How to Care for a Sorghum Tree

With some varieties having the ability to grow up to 14 feet high, sorghum is a tree-like annual grass. Varieties include sweet, grain, broom corn and grass sorghums. Grown for its grains, stalks and sap, sorghum is used to make flour, millet, syrup, liquor, straw, and animal forage. With proper care, your sorghum will be fruitful and you can harvest the grain and try your hand at a sorghum recipe.

Things You'll Need

• Compost or high-nitrogen fertilizer
• Natural insecticide
• Hoe
• Natural herbicide (optional)

Instructions

1. Fertilize the ground around newly planted seeds with a high-nitrogen fertilizer. Alternatively, you can blend compost in with the soil before planting.

2. Apply a non-chemical, natural insecticide at the point when the plants have three leaves. Using a non-chemical, natural insecticide will prevent environmental harm as well as crop stress and contamination.

3. Till the surface of the soil around the plants regularly to prevent the establishment of weeds. If weeds become a major problem, treat them with a non-chemical, natural herbicide. After the plants reach 4 feet in height, tilling will be less necessary, as the plants will block the sun from would-be weeds.

4. Water your sorghum regularly, except during rainy periods. Sorghum is fairly drought-resistant; however, will thrive on approximately 1 1/2 inches of water per week.

5. Keep your eye out for the beginnings of insect infestation and apply insecticide again, if needed.

References

• Sorghum Production and Management: Checklist for Profitable Sorghum Production
• Celiac Sprue Association: Sorghum, Milo of the Midwest
• University of Illinois Extension: Sorghum Growth Stage Development

Resources

• State of Nebraska: Sorghum Recipes