How to grow sugarcane?

There are two main varieties of sugarcane on the market, fruit cane and sugar cane. Fruit cane is mainly used in the fruit market, while sugar cane is mainly used in the sugar industry. Sugarcane usually has a black rind, but in some areas of Guangdong there are also sugarcanes with yellow rind. Most of the sugarcane used for sugar production is the yellow-skinned variety. Let’s learn in detail how to grow sugarcane.

1. Land preparation

Choose deep, fertile, well-drained soil for planting. The land is plowed about 30 cm deep to facilitate the growth of sugarcane roots and absorption of nutrients.

2. Fertilization

Apply base fertilizer when deep plowing the land. 1000-2000 kg of farmyard manure can be used per mu, mixed with 100 kg of superphosphate, 25 kg of urea, 20 kg of potassium sulfate or 15 kg of potassium chloride. After composting for 1-2 weeks, apply it to the planting ditch.

3. Seed selection

Choose sugarcane varieties that are high quality, disease resistant, high yielding and good tasting. Select seedlings with thick, uniform sugarcane stems without cracks, strong sugarcane tips and free of diseases and insect pests.

4. Seed soaking

Choose double-bud seedlings that are free of pests and diseases, plump and undamaged, and soak them in 2% lime water for 1-2 days to enhance drought resistance and prevent pests and diseases.

5. Planting

Place 5-6 seedlings every 100 cm in the sugarcane planting furrow, and plant 3000-3500 seedlings per mu. The planting row spacing is maintained at 90-100 cm to ensure ventilation during the growth of sugarcane. After planting, cover with about 5 cm of soil.

6. Field management

During the growth period of sugarcane, weeding should be done in time and irrigation should be carried out reasonably to avoid water accumulation in the fields. When applying fertilizer, the principle of applying small amounts of fertilizer frequently is adopted, and topdressing of seedling fertilizer, tillering fertilizer and stem fertilizer is carried out according to the growth stage of sugarcane.

7. Pest and disease control

Check the growth of sugarcane regularly, prevent and control diseases and pests in time, and ensure the healthy growth of sugarcane.

8. Harvest

After the sugarcane matures, you can choose to keep the roots or renovate them according to your needs. During harvest, sugarcane farmers will choose plots with good growth to save seeds.

In general, during the sugarcane planting process, appropriate adjustments need to be made according to local climatic conditions and soil characteristics.