When to plant Lime in Kinango

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Lime

Kwale, Kenya

Known here as ndimu

The lime is a small, thorny, evergreen citrus tree — the most heat-loving and least cold-hardy of the whole citrus family.

Lime in Kinango, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant (establish) 17 Feb 2027 – 26 Sep 2027 opens in 20 weeks 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 15.7 t/ha 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 28 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's outlook for Kinango 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 26 Sep 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Kinango

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 76%
The lie of the land 76%

For lime in Kinango, 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 Kinango

Rainy seasonsTwo each year — two chances to plant
When the rains are expectedSeptember 2026 to January 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 714 mm
This season's rainLeaning wet — January, 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 heatHotter than usual — about +0.9 °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 supportsenough rain for one full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 63% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
63% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 215 growing days · about 690 mm · February to June
18% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 289 growing days · about 890 mm · March to December
14% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 243 growing days · about 770 mm · March to December
5% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 325 growing days · about 1,100 mm · March to January

last updated 30 September 2026

Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.

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 Kinango

Planting materialAbout 340 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 31 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 6 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 39 kg per hectare
In the shopsA 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 work96–203 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

Pest/disease risk — manageable

Grow Lime with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Kinango 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 first

Lime 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 lime grow well in Kinango?

Kinango rates as favourable for lime.

When should I plant lime in Kinango?

Typically 17 Feb 2027 to 26 Sep 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Kinango, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.

Also worth considering in Kinango

Keep going

Timing is one question. What the crop needs at every stage, what attacks it and where to sell it are the others.