Sugar Cane not growing

Hello Mojang! I have an issue with growing sugar cane. I have made a small farm beside my house and I was trying to grow some sugar cane because I was trying to get paper, but for some reason, the sugar cane doesn't seem to grow by itself beside water or anywhere else. It would only grow if I were to use bone meal and I can't always look for bones when I can just wait for the sugar cane to grow. I would be appreciated if you guys looked after this. If there is no issue or bug within the game, I would appreciate if I can get an answer back if maybe I did something wrong or the game just had a bug. Thanks!