Sugar cane

nevit · **Posted:** Tue May 26, 2009 12:46 am

Anyone know where I can source some sugarcane plants? would love to grow some but have no idea who sells the fresh cane in south Brisbane. I remember when I was a youngster and my parents had it growing, was a real treat, would be great if I could share that experience with my son too.

greenaus · **Posted:** Tue May 26, 2009 2:04 am

Go to one of the farms on the way to Jacobs Well/Stapylton.

You could ask if you can take a few stalks/sticks/whatever they're called....or you could just do it. Don't tell anyone I told you that.

Then lay the sticks in the ground covered with a layer of dirt.

Better still lay them on top of the ground and cover with...wait for it...sugar cane mulch.

We planted a couple of sticks of cane when we were living at Rockhampton. We "found" them beside the road on the way back from Mackay.

Let us know how you go.

nevit · **Posted:** Wed May 27, 2009 12:11 am

Cheers Greenaus, will head down to Jacobs and see how I go, only 10min drive for me :-D

so sounds like a easy way to go.

The_Felton_Family · **Joined:** Sat Jun 06, 2009 6:38 am **Posts:** 2

We've used cane for 3 years now and its great, after we change it it's put on the veg garden and do the vegies love it yes

Sugar Farmer · **Posted:** Sun Jul 12, 2009 6:59 pm

Growing sugarcane is illegal in Queensland unless it is from approved farmers for approved uses from approved varieties.
BSES limited owns the plant breeder rights to all approved sugarcane varieties in QLD, and they charge a fee for every plant grown commercially or otherwise.
Backyard plots of sugarcane pose a massive quarantine risk and therefore are not allowed under current QLD legislation unless registered and under permit.
All backyard growers will find it difficult to get legal stocks of sugarcane plants and if they do succeed in sourcing plants on the black market they will in time get an order to destroy plants.
Metropolitan backyards in Queensland a regularly inspected for prohibited plantings of plants like sugarcane.
It costs me in excess of $200,000.00 to grow my crops every year, have some consideration and respect for me your backyard plot can destroy my investment and my income.
Sugarcane Smut disease is a classic example.

greenaus · **Posted:** Sun Jul 12, 2009 9:21 pm

Thanks for the information. I had never thought of it that way, nor did I realise the laws.

The only thought I had was that it is illegal to stop on the side of the road, walk down to a farmer's sugar cane with the sharpest thing most people can find in the car and effectively "steal" a couple of stalks of cane by hacking away at it for 10 minutes.

Theft is theft. Period.

So, rather than allow people to grow cane from stalks they either find, are given or steal from local farms, the law says that NO sugar cane should be grown without the appropriate permission/permits? I'm fine with that. My uncle in Mackay was a sugar farmer and I wouldn't have wanted his livelihood risked either.

I'm also interested in some plucker fingers if you have any available.
viewtopic.php?p=41123#p41123

Sugar Farmer · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:16 am

The good or bad thing about Sugarcane Smut disease is it has destroyed all susceptible varieties or soon will.
We have lost over 95% of our commercial varieties already.
All new resistant varieties are being bred under strict Plant Breeding Rights (PBR) and as a result are DNA marked so they can be easily tracked.
Soon all backyard plantings will fall to the disease.
BSES (big brother) likes this idea as soon the only surviving sugarcane plants in Aus will be theirs and if they find anybody with any plants they will want their money.
In this situation Quarantine laws become insignificant, corporate greed has all the power.
Monsanto just brought the largest world-wide sugarcane breeder in South America.
Unlike poultry, heritage sugarcane breeds or varieties will not survive this type of disease leaving only the new improved ones.

A perfect market you could say, and the big boys are now moving in.

rose douglass · **Posted:** Mon Jul 13, 2009 10:33 pm

Well said Sugar Farmer

bigblackhens · **Posted:** Mon Jul 20, 2009 8:39 pm

I buy bails of cane from the local landscaper for $5 I use it on all the garden beds and in the chook yard such a great natural product

nevit · **Posted:** Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:03 pm

Thanks for all the input guys and gals, haven't been on net for awhile but haven't got my cane yet either. sugar cane farmer your words of wisdom have been taken onboard, I was going to wait for this years Beenleigh show as someone had told me they did see some farmers selling it at the last show they went to, but might just give it a miss for now.

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