Sugar cane grows best in warm weather, fertile soil and 1,500mm or so of rainfall each year.
Sugarcane is unique in that it is planted from pieces of sugar cane stalk about 300 mm long – called setts – and does not require replanting after harvest. Typically, planting occurs between August and October using a billet planter that buries the setts below the soil surface. Fertiliser is added and weeds controlled for the next three to four months as the new plant grows, forming what is called a stool of cane that has a number of sugarcane stalks growing from it.
The sugar cane grows for 12 to 18 months and reaches up to four metres tall before being mechanically harvested between June and December. After harvesting, the stool grows new shoots to produce a "ratoon" crop. Two or three ratoon crops can be grown before the sugar cane has to be replanted.
Our Agricultural Services Team can assist with:-
- Information on ground preparation
- Information on planting rates
- Contact details for planting contractors