Divisi
When to plant Taro in Mbaitoli
Imo, Nigeria
Known here as koko · ede
Cocoyam, or taro (Colocasia esculenta), is a broad-leaved plant grown for its corm — a heavy, potato-like food store that swells underground — and, in some types, for its tender young leaves.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 5 Feb 2027 – 25 Feb 2027 opens in 18 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 14.1 t/ha | about 27.8 t/ha |
| Bearing cycle | 180–540 days per crop once the plant is established. Planting to the first harvest takes longer than one cycle. | |
| Work it takes | 111–233 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 76% | |
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 5 Feb 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Mbaitoli 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 25 Feb 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Mbaitoli
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For taro in Mbaitoli, the soil is the tightest of the three at 76%. This is the one you can actually move. Lime raises a sour soil, manure and compost lift what it holds, and both work within a season or two — money spent here changes the answer.
The 2026 season in Mbaitoli
| When the rains are expected | February 2026 to December 2026 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 2,208 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — September and October 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 +0.9 °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 | One kind of ground throughout. |
last updated 16 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 25% of yield here.
What taro needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | clay loam, clay or loam |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.5 and 6.5 |
| Spacing | 70 cm between rows, 70 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | potassium |
What it takes to grow taro in Mbaitoli
| Planting material | About 24,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 63 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 32 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 106 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 | 111–233 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a taro 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 Taro with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Mbaitoli 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.
Where to sell Taro nearby
Taro 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 taro grow well in Mbaitoli?
Mbaitoli rates as favourable for taro.
When should I plant taro in Mbaitoli?
Typically 5 Feb 2027 to 25 Feb 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Mbaitoli, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
