Divisi
When to plant Lemon in Moyale
Marsabit, Kenya
Known here as limau · ndimu
The lemon (Citrus limon) is a citrus tree, not a yearly crop — you plant it once and it can crop for decades, flowering and fruiting almost all year round.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant (establish) | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 open now |
| Expected harvest | about 25.5 t/ha |
| Work it takes | 102–218 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 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Moyale yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 1 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Moyale
| Rain and temperature | 76% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For lemon in Moyale, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 76%. This one is fixed. It is why the planting window above is where it is — hitting those dates is the whole of your control here.
The 2027 season in Moyale
| Rain in a typical year | About 367 mm |
|---|---|
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 367 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| 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 | 3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 79% of this area. |
| 79% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 92 growing days · about 340 mm |
|---|---|
| 10% | 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 430 mm · October to December |
| 10% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 113 growing days · about 390 mm · March to May |
last updated 30 September 2026
Temperature holds back about 35% of yield here.
What lemon 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 lemon in Moyale
| Planting material | About 240 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 51 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 10 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 64 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 | 102–218 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a lemon 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 Lemon with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Moyale 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 lemon grow well in Moyale?
Moyale rates as favourable for lemon.
When should I plant lemon in Moyale?
Typically 21 Jan 2026 to 1 Jan 2027, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Moyale, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
