When to plant Lime in GHANZI
These figures also cover GHANZI, where the engine returns the same answer.
Botswana
The lime is a small, thorny, evergreen citrus tree — the most heat-loving and least cold-hardy of the whole citrus family.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant (establish) | 11 Apr 2026 – 22 Mar 2027 open now |
| Expected harvest | about 23.2 t/ha |
| Work it takes | 96–203 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 22 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for GHANZI leans dry, so these dates sit later than the long-run average. Planting on the date you are used to risks germinating into a false start and having to replant.
Planting after 22 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in GHANZI
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 96% |
For lime in GHANZI, the soil is the tightest of the three at 76%. This is the one you can actually move. Lime raises a sour soil, manure and compost lift what it holds, and both work within a season or two — money spent here changes the answer.
The 2026/27 season in GHANZI
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | December 2026 to March 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 357 mm in a typical farming district |
| Across its districts | From about 337 mm in the driest of 2 districts to about 357 mm in the wettest |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February 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 +2.4 °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. |
| 93% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 350 mm |
|---|---|
| 4% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 75 growing days · about 370 mm · December to March |
last updated 18 September 2026 · from all 2 areas within it
What lime 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 | 550 cm between rows, 550 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, zinc and boron |
What it takes to grow lime in GHANZI
| Planting material | About 340 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 46 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 9 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 58 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 | 96–203 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a lime 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 Lime with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes GHANZI 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.
Or check your field firstThis 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 lime grow well in GHANZI?
GHANZI rates as favourable for lime.
When should I plant lime in GHANZI?
Typically 11 Apr 2026 to 22 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across GHANZI, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.