Divisi
When to plant Coconut in Mahanoro
Atsinanana, Madagascar
The coconut is the coast's tree of life — a tall palm you plant once and pick from for 60 to 80 years.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 7 Dec 2025 – 17 Nov 2026 open now | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 2.0 t/ha | about 2.8 t/ha |
| Bearing cycle | 330–365 days per crop once the plant is established. Planting to the first harvest takes longer than one cycle. | |
| Work it takes | 80–177 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 97% | |
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 17 Nov 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Mahanoro is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 17 Nov 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Mahanoro
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 45% |
For coconut in Mahanoro, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 45%. 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 Mahanoro
| When the rains are expected | September 2025 to September 2025 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 2,595 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 2,595 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +0.7 °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 | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 96% of this area. |
| 96% | 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 2,580 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 2,660 mm · September to September |
last updated 17 September 2026
What coconut needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | sand or sandy loam |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.5 and 7.0 |
| Spacing | 800 cm between rows, 800 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | potassium and magnesium |
What it takes to grow coconut in Mahanoro
| Planting material | About 150 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 40 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 12 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 70 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 | 80–177 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a coconut 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 Coconut with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Mahanoro 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.
Coconut 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 coconut grow well in Mahanoro?
Mahanoro rates as favourable for coconut.
When should I plant coconut in Mahanoro?
Typically 7 Dec 2025 to 17 Nov 2026, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Mahanoro, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
