Saccharum officinarum - Sugar Cane

About 50 % of the worldwide requirments for sugar are covered by Sugar Cane. For more than 2000 years the viscous juice is harvested from the inner of the Sugar Cane stalks. Cultivated in a plantation, they grow 3 to 5 m high with a diameter of about 5 cm, in a pot they rarely exceed 2.5 m. Sugar Cane is a grass out of the Poaceae- family so that after harvesting, new shoots grow again from the roots. Within 12 to 16 months it is thereby possible to have 5-6 harvests per plant. The stalks are squeezed under pressure: app. 1 m of stalk length gives 1 glass of Sugar Cane juice which then is filtered and heated until the water is evaporated and the sugar crystals remain. As they get older, Sugar Cane plants need larger pots, a lot of water and nutrients as they are vigorous and fast-growing: an interesting botanical experience for the whole family.

Quality: tropical agricultural plant with ceremonial importance; aromatic leaves
Use: all-year in a heated greenhouse or bright room