Should I tap my Maples?

[Wifezilla]

Tapping maples on your property sounds like a no brainer. It was when I lived in Wisconsin. But now I am in Colorado and the who sap flow thing is weird.

Like right now I know sap is flowing because there is a layer of it ON MY CAR! Yesterday some big globs landed on my head as I was getting read to head in to work.

So now, with day temps in the 40's and night time temps in the low 20's, that is typical tapping weather.

But this weekend we are getting a deep freeze with below zero temps at night.

Should I try and see what I can get out of these trees before the weekend? Wait until after our freeze? Not bother since our weather is too weird?

Anyone try this in a non-traditional region before?

 

[Denim Deb]

I've been wondering the same thing about this area. And, while we don't have many sugar maples, from what I understand, you can get syrup from any maple. RU has a huge Norway maple in her side yard, plus there are red maples in the woods. I've been wondering about tapping them.

 

[Damummis]

Can't hurt to try.

 

[Woodland Woman]

That sounds like fun! I love maple syrup I don't have any experience tapping trees but I would think get

it now while you know it is flowing and after the freeze you should get more. You know it takes a lot to boil

down into syrup.

 

[me&thegals]

I might be missing something, but sap? How would this be sap? Do you mean pitch or the really, really thick sticky stuff that comes out of evergreens? The sap doesn't naturally, AFAIK, just come out of the tree spontaneously. It must be tapped for.

Not living in CO, I don't know, but my guess would be that sap moves up and down in trees for the same reason regardless of location--thawing and freezing. Cold nights and warmer days make it move.

Good luck!

 

[Denim Deb]

Sap will come out of trees. I'm not sure how or why it happens, never looked into it, but it will come out of certain trees.

 

[Wifezilla]

You know it takes a lot to boil down into syrup.

Yup! I've done it before. I think we got 1 qt out of 5 gallons of sap when me and little brother did it.

I might be missing something, but sap? How would this be sap? Do you mean pitch or the really, really thick sticky stuff that comes out of evergreens? The sap doesn't naturally, AFAIK, just come out of the tree spontaneously. It must be tapped for.

Sap will sometimes drip...especially when squirrels are nibbling on the tender branch ends or Woodpeckers are hitting the tree now and then

 

[Denim Deb]

Not sure if I'm allowed to post this link or not, if not I'll take it down.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/shaffer59.html

 

[Henrietta23]

I've seen our big maple drip. It is a favorite spot of woodpeckers. I say go for it. Below freezing temps at night might not matter if day time temps are above freezing to get the sap flowing?

 

[freemotion]

Just remember that you have to limit the number/frequency of taps on a particular tree so as not to weaken it, so you may want to wait for a longer, stronger spring flow to tap. Also, your tree needs to be a minimum of 10" diameter (a foot is better) at chest height (I think) (yours, not the tree's, not sure where that would be on a maple) to be safely tapped.

Otherwise, I say, get out there with a flashlight and get tapping!!!!