When to plant Cassava in Juja

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Cassava

Kiambu, Kenya

Known here as muhogo

Cassava is a hardy, woody shrub grown for its fat, starchy roots — a food that grows where little else will.

Cassava in Juja, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant (establish) 16 Sep 2026 – 6 Oct 2026 open now 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 19.1 t/ha about 24.0 t/ha
Bearing cycle 240–730 days per crop once the plant is established. Planting to the first harvest takes longer than one cycle.
Work it takes 103–180 days per hectare, by hand
Rain meets its needs 93%

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 16 Sep 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's outlook for Juja leans wet. Plant at the early end of the window, and make sure water can drain off the field — a wet year does more damage through waterlogging than through the rain itself.

Planting after 6 Oct 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Juja

Rain and temperature 88%
The soil 76%
The lie of the land 60%

For cassava in Juja, 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 Juja

Rainy seasonsTwo each year — two chances to plant
When the rains are expectedFebruary 2026 to June 2026
Rain in a typical yearAbout 846 mm
This season's rainLeaning wet — January, February, October, November and December look heavier than usual. Make sure water can drain off the field; a wet year does more damage through waterlogging and disease than through the rain itself.
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 one full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 50% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
50% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 208 growing days · about 800 mm · February to June
41% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 190 growing days · about 690 mm · February to June
6% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 177 growing days · about 650 mm · February to May
3% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 240 growing days · about 950 mm · February to July

last updated 30 September 2026

Temperature holds back about 25% of yield here.

What cassava needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sand or sandy loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 4.5 and 6.5
Spacing 100 cm between rows, 100 cm between plants
Feed it most with potassium and zinc

What it takes to grow cassava in Juja

Planting materialAbout 10,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 94 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 48 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 134 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 work103–180 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a cassava 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 — manageable

Grow Cassava with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Juja 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

Cassava 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 cassava grow well in Juja?

Juja rates as favourable for cassava.

When should I plant cassava in Juja?

Typically 16 Sep 2026 to 6 Oct 2026, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Juja, 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 Juja

Keep going

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