Sugar Cane

[GSF]

It's October the 1st, still not to late to plant your sugar cane in central Alabama - whole stalks not seeds.

[10framer]

gary, i wish i had seen this back in october.  i had planned on planting some and forgot.

[GSF]

I planted some last year and had my first harvest. What a trip down memory lane. I plan to attempt to make some sugar from it however I saw or read somewhere that the cane to make sugar can only be grown in far south Florida. We'll see.

I debark it, then split it about four way and take it to work with me in my cooler. When I'm out and about I'll grab some and chew it.

[Keith13]

Don't believe that I am in Baton Rouge and the sugar cane harvesting season is in full swing. The planting may not go much further north past I10 but defrinitly further than south Florida

Keith

[10framer]

interesting.  is it temperatures, day length or soil conditions that would stop us from growing it here or something else?
a green house with a couple of metal halides would solve a couple of those problems.

[GSF]

I'm guessing it's to do with the length of the growing season.

Keith, I live about 35 miles north of Montgomery Al. I'm told that about 25 miles north of me is too far to grow any. Mine done well last year.

[Keith13]

im not sure what it is but 25 miles north of I10 in LA is where it cuts off. for those that don't know that's about where the bottom of the boot connects with the top of the boot in Louisiana

[10framer]

im not sure what it is but 25 miles north of I10 in LA is where it cuts off. for those that don't know that's about where the bottom of the boot connects with the top of the boot in Louisiana

i drove to houston back in march.  i've driven through about half the states and that has to be the worst stretch of highway on the u.s.  i don't know much about la. but is that maybe where the coastal plains end? 

[hjon71]

This is going to sound silly but why grow sugarcane when you have honeybees?
Just because you can? Not knocking it, I'm curious.

[GSF]

hjon, I started growing it for a couple of reasons. One reason is because it's a trip down memory lane. Growing up in the sixties and seventies we didn't have a lot of store bought candy. Everybody, and I mean everybody was money poor. For our sweets we had apples, sugar cane, grapes, water melons, plums, peaches, and so on.

Another reason is I would like to try my hand at making my own sugar. However, I have recently read that our growing season isn't long or tropical enough for that strain of sugar cane. I will attempt to prove them wrong if I can get me a press around here.

And last but not least, I like eating it  :-D

[BeeMaster2]

How do you plant it? Do you just take a full stalk and bury it laying down or do you cut each section and then bury them? How deep, how far apart.
Thanks in advance,
Jim

[GSF]

I plant a full stalk about 4 inches deep and about 6 to 8 inches apart. Having only one growing season under my belt I don't know if that's right or not. If a stalk is real crooked I'll cut it at the bend(s) and try to keep a straight line.

[BeeMaster2]

Thanks, I plan on planting it in my wife's garden
Jim

[10framer]

gary, i'm with you.  sugar cane was a treat.
i want to try to make sugar too.  i also want to make my own "paint thinner" using it. 
i also don't like the taste of honey in coffee for some reason.

[Keith13]

im not sure what it is but 25 miles north of I10 in LA is where it cuts off. for those that don't know that's about where the bottom of the boot connects with the top of the boot in Louisiana

i drove to houston back in march.  i've driven through about half the states and that has to be the worst stretch of highway on the u.s.  i don't know much about la. but is that maybe where the coastal plains end? 

I agree and very deadly. Long boring stretches of rice and sugar cane fields

[Vance G]

My grandkids sure liked the cane Kind Mr. Farmer sent me.  I guess it is out of the question growing it here as next three days are supposed to be well below zero day and night. 

[GSF]

Just noticed yesterday I had some shoots from last years sugar cane. I haven't seen anything from what I planted last fall.

love me some sugar cane.

[hivebuilder]

don't know about sugar cane . does it make molasses? knew a family that grew some kind of cane . had a squeezer, press, ran by mule power. they made molasses every year. gave a pint to my dad when it was done . this was in south Missouri about 40 miles from Arkansas. this was about 1942

[GSF]

hivebuilder; it makes cane syrup, is that the same?

[10framer]

gary, this has been stuck in my brain since you started the thread.  how did it do?