Divisi
When to plant Groundnut in Mopani
Limpopo, South Africa
Known here as intongomane · grondboon
Groundnut (peanut) is a low, leafy legume that does something no other crop in your field does: it flowers above the ground, but then each fertilised flower sends a little stalk — a peg — down into the soil, and the nut grows and fills underground.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 5 Dec 2026 – 4 Jan 2027 opens in 9 weeks | 9 Aug 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | 2.0–2.5 t/ha | about 3.8 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 5 Mar 2027 to 3 Jun 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 90–150 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 71–126 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 67% | |
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 Dec 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Mopani 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 4 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Mopani
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For groundnut in Mopani, 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 2026/27 season in Mopani
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | November 2026 to March 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 488 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, November and December 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 +2.0 °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 | 3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 46% of this area. |
| 46% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 146 growing days · about 530 mm · November to April |
|---|---|
| 32% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 145 growing days · about 530 mm · November to April |
| 16% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 201 growing days · about 760 mm · October to May |
last updated 17 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 35% of yield here.
What groundnut needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or sandy soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.9 and 7.0 |
| Spacing | 45 cm between rows, 9 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | phosphorus, potassium and calcium |
What it takes to grow groundnut in Mopani
| Planting material | About 247,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 110 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 20 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 60 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. Skip the nitrogen top dressing; inoculated seed does that job. |
| Hand work | 71–126 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a groundnut 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 Groundnut with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Mopani 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.
Groundnut 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 groundnut grow well in Mopani?
Mopani rates as favourable for groundnut.
When should I plant groundnut in Mopani?
Typically 5 Dec 2026 to 4 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Mopani, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
