#MAPLE SYRUP TREES TYPE MAPLE TREE HOW TO#
#MAPLE SYRUP TREES TYPE MAPLE TREE UPGRADE#

The optimal time to tap maple trees is when the daytime temps are above freezing and dip below freezing at night for at least a period of a few days. I’ve tapped as early as the second half of January and have collected sap right through March. There is not a specific date that you can put on your calendar each spring that reminds you it’s time to tap your trees. Maple Sap Bags on Galvanized Hangers When To Tap Either system works just fine and there are several more types including the old-fashioned galvanized buckets with a lid. When I first got started I bought the sap bag hangers from my local Amish hardware store and I like them because with just a quick glance you can see how much sap you’ve collected. I use some of those plastic taps listed above with tubing to drain into 5 gallon food grade buckets, but I also use metal taps with galvanized metal hangers that hold sap bags. That list is the bare necessities to get started.

Cordless drill with drill bit to match spile (tap).

Clean buckets or jugs – even thoroughly washed out milk jugs will work for this.

It will open in a new tab so you don’t lose your place here. Check the resource page for products I use.

Cheapest way to get started Starter Materials to Buy With care and proper cleaning you’ll be able to reuse most items year after year.

#MAPLE SYRUP TREES TYPE MAPLE TREE UPGRADE#

Of course once you get bit by the maple sugaring bug you’ll want to upgrade some of your equipment. Pure maple syrup can be expensive, but with a very small investment you can purchase the equipment needed to make your own syrup at home. You can also keep reading for an overview of the easiest and least expensive way to make maple syrup from your backyard maple trees. Most beginners have many questions most of which I’ve answered in this article on my website. Ratio of Taps to Sap to Finished Maple Syrup Being diligent collecting sap and having some trees that are great sap producers could net you close to double these amounts. This table gives the minimum you should expect. This should help determine how many taps you need to put in to provide enough syrup based on how much your family consumes in a year. In the table below I’ve laid out the number of taps and how much sap and syrup you could expect to get in a season. If the weather is good for sap flow it doesn’t take many days like that to reach that 10 gallon mark.

I have one tree in particular that will nearly fill a 4-gallon blue sap bag in one day. How Much Sap Can a Maple Tree Produce?įrom my experience each tap in a tree will produce at least 10 gallons of sap per season and sometimes much more.

#MAPLE SYRUP TREES TYPE MAPLE TREE HOW TO#

In this article I’ll show you step-by-step how to set your taps to collect sap and then boil that sap down into maple syrup. They don’t have to be sugar maples either, any type of maple tree will work. I’ve been making maple syrup at home for years now from just 3 or 4 large maple trees in my yard. If you have several mature maple trees in your backyard like I do, you could make over a gallon of maple syrup every year. One large tree can produce enough sap to boil down into a quart of syrup. How many maple trees do you need to make syrup? Well it turns out you only need one decent size maple tree to make your own maple syrup at home. Or maybe you saw some sap buckets hanging on maple trees while out on a drive down a country road and wondered if you could do that too if you had enough maples trees at home. Perhaps you’ve seen maple tapping supplies at the hardware store, or a video came up in your YouTube feed about making maple syrup at home.

Maple syrup trees type maple tree