Recently we propagated sugarcane cuttings two ways at ECHO North America RIC.
Both sets of cuttings were cut to 5 nodes from mature cane and allowed to harden off on the table for several days.
The first set was then put in a 5 gallon bucket of water. The water levels covered the bottom 2-3 nodes on each cutting. The bucket was placed in a semi-shaded location in our Greenhouse. It started pushing buds and roots very quickly and we potted them up about 2 weeks later.
The second set was stuck in soil media with no additional treatment. Soil covered the bottom 2-3 nodes and they were placed in the same semi-shaded location in the Greenhouse as the first set. They also started to push buds quickly and were also potted up about 2 weeks later.
We observed less roots and shorter roots on the soil rooted cuttings.
So far all the plants are growing well.
I have also propagated in place by just laying a cane in a shallow trench and lightly nicking it in even intervals with a machete and not quite burying it. Check out this IFAS resource for more information about Florida commercial sugarcane production and pests PI-171/PI207: Florida Crop/Pest Profile: Sugarcane.
What has been your sugarcane propagation experience?