Divisi
When to plant Grapefruit in Suba South
Homa Bay, Kenya
Known here as balungi
Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) is a big, dense evergreen citrus tree you plant once and pick from for decades.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 8 Oct 2026 – 18 Sep 2027 opens in 1 week | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | 20.7–22.2 t/ha | about 40.0 t/ha |
| Bearing cycle | 360–420 days per crop once the plant is established. Planting to the first harvest takes longer than one cycle. | |
| Work it takes | 74–148 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 18 Sep 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's outlook for Suba South 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 18 Sep 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Suba South
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 45% |
For grapefruit in Suba South, 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 Suba South
| Rainy seasons | Two each year — two chances to plant |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | February 2025 to June 2025 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 853 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — January, February, 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 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 one full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 34% of this area. |
| 34% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 240 growing days · about 870 mm · February to June |
|---|---|
| 21% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 229 growing days · about 870 mm · September to June |
| 13% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 308 growing days · about 1,060 mm · February to January |
| 8% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 361 growing days · about 1,170 mm · December to December |
last updated 30 September 2026
What grapefruit needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained loam or sandy loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 6.5 |
| Spacing | 650 cm between rows, 650 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, zinc and boron |
What it takes to grow grapefruit in Suba South
| Planting material | About 240 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 44 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 9 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 67 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 | 74–148 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a grapefruit 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 Grapefruit with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Suba South 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.
Grapefruit 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 grapefruit grow well in Suba South?
Suba South rates as favourable for grapefruit.
When should I plant grapefruit in Suba South?
Typically 8 Oct 2026 to 18 Sep 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Suba South, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
