[Can of Bliss]

I'm making compost tea using maple sap rather than water (as it comes out of the tree, not syrup). It's only an option for a small part of the year, but tree blood seems like a great base to work off of.

The sap I just used has a ec reading around 300 ppm and a pH of 6.5. I aim for a tea with 900ppm using worm casting, a wood & cow poo compost, fish emulsion, soluble kelp, soluble humate powder, & sea bird guano. I add molasses too, but about half what I would to tap water.

Has anyone tried this before, or have any idea what is in sap other than the little bit of sugar? I haven't been able to find a good analysis of what is in sap.

[troutman]

I haven't tried it but I was thinking about using some.

I bet it's full of goodies plants and soil microorganisms will enjoy.

Check the Nutrition and food characteristics section here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_syrup

[Maple_Flail]

https://wildfoodism.com/2015/02/24/t...aple-tree-sap/

Reading between the lines, Consuming sap would be giving you trace minerals (cal and mag to be exact) beneficial amino acids , and sugars.

Sounds like a bloom booster to me, and i can see it being used as part of a tea for full term. if you are running DTW, I can see it causing issues if you recirculate (gumming up and such)

the sap its self is made up of 1 or 2% sugar?.. the boil down is real.. many memories of going to the grandparents farm when i was a little boy dumping in barrels of sap to get so little out of the boiler after the weekend or however long it was.

I would consider cooking it off just slightly, to try to get the sugars up to a slightly higher percentage (5%? maybe), just be aware, it would likely be foolish to store this tea for long. unknown enzymatic content could lead to surprise fermentation.

Also known enzymatic mixes shouldn't be left with it, IE malted barley, and baby coconut water. etc.

[TychoMonolyth]

My black maples push out 4-6% (brix meter to measure).

I used to make syrup but I don't anymore. You can freeze it, like you do water and use it when you want it. Fill plastic water bottles and freeze them. Don't fill them too much or they'll bust! If you don't freeze them they'll start to ferment after a few days.

Should be good to make IMO2/3/4.

Can you flush with it?

[MJPassion]

Send the sap to a lab for analysis!

I’d be willing to bet that you could water that sap right into your soil as is.
After all it is plant blood (more or less)!

[Maple_Flail]

Originally Posted by TychoMonolyth

My black maples push out 4-6% (brix meter to measure).

I used to make syrup but I don't anymore. You can freeze it, like you do water and use it when you want it. Fill plastic water bottles and freeze them. Don't fill them too much or they'll bust! If you don't freeze them they'll start to ferment after a few days.

Should be good to make IMO2/3/4.

Can you flush with it?

It would be interesting to see what other sap bearing trees could have beneficial sap in it. I know some birch and ash weep a little bit if cut in the spring. maybe a particularly weepy weeping willow for to use as rooting compound.

I don't think i'd flush with something that could start to ferment before it dried out, this would inhibit much mycrozial activity i think

[Maple_Flail]

Originally Posted by MJPassion

Send the sap to a lab for analysis!

I’d be willing to bet that you could water that sap right into your soil as is.
After all it is plant blood (more or less)!

water with natural cal mag? sounds like Coco coir's best friend

There are a number of trees which can be tapped for their sap, and many which should not. For example, Willow bark contains salicylic acid, which is the active ingredient of Aspirin, so the sap should not be consumed as a food.

Suitable trees:

Birch
Larch
Lime
Maples
Sycamore
Walnut

https://www.judyofthewoods.net/forage/tree_sap.html