Divisi
When to plant Cotton in Oum Drou
Chlef, Algeria
Cotton is grown for one thing: the soft white fibre — the lint — that grows wrapped around the seeds inside a pod called a boll.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant | 11 Apr 2027 – 30 Jun 2027 opens in 27 weeks |
| Expected harvest | about 3.6 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 8 Sep 2027 to 26 Jan 2028, depending on the planting date |
| Ready to harvest | 150–210 days after planting |
| Work it takes | 91–187 days per hectare, by hand |
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 1 May 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Oum Drou is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 30 Jun 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Oum Drou
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For cotton in Oum Drou, 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 2026/27 season in Oum Drou
| When the rains are expected | October 2026 to April 2027 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 363 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 363 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.3 °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 one short crop, and only if timed to it, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 43% of this area. |
| 43% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 166 growing days · about 360 mm · October to April |
|---|---|
| 36% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 171 growing days · about 380 mm · October to April |
| 14% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 183 growing days · about 430 mm · October to April |
| 7% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 187 growing days · about 460 mm · October to April |
last updated 18 September 2026
What cotton needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam, loam, clay loam or clay soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 7.5 |
| Spacing | 90 cm between rows, 25 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen, potassium and boron |
What it takes to grow cotton in Oum Drou
| Planting material | About 80,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 101 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 50 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 108 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 | 91–187 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a cotton 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 Cotton with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Oum Drou 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.
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 cotton grow well in Oum Drou?
Oum Drou rates as favourable for cotton.
When should I plant cotton in Oum Drou?
Typically 11 Apr 2027 to 30 Jun 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Oum Drou, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
