When to plant Amaranth in Salayea

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Amaranth

Lofa, Liberia

Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) is a fast, heat-loving plant that gives you two harvests from one crop — tender leaves and tiny grain.

Amaranth in Salayea, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 23 Feb 2026 – 19 Sep 2026 closed for this season 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest 16.7–17.9 t/ha about 16.1 t/ha
Harvest From 25 Mar 2026 to 16 Feb 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 30–150 days after planting
Work it takes 78–163 days per hectare, by hand

Rain-fed. These dates are worked out from each place's own rainfall, for a field watered by the season — with irrigation a window can open earlier, close later, or come round more than once a year. Check your own field under What grows, or get the Divisi app for a calendar dated to your farm.

If you only get one chance to plant, aim for around 11 Mar 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for Salayea is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.

Planting after 19 Sep 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Salayea

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 96%
The lie of the land 60%

For amaranth in Salayea, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 60%. You cannot flatten it, but you can farm it: plant along the contour rather than up and down, ridge or tie ridges to hold water on the slope, and expect shallower rooting than the crop would manage on flat ground.

The 2026 season in Salayea

When the rains are expectedFebruary 2026 to December 2026
Rain in a typical yearAbout 2,025 mm
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 2,025 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.0 °C over the growing months. Heat makes the same rain do less, so a dry spell bites sooner: do not plant late, and shade or mulch what you can.
What that supportsenough rain for a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this coversOne kind of ground throughout.

last updated 17 September 2026

What amaranth needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sandy loam or loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 5.5 and 7.0
Spacing 10 cm between rows, 10 cm between plants
Feed it most with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium

What it takes to grow amaranth in Salayea

Nitrogen (N)About 72 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 17 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 90 kg per hectare
In the shopsA basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. A nitrogen top dressing — urea or AN — goes on once the crop is established.
Hand work78–163 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a amaranth crop of that size carries off the field. What you actually apply depends on what your soil already holds — which is what a soil test, or the app's field records, tell you.

What to watch for

Pest/disease risk — manageableSoil pH below the crop's optimum

Grow Amaranth with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Salayea as a whole — your own soil, slope and rainfall will shift the dates. The Divisi app works them out for your field, and dates each job that follows.

Or check your field first

Amaranth in nearby districts

This calendar moves

Planting windows shift with the forecast. Leave your email and we'll send what changed, and a note when planting time nears — a couple of emails a month at most.

Frequently asked questions

Will amaranth grow well in Salayea?

Salayea rates as favourable for amaranth.

When should I plant amaranth in Salayea?

Typically 23 Feb 2026 to 19 Sep 2026, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Salayea, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.

Also worth considering in Salayea

Keep going

Timing is one question. What the crop needs at every stage, what attacks it and where to sell it are the others.