Divisi
When to plant Lemon in Murang'a
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.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 22 Mar 2026 – 2 Mar 2027 open now | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 20.3 t/ha | about 32.5 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 2 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's outlook for Murang'a 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 2 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Murang'a
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 30% |
For lemon in Murang'a, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 30%. 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 season in Murang'a
| Rainy seasons | Two each year — two chances to plant |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | February 2026 to July 2026 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,030 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 828 mm in the driest of 7 districts to about 1,682 mm in the wettest |
| Rainy seasons, district by district | Of 7 districts: one rainy season in 1 and two rainy seasons in 3 |
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — January, February, October, 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 +1.0 °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 full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 7 kinds of ground. The season below is one typical farming district's, not a figure for the whole of this area. |
| 28% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 220 growing days · about 890 mm · February to July |
|---|---|
| 24% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 349 growing days · about 1,510 mm · February to January |
| 8% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 256 growing days · about 1,140 mm · September to July |
| 6% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 254 growing days · about 1,140 mm · September to July |
| 6% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 365 growing days · about 1,540 mm · January to December |
| 5% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 240 growing days · about 910 mm · February to June |
| 4% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 236 growing days · about 900 mm · February to June |
last updated 16 September 2026 · from all 7 areas within it
Sloping ground holds back about 25% 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 Murang'a
| Planting material | About 240 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 41 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 8 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 51 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 Murang'a 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.
Lemon 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 lemon grow well in Murang'a?
Murang'a rates as favourable for lemon.
When should I plant lemon in Murang'a?
Typically 22 Mar 2026 to 2 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Murang'a, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
