Divisi
When to plant Avocado in Vangaindrano
Atsimo Atsinanana, Madagascar
Avocado (Persea americana) is a big evergreen tree that, once settled, can bear fruit for decades — one of the highest-value crops a smallholder can grow, for fresh eating and for export.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 8 Oct 2026 – 11 Apr 2027 opens in 1 week | 1 Jan 2026 – 31 Dec 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 11.0 t/ha | same |
| Work it takes | 82–181 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 1 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Vangaindrano leans dry, so these dates sit later than the long-run average. Planting on the date you are used to risks germinating into a false start and having to replant.
Planting after 11 Apr 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Vangaindrano
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 30% |
For avocado in Vangaindrano, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 30%. 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 2025 season in Vangaindrano
| When the rains are expected | January 2025 to December 2025 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 2,129 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, November and December look short of rain. Plant at the early end of the window, favour quicker and more drought-tolerant crops, and keep moisture in the soil: mulch, and weed early. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.2 °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 supports | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 88% of this area. |
| 88% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 365 growing days · about 2,130 mm · January to December |
|---|---|
| 7% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 365 growing days · about 1,720 mm · September to September |
| 4% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 365 growing days · about 2,270 mm · January to December |
last updated 17 September 2026
Sloping ground holds back about 25% of yield here.
What avocado needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 6.5 |
| Spacing | 800 cm between rows, 800 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | potassium, zinc and boron |
What it takes to grow avocado in Vangaindrano
| Planting material | About 150 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 36 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 10 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 60 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A 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 work | 82–181 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a avocado 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
Grow Avocado with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Vangaindrano 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.
Avocado 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 avocado grow well in Vangaindrano?
Vangaindrano rates as favourable for avocado.
When should I plant avocado in Vangaindrano?
Typically 8 Oct 2026 to 11 Apr 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Vangaindrano, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
