Description

Sugarcane is an old world crop, its exact origin is hard to pinpoint because it has been in cultivation for thousands of years. During the industrial revolution, this plant helped shift the paradigms of the World. In tropical and subtropical regions it is the main source of refined sugar. Ancient Egyptians used sugarcane for various applications, one of them being to chew on it and clean their teeth.

‘LA Green’ is a sugarcane variety that originally was brought to Florida by a Vietnamese home gardener from Louisiana. It is vigorous, reliable and hardy. Culms attain 10-14ft height in optimal conditions. Overall, this is our go to variety: great for pressing/juice, chewing and garnish.

Sugarcane is fast growing and saltwater tolerant and can be great for erosion control. It is in the grass family and possesses a dense fibrous root system. It grows in a clump much like bamboo and does not run as many mistakenly believe. Sugarcane culms can be very ornamental if properly maintained.

Culms are usually harvested during the dry season, when the sugar content is at its highest. For Central Florida this can be anywhere between December and mid February. If you harvest culms during the rainy season, say July or August, they will contain lots of juice but a lot less sweetness. We recommend harvesting culms once a year and letting the clumps regenerate over the next year. After a few years it might proof beneficial to start a new planting in a different location from scratch for better harvests/yields.

Organic matter, mulch and abundant moisture will increase yields. Sugarcane cold hardiness depends on variety, on average sugarcane is hardy to USDA Zone 8.

There are three ways you can start cuttings:

– In the ground in a moist and sunny location with a good amount of organic matter lay the cutting down horizontally with the “eyes” facing sideways. Cover the cutting with 1-2 inches of soil. Keep substrate moist.

– Place each cutting in a one gallon pot with at least one node buried by substrate, high organic matter. Place in a sunny location and keep substrate moist. Containerized methods might be better if starting cuttings in the dry season.

– Place the cuttings horizontally with the “eyes” facing sideways in a container that allows substrate to drain (tote with holes, square long flower pot, etc). The container does not need to be too deep, shallow works well. Place in a sunny location and keep substrate moist. Containerized methods might be better if starting cuttings in the dry season. For this method using sawdust or shavings works very well. If all eyes shoot you can divide the cutting at the internodes and make several plants out of it.

3 cuttings (7″-10″)