pomme8916,

There was a posting on the Florida forum concerning sugar cane. Apparently, you can buy sections from certain ethnic food stores and root them.

I buy fresh canes from the Korean grocery store.
Karyn

Sugar canes have eyes on the cane itself. A cane is cut about a foot then is planted horizontally. As far as I know there is no seeds.

Sugar is made by extracting the juice and cooking it down to solid form. How they refine it to get that sparkling white color I have no clue.

I have some that has been growing for about 15 years and I have never seen it flower or put out anything that looked like a seed.

Pomme8916,
Although sugarcane does make seeds in the tropics, it is NOT commonly propagated that way. Named hybrids are obtained this way by the USDA. The percentage of new hybrids released is microscopically small--maybe 1 in 10,000. Hybrids of the same parents can produce greatly different offspring--heterozygous. The seeds are small and require a lot of extra care to germinate and grow properly.
I have a few seeds for show-and-tell at our syrup meetings from a member-friend who worked with the USDA in LA. The bloom looks much like pampass grass. Its much easier to plant the seed "eyes" on the cane stalks....and then you KNOW what variety you are getting, too.
Sugarcane52

The industry up here uses numbered hybrids , and over 1000 have been done . Work is continuing on 'smut ' resistant types now . B.S.E.S, Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations
is owned by the farmers . Seed set out of the tropics would be rare .

The cane around here makes tassels in the fall but I've not ever looked to see if there were seeds. Most folks plant the stalk to get more sugar cane.

My son has just returned from the creek with some canes of the sugar cane plant...and i can see some of the eyelet bits on it. How should i plant these canes.? I know they should be planted on their sides but are they to be dried out for a time first as they are fresh canes freshly picked.
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Thankyou
Gem

just bury small bits [ 20 cms ] about 10 cms deep .
lay them horizontal

Aroideana,
Do you grow sugarcane? I am looking for heirloom, chewing and ornamental varieties for my collection.

How fresh do the canes have to be to root? I buy cut canes at the Oriental market for cooking and have tried to plant them but I've never had any luck. These canes are still juicy but I don't know how old they are. I'm also pretty sure that they've been refrigerated and I don't know if that would affect it's ability to root.
Thanks,
Karyn

There are some varieties that produce seeds. However you may not be able to find seeds. The only place I have found is at experimental stations in Louisianna. I will try to find the info on the station. I know its in Lake Charles, La.

I got some from a place called fresh sugar cane.com and it's starting to grow. You want to order their Landscaping pieces because they're cut from the bottom of the stalks and have the eyes. Ones from the top don't have eyes, so won't grow.

I have 3 different types that i grow, all are edible.
One is a green and yellow striped cane, almost like the bamboo.
One is a black sugar cane,the stalk looks really dark black and lacquered, it's that shiny.
The last one is a red sugar cane, the stalk is a moderately deep red, and the leaves are green with a red flush.
All of them taste good.
I plant my sections vertically sometimes if i want a bigger plant faster. Cuttings can be taken from bottom, middle or top of the cane as long as the eyes are matured.

I've got a lot of questions. 1. Can sugar cane grow in Pennsylvania? 2. Where cane I get some cheap young sugar cane plants? 3. Which type of sugar cane can you chew on?

E-mail me @ gamnerd@yahoo.com

Thank You

I just got some of the worlds largest sugar cane seeds from ebay. nothing growing yet, but ill keep you posted.

I've successfully rooted cane from stalks purchased in Asian markets. I planted mine vertically (at a slight angle) in sandy soil. (I made several 12 inch long cuttings from one long one.) It rooted over winter at warm indoor temps, but as it's a tropical plant, it should appreciate tropical heat (bottom heat might be a plus here). Not really difficult as long as the cane is fairly fresh. Good luck!