How soon for sap to run?

[Steelhead]

I drilled into my silver maple in the city and nothing is happening yet. Does anyone have any sap flowing?

[DARK30]

I'm not a sapper but the coming temps look real nice.

[Bobby Bass]

Up north here my neighbor who makes syrup was out today checking trees just because it was a nice day but he says it will still be a few weeks before he does any tapping.

[leech~~]

I drilled into my silver maple in the city and nothing is happening yet. Does anyone have any sap flowing?

Get all your taps and stuff ready and just watch them, you will know when they start dripping. Mine start dripping like crazy when it's time.

[Stick in Mud]

I tapped a few today that already had sap pouring out of them. First time doing it, though, so I might be too early.

[highlife4me]

If you haven't started tapping yet I wouldn't wait too long. With the lack of snow in the area I wouldn't be too surprised if the season is cut short with the temperature warming too fast.

[DARK30]

Would three large trees be worth messing with?

[Stick in Mud]

A friend of mine has been sappin' for almost 60 years, and he got all his tapped this weekend. I'm just doing what he does.

[Stick in Mud]

Would three large trees be worth messing with?

I think the ratio is something like 41:1, meaning 41 gallons of sap will get you 1 gallon of syrup. I'm not certain, though, and am prepared to be corrected.

[pushbutton]

Stick, you are pretty much on the mark.....give or take a few gallons or so. Darkie, in the past, on good years have gotten near 3 gallons finished on as little as 7 big silvers, with like 3-4 taps on each, but I mean biggins. This year is starting to not look too good though.....way too warm too early. Hopefully, the not forecasted lows will get lower. Good thing is Accuweather is usually not that accue....time will tell. Do agree, now looks to be the time ......with hope for the future in the lower 48......the trees will "recharge" before budding, but only with some cooler weather....especially nighttime lows.

[schr0563]

I checked 4 silvers yesterday and all were dry - I will check them again tonight. This is in the west metro.

[Gissert]

I have 135 sugars tapped in central Ottertail county. Nothing yet, but most of what little snow was left is gone. Ponded water on the trails, and when that starts to soak in the trees usually start. It was -18 last Thursday, so the trunks are still pretty cold. If the forecast holds true, we should get a pretty good run soon.

[deerminator]

I have three test taps out on our sugar maples. Nothing yet.

[pushbutton]

On snow melted upland sand, with night time lows still dipping, still flowing from the silvers ....not that good though.....and next nothing from the box elders. Looking at the forecast, suspect it will cut off till next week.

[Gissert]

I think the trunks are still frozen. Checked mu sugars yesterday and almost nothing on 135 taps. The snow had melted, but was ponded on the trails and low spots, indicating solid frozen ground.

Tapped two sugars in my yard yesterday afternoon. One is dry and the other pushed out about 16 ounces in several hours.

I think they will bust loose in another day or two.

[deerminator]

Yes, started flowing here yesterday. Not much but about 2 gallons from my 3 test trees so started tapping others.

[zzammon]

Two Boxelder test taps in Mankato area are running strong. Going towards Little Falls for the weekend where 40 taps with 5 gallon pails have been sitting since monday. Praying for overflowing buckets.

[Cicada]

Lots of trees tapped in Maplewood State Park. I got out of the pickup and shook one of the garbage cans they use and had maybe a gallon in it. Don't know how long they have been out or when they were emptied.

[Gissert]

Dropped to about 27 degrees last night - thought wed get some flow but only 10 gallons out of 135 taps today.

[deerminator]

Started flowing more today. I am new to this so I have no idea if 5 gallons out of 10 trees in 24 hours is good. I would think so if I read a large maple can produce 10 gallons of sap in a season for you.

[delcecchi]

http://www.myminnesotawoods.umn.edu/2015/03/its-maple-syrup-season/

http://www.myminnesotawoods.umn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/MAPLE-SYRUP-V9-SR.pdf

http://www.extension.umn.edu/environment/trees-woodlands/homemade-maple-syrup/

http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard...a-maple-series/

a little info from Extension

[Stick in Mud]

I helped collect sap at the arboretum near where I live. I think we got 500 gallons from about 1500 trees.

[Steelhead]

Very little production from river maples in the St. Cloud area. tree buds looked they were coming along. Will the low temps this week get the flow going or is it going to be a bad year.?

[DaSwede]

I tapped two huge silvers in my backyard. One is flowing pretty strong. The other is dry. They are only about 50 yards (east and west) of each other. Not sure why one would run strong and the other nothing, but I'll keep watching. First time doing it, so thought it would be kind of fun to try.

[pushbutton]

Bad thing is 2012 started off a lot like this year., and it was not a good year in the middle/southern part of the state....good thing is that it never really cooled down that much after the warm start like it will this year. Lots of known and unknown variables....time will tell. My limited 4 or 5 year experience gut tells me we will get some decent flow coming up when the lows dip back down, but limited gut also tells me we are not looking at a real good year either. Specific Location will be crucial.....40 ish/lower 20's seem to be optimal.