[Syrupmakers] sugarcane(above ground suckering)

[Richard Harrison]

J T,
   This is commonly believed to be caused by a virus, but not always. It was recommended to me by USDA folks to cut the cane down and dig up the stubble to avoid increasing the virus. I did that to a part of a row of red/purple chewing cane 1 year. 
   However, I had some Black Cambodian(only 1 hill of it) that did this the first year it was planted(2006). I cut 1 or 2 good-looking stalks(no sprouts above ground) from the hill to try and salvage it--because it was all that I had of it---and planted it (and it did okay). The remaining cane I simply cut to the ground just before Winter and the next year(2007) it came back from stubble--amazingly with no above ground suckers that year!
    Truth is stranger than fiction, I say.
    So would I advise to destroy the cane(and stubble) with above ground suckers? I'd say if you only have a small percentage of stalks with abnormally suckering , then dig up the diseased plants for insurance. If you have a high percentage of plants like that, maybe consider leaving it alone this year. Personally, I wouldn't plant the stalks that have the abnormal suckering. 
     I generally watch my seedcane very carefully and discard any that looks like it may have some of this above ground suckering characteristic----to avoid any possibilty of increasing a virus. 
     By the way, the major effect that I noticed from this suckering is that it seemed to sap the sugar out of the stalk. The cane would not be very sweet below where the suckering took place.
     I have had cane sucker near the bottom, in the middle, and near the top. Thankfully it isn't too prevalent.
     Hope some of this helps.
                                                 Richard

--- On Mon, 8/11/08, DBACrownhoney at aol.com <DBACrownhoney at aol.com> wrote:

From: DBACrownhoney at aol.com <DBACrownhoney at aol.com>
Subject: [Syrupmakers] sugarcane
To: syrupmakers at syrupmakers.net
Date: Monday, August 11, 2008, 9:35 PM



Hey everybody I got a quick question. Is my sugarcane supposed to have little sprouts coming off the side of the stalk about 2 feet up the side from the ground
 
Thanks,
JT





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