time...

 

[goldtopper]

You do it in Spring when the sap is running. Not a good idea to dehydrate your Maples in the Fall.

 

[MeatKing]

Quote:
X2

also you may want to start thinking now about your boil down plan..

We use a turkery deep fryer pot outside, and hubby just keeps adding and boiling.. We finish in the house..
Will make your house sticky, I've heard..So I also want that outside, plus all the moisture puts out..

 

[porkchop48]

Spring.

You will kill your tree if you do it in the fall.


Nothing taste better on pancakes that good real maple syrup.


And when you do fall asleep while waiting for it to finish off the smell will takes weeks to get out of your house regardless of how much cleaning, frebreezing, window opening, fan blowing you do. Not that I would know anything about that

 

[chickbea]

You should only tap in the spring.
How to tell when the sap is actually running is a tricky thing; your best bet is to keep an eye on the old-timers in your area and follow their advice.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Many years there will be a January or February thaw in which case you can start tapping and yield two runs. The spring run stops when temps stop freezing at night. North facing hills can be tapped longer than south facing and elevations play a role so don't go by what others are doing as conditions are not exactly the same.

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

Thank you all! For some reason I thought that I read to tap the tree's in fall. I am happy to hear this before I tapped my tree's! I will be tapping them in the spring! My plan is that I will boil the sap ontop of my woodstove (in the basement).

Thanks again!