Divisi
When to plant Lablab in Motanasela
Berea, Lesotho
Lablab (also called hyacinth bean or dolichos; njahi in Swahili) is one of the toughest beans a smallholder can grow.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 27 Sep 2026 – 17 Oct 2026 open now | 18 Sep 2026 – 28 Oct 2026 |
| Expected harvest | 1.1–1.4 t/ha | about 1.8 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 5 Jan 2027 to 16 Mar 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 100–150 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 75–156 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 64% | |
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 17 Oct 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Motanasela yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 17 Oct 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Motanasela
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For lablab in Motanasela, 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 Motanasela
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | October 2026 to May 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 680 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 +1.8 °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, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 77% of this area. |
| 77% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 213 growing days · about 690 mm · October to May |
|---|---|
| 23% | enough rain for one full main crop; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 247 growing days · about 810 mm · September to June |
last updated 16 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 35% of yield here.
What lablab needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sand, sandy loam, loam, clay loam or clay soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.0 and 7.5 |
| Spacing | 75 cm between rows, 30 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | phosphorus |
What it takes to grow lablab in Motanasela
| Nitrogen (N) | About 41 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 10 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 14 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 | 75–156 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a lablab 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 Lablab with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Motanasela 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.
Lablab 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 lablab grow well in Motanasela?
Motanasela rates as favourable for lablab.
When should I plant lablab in Motanasela?
Typically 27 Sep 2026 to 17 Oct 2026, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Motanasela, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
