When to plant Cassava in Lushoto

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Cassava

Tanga, United Republic of Tanzania

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 Lushoto, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant (establish) 23 Sep 2026 – 13 Oct 2026 open now 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 24.6 t/ha about 35.0 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 82%

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

This season's outlook for Lushoto 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 13 Oct 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Lushoto

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

For cassava in Lushoto, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 96%. This one is fixed. It is why the planting window above is where it is — hitting those dates is the whole of your control here.

The 2025 season in Lushoto

Rainy seasonsTwo each year — two chances to plant
When the rains are expectedFebruary 2025 to June 2025
Rain in a typical yearAbout 565 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 48% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
48% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 198 growing days · about 610 mm · February to June
12% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 287 growing days · about 830 mm · October to July
11% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 243 growing days · about 700 mm · October to June
9% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 339 growing days · about 1,090 mm · September to August

last updated 16 September 2026

Limited water holds back about 20% 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 Lushoto

Planting materialAbout 10,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 121 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 62 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 172 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 — manageableSoil pH below the crop's optimum

Grow Cassava with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Lushoto 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

Where to sell Cassava nearby

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 Lushoto?

Lushoto rates as favourable for cassava.

When should I plant cassava in Lushoto?

Typically 23 Sep 2026 to 13 Oct 2026, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Lushoto, 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 Lushoto

Keep going

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