Divisi
When to plant Lemon in Central 1 Mahe
Mahe, Seychelles
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) | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 open now | same |
| Expected harvest | about 11.6 t/ha | about 18.5 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 Central 1 Mahe 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 Central 1 Mahe
| Rain and temperature | 76% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 18% |
For lemon in Central 1 Mahe, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 18%. 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 Central 1 Mahe
| When the rains are expected | January 2026 to December 2026 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 2,947 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — February, September, 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 +1.1 °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 a long crop, or two in a year, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | This area is smaller than the climate grid can resolve, so it reads as one kind of ground. |
| 67% | 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 2,900 mm · January to December |
|---|---|
| 33% | 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 2,800 mm · January to December |
last updated 17 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 Central 1 Mahe
| Planting material | About 240 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 23 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 5 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 29 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 Central 1 Mahe 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 Central 1 Mahe?
Central 1 Mahe rates as favourable for lemon.
When should I plant lemon in Central 1 Mahe?
Typically 21 Jan 2026 to 1 Jan 2027, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Central 1 Mahe, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
