Sugarcane, Purple

Sugarcane is a very easy to grow perennial grass of the genus Saccharum, native to Southeast Asia and parts of the South Pacific. It can grow in warm temperate or tropical climates. Sugarcane is rich in flavonoids, making sugar cane juice a potentially good source of antioxidants. It is tasty juiced or chewed, just remove the outer layer and chew for a sweet organic treat, Slice vertically for sweet swizzle sticks for teas and cocktails, Frozen skewers can be inserted into meats for flavor enhancement

Lifespan: Perennial

Growth Structure: plants can grow to a height of 6 to 12ft in height. Sugarcane can take between 9-24 months to harvest, depending on the climate. There is one harvest of the primary crop, and then 3-4 harvests of the “ratoon”, or regrowth.

Light requirement: Full Sun

Water requirement: Heavy

Climate: can be cultivated in temperate zones, productivity is much higher in tropical climates. A long, sunny, and hot (32 °C to 38 °C, 90 °F to 100 °F) growing season with moderate to high levels of rainfall (1100 and 1500 mm total), combined with a dry and cooler (12 ˚C to 14 ˚C, 54 °F to 57 °F) harvest season is ideal. Does not survive chill. For colder zones it can be planted in pots and brought indoors.

Soil: can grow in various types of soils – sandy, loamy, and clay soils, as well as both acidic and alkaline soils (within the pH range of 5 to 8.5). A well-drained loam with a pH of roughly 6.5 is absolutely ideal, but mechanical factors like soil compaction are much more consequential to crop success than soil composition and pH.

Ripening: lasts for about three months, in which time the stalk dries out and accelerate the synthesis and storage of sugar. Simple sugars like fructose are converted into sucrose during ripening.