Sugarcane

I bought a sugarcane from our local Asian market. I am trying to root the top indoor now and not sure how long it takes for it to root? I probably keep it potted and overwinter indoor.

Tony

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It’s widely grown in my area – I’ll guess 1 in 10 yards has a clump of it.

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I’m going to buy some this year, many cultivars out there.

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Drew,

I really enjoyed the purple sugarcane as snack at my Grandma’s tropical orchard when I was in my teen.

Tony

Yeah I’m going to grow two in containers. The two highest yielding in Florida are Florida Green, and Redlands Blackstrap. I’m going to get the Blackstrap. I’m also adding one for ornamental reasons, harder to eat but beautiful is Hilo Buddha. hilo Buddha

Redlands Blackstrap
blackstrap sugarcane

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I always feel that the red cane is sweeter than the green/yellow cane. Anyway, at my age, I can “chew” sugar cane anymore. I like it fresh-squeezed instead.

By the way, the herb garden at U of Rhone Island has several herbs, tropical plants including a clump of sugar cane growing in their outdoor display. Not sure if they needed to dig them up and move them inside yearly or just mulched it.
I was very impressed when I saw them considering how far north they were grown. It’s in Kingston, RI.

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@tonyOmahaz5,
I know your aware but for those who are not sorghum is a sweet substitute that will mature in the same season. Sorghum is perfect for Kansas & Nebraska Sweet Sorghum Research | Department of Agronomy and Horticulture | Nebraska. I know it’s not sugarcane and it’s not the same but for me I can live with the sorghum.

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Apparently they do fine in containers. they are a grass.
Juicing for cocktails sounds good. Cutting vertical to make strips to use as stirrers in drinks, I keep coming back to drinks?
Blackstrap

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Clark,

Did you get the seeds from UNL?

Tony

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I’ve never tried fresh sugar cane but cool. John Collier recommended it in one of his videos. AFAIK it’s the #1 largest crop in the world by acreage.

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Cut them into long strip, chopstick-like and use them as skewers for barbecue meat. @tonyOmahaz5 knows well for quite a few dishes of Vietnamese dishes featypured sugar cane prominently.

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Wonderful isn’t it?:blush:

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No I’ve grown several types of sorghum but never that type. I love the fact that they are interested in using it for ethanol and other things. We raise a lot for sweet sorghum and sileage in my area. Try this type https://www.rhshumway.com/P/09973/Rox+Orange+Cane
it will grow here fine. I grew it the time before last and it’s really good. $6 for 1/2 pound of seed. Tony you might like this thread http://www.growingfruit.org/t/sweet-sorghum/12674.
I occasionally get a paragraph or short article published in a bee magazine or self sufficiency type etc. Not sure whatever happened to the last article about sorghum presses that was supposed to be published by Mother Earth news a few years ago. I never heard it got used but I did sign a release. This is the press used for pressing very small amounts of cane you may want to get I mentioned in the article. 3BF02BEC-F4F1-477D-A02C-B3C962B80947

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I have grown probably 20 different varieties over the last 20 years. That piece of sugar cane in the picture appears to be dried out and probably will not sprout. Secondly, the way to root sugar cane is to lay it on it side because each joint on a good piece of sugar cane will sprout and provide multiple stalks of sugar cane. In zone 8, we cut the sugar cane down in the fall before the first frost and put it in a bed. ie lay a base of pine straw on the ground and then place a mound of the stalks of sugar on top, cover the mound with a lot of pine straw so it does not freeze but moisture can get to the stalks. do not clean the sugar cane or strip leaves from it in the fall before putting it in the bed. The natural decomp from the leaves provides moisture and some heat in the bed. Uncover the bed in the spring after the last frost and plant your stalks of cane lengthwise in a row.

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Thanks a lot for that info. Yes I noticed at the nodes root fibers on many photos.

both green and purple types will root aggressively within a month, and seem not to slow down even when left outdoors and unprotected the entire winter here(with lows of ~32). I typically end up planting cuttings around mid to late november, simply because it is a staple of hispanics around thanksgiving so more available around that time( i wish it would be available around late spring, say, cinco de mayo, when the weather is more conducive, but for some reason it is not… )

here, there are two scenarios need to deal with. The nodes( unfortunately only has one node per segment) seem to be more sensitive to cold than the roots, so even if the segments actively grow roots in the cold of winter, which raises one’s hopes :disappointed: the cutting does not prosper whent it gets warmer weather because the nodes are already dead…

the other(and less heartbreaking) scenario would be that the segments won’t root at all, likely due to the root buds, if not the entire cutting --having succumbed to <32 temps while in transit.

when get the chance, will post a pic of my rooted green-type sc which hopefully still have viable nodes.

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it is a must-try if you’re visiting puerto rico, hawaii, etc. Sugar cane juice tastes so much better than, well, sugar. Primarily because the juice has minerals/vitamins along with its uniquely refreshing flavor.

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As much as i hate to direct people to other websites, i suggest going to a sugarcane growers site. there are as many types of sugar cane as there are types of apple trees. Sugar cane does not grow will outdoors any further north than zone 8. Depending on what part of the country you are in, you can cut the sugar cane down before the first freeze and pile a little dirt back on to the row of sugar cane or cover with pine straw or wheat straw. (not hay, hay does not allow moister to make it to the roots). The next spring, your sugar cane will sprout back. The striped sugar cane does not sprout back as well as other types. I am not talking about sprouting back in zone 9 or 10 but in zone 8. Finally, let your sugar cane grow all summer and only harvest it right before your first frost. As long as you put the sugar cane in a “bed” and keep it covered, you can reach in it from harvest until you plant it and pull a stalk of sugar cane out of the pile, peel and chew it. It will be just as sweet as the day you cut it down. If peeling and chewing the sugar cane, peel and chew form the top down. The top is less sweet than the bottom but still as good unless you work your way up. sorry for being long winded.

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I ordered seed…should be here soon… not sure if i’ll in ground it or container it.

What type of soil or does it matter?

From what I have read they are not too picky on soil. I may not get any this year, still trying to decide.