How to Grow Sugar Cane in a Self-Watering Container

Sugar cane thrives in a self-watering container. However, it does tend to get top-heavy and once it gets larger it may require some type of support or it will blow over in a stiff wind.

I've grown cane in the ground and in the containers and I can tell you that in my area of central Florida the cane grows 10 times faster in the containers.

I do recommend that you hook up an automatic irrigation system of some type, because once the cane is three or four months old it will drink up all the water in half a day and you'll be out there watering all the time. And if you want to go out of town for a day or two, well...

Once the cane is mature and is harvested, the plant will send up more canes, but the soil will be exhausted and the plant will be completely root-bound. It's best to empty the container and start over with new canes, or break up the stump and salvage the best parts to re-plant. Personally, I lean toward starting over with new canes to reduce the chance for disease and pests to become established.

As far as fertilizer is concerned, you can use organic fertilizer or even worm castings. I think this would be preferable to the standard chemical fertilizer because it allows you to re-use the soil from year to year without a build-up of chemicals. If you are buying soil, it's not cheap. But, use what you've got.

It is important to use potting MIX, not potting soil, to get the proper wicking action.

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