When to plant Taro in Mushin

Save as PDF

Taro

Lagos, 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.

Taro in Mushin, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant (establish) 25 Feb 2027 – 17 Mar 2027 opens in 21 weeks 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 14.5 t/ha about 30.0 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 73%

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 25 Feb 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for Mushin 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 17 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Mushin

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 96%
The lie of the land 88%

For taro in Mushin, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 88%. 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 Mushin

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedMarch 2026 to November 2026
Rain in a typical yearAbout 1,383 mm
This season's rainLeaning 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 heatHotter 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 supportsenough rain for one full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers3 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 a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 292 growing days · about 1,400 mm · March to December
25% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 293 growing days · about 1,410 mm · March to December
25% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 264 growing days · about 1,380 mm · March to November

last updated 16 September 2026

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 Mushin

Planting materialAbout 24,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 65 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 33 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 109 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 work111–233 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

Pest/disease risk — manageableLate-maturing — drought risk

Grow Taro with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Mushin 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

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 Mushin?

Mushin rates as favourable for taro.

When should I plant taro in Mushin?

Typically 25 Feb 2027 to 17 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Mushin, 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 Mushin

Keep going

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