Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
When to Plant Sugarcane?
When to Plant Sugarcane?. A large grass, sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) grows 10 to 16 feet tall in regions where frosts don't occur. Sugarcane may be grown easily across the southern half of the United States, but it persists as a perennial only in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8b and warmer. Interestingly, sugarcane is...
A large grass, sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) grows 10 to 16 feet tall in regions where frosts don't occur. Sugarcane may be grown easily across the southern half of the United States, but it persists as a perennial only in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8b and warmer. Interestingly, sugarcane is grown for making syrup in the Deep South and the "Sugarcane Syrup Belt" stretches from Louisiana to Georgia.
Planting Time
Sugarcane "seed cane," as it is called, isn't seed at all but short cane segments that are planted in the soil to make new plants. In tropical areas like Hawaii or Puerto Rico, sugarcane is planted any time of year. In South Florida, where frosts are rare, plant seed cane anytime from fall to spring. Across the Deep South, in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 and 9, planting is either in late summer, mid-August to late September or immediately after the first fall frost. This allows roots to grow, but leaves don't sprout until spring.
Regional Considerations
Sugarcane will not overwinter in USDA zones 7 and colder, but the seed canes may still be planted in spring when the soil isn't frozen and it is dry enough to till and work. Sugarcane grown in these areas will be annual; underground roots will die when the winter temperatures plummet well below freezing.
Planting Seed Cane
Seed cane ranges in length from 6 to 24 inches long, but must include at least one ring node from where roots and leafy shoots emerge. In loam or clay-loam soils, create a planting furrow 3 to 7 inches deep, but slightly deeper if the garden soil is sandy or rich in porous organic matter. Plant the canes in a single row, spacing canes end-to-end. Additional rows should be spaced with 4 to 10 feet between them.
Growing Sugarcane
Sugarcane prospers in a moist, well-drained soil that is warm. Purdue University notes that adding lime to acidic soils improves the development of sugars in the canes across the growing season. Warm, humid weather accelerates the grass' growth and vigor, eventually becoming a multi-stemmed clump. Always plant sugarcane in a sunny garden location. For adequately sized canes with ample sugar, a long growing period, free from frost, of 12 to 15 months is needed. Otherwise, grow sugarcane as an ornamental garden plant or conversation piece that is killed each year by winter's cold.
