Gardening & Landscaping Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for gardeners and landscapers. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
I have a V shaped Acer pseudoplatanus (2 leaders, starting right from the ground). Do I need two holes to use all juice producing capacity of the tree? Or one is enough? From what part of the tree the juice comes? How does it flow, in which direction?
(The tree is 14 years old, and I don't plan to get any juice for half a dozen years, but I am asking in advance)
I tapped 2 silver maples that were roughly a foot in diameter. I put 3 each 1/2" diameter titanium tubes in each ; about 1.5 " deep ( steel ,aluminum or brass tubes will work fine). You need to go deeper than the bark. The juice will be a very fast, almost continuous drip on a GOOD day , a gallon per tube. A good day is when the temp is in the teens at night then the day is sunny and in the 30's. When the temp is in the 40's day and night you won't get much juice. The juice stops automatically when the sap starts and the buds swell. Then pull out the metal tubes. After you boil off about 90% of the water, let it sit overnight, a white layer will settle , pour off the juice and boil until it is syrup . I boiled one gallon to one cup ( 16 : 1). I read the cloudiness/ white layer is protein.
