How to grow sugarcane? When to plant?

The suitable growth temperature for sugarcane is 20-30℃. It is not resistant to cold and drought and prefers a moist soil environment. The most suitable soil is sandy loam. Sugarcane grows quickly, taking only about 10 months from germination to maturity. Let’s learn how to grow sugarcane. When to plant?

1. Sugarcane planting timing and technology

1. Planting time

Spring planting is usually sown between January and April. The summer sowing period is from May to June. Autumn planting is from the beginning of autumn to before the frost, and the harvest period is from November to December of the following year. The winter planting and sowing time is from the beginning of winter to before the beginning of spring, that is, from November to January of the following year.

Perennial planting refers to the natural germination of lateral buds from the sugarcane roots left in the field after the sugarcane was harvested in the previous season, and the formation of new plants through field management.

2. Planting technology

Choose a plot with flat land, fertile soil, deep soil layer (40-45cm tillage layer), good air permeability, and strong water and fertilizer retention capacity for planting.

The row spacing for mechanized planting and harvesting is 1.25-1.3m, and the row spacing for manual planting and harvesting is 0.8-1m. The planting furrow is 25-30cm deep and the furrow bottom is 25cm wide.

Upright, thick-stemmed, unflowered sugarcane plants are selected as seedlings and sown after drying, soaking, disinfection and germination. For large-stem varieties, 7,000 to 8,000 buds are sown per acre; for medium-stem varieties, 8,000 to 10,000 buds are sown; and for small-stem varieties, 10,000 to 12,000 buds are sown per acre.

2. Sugarcane field management

1. Fertilization

Apply 1000kg of decomposed organic fertilizer , 100kg of calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer, 30kg of potassium chloride fertilizer, and 5-10kg of urea per mu. Apply 6-7kg of pure nitrogen per mu during the tillering stage; apply 9-13kg of pure nitrogen per mu during the peak elongation stage.

2. Soil cultivation

When the seedlings grow 6-7 true leaves and begin to tiller, the first soiling should be carried out with a height of about 3 cm. The second soiling should be carried out during the peak tillering period, with the soiling height being about 6 cm. The third soiling is carried out in the early stage of elongation, and the soiling height is about 20-30cm.

3. Temperature and humidity control

The suitable temperature during the germination period is 26-32℃ and the soil moisture content is 25%. The minimum temperature during the seedling stage should not be lower than 15℃, and the soil moisture content should be 20-30%.

The minimum temperature during the tillering period is not lower than 20℃, and the tillering is fastest at 30℃. The soil moisture content is about 70% of the field water holding capacity. The suitable temperature during the elongation period is 30℃, and the soil moisture content is about 80% of the field water holding capacity.

The above is an overview of the time and methods of planting sugarcane. Specific operations need to be adjusted appropriately according to local climate and soil conditions.