Why I Decided to Use Tubing to Tap Our Trees

I was waffling earlier in the year, so why did I decide to use tubing to tap our trees after all? 'Cause it's not for the looks :)

1. Tubing + Gravity = A slight vacuum

That vacuum increases the amount of sap produced by each tree

2. The closed system of the tubing prevents rapid bacteria growth, which extends the length of the season versus tapping with a bucket and spile.

A longer tapping season means more sap collected.

view from the first black walnut on the line, there's two taps in this tree, so two drop lines lead into the mainline

3. Tubing can be left in place from year to year, which reduces the workload.

The taps and drops (tubing connecting the tap to the main line) have to be removed and replaced, but the rest can stay in place. I'll have to remove most, if not all, of the tubing since some of it's too close to the ground and little boys and squirrels would not be able to leave it alone. I'll mark the trees so I know where I placed the tubing, which will make putting it back a lot quicker.

It was less expensive than I anticipated, though I did skip the tool to quickly insert the drops into the mainline. It would have made my life so much easier and the process would have been faster, but I just couldn't justify the cost of the tool. Though I could re-sell it on eBay, so maybe I'll get it next year, since I won't need to buy more tubing.

At the end of the season, I'll compare the yield to previous years to see how much of a difference there is.