Divisi
When to plant Lablab in Sénégal
Known here as dolique · dolique d'Égypte
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 | 6 Jul 2027 – 15 Jul 2027 opens in 40 weeks | 20 Jul 2026 – 17 Nov 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 2.0 t/ha | same |
| Harvest | From 14 Oct 2027 to 12 Dec 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-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 6 Jul 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Sénégal yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 15 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Sénégal
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For lablab in Sénégal, 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 2027 season in Sénégal
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | June 2027 to October 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 645 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 281 mm in the driest of 46 districts to about 1,226 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — September looks 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 +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 supports | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 86% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 125 growing days · about 620 mm · June to October |
|---|---|
| 10% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 250 mm · July to October |
last updated 16 September 2026 · from all 46 areas within it
Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% 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 Sénégal
| Nitrogen (N) | About 74 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 18 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 26 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 Sénégal 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 Sénégal?
Sénégal rates as favourable for lablab.
When should I plant lablab in Sénégal?
Typically 6 Jul 2027 to 15 Jul 2027, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Sénégal, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
