Divisi
When to plant Lime in Fenerive Est
Analanjirofo, Madagascar
The lime is a small, thorny, evergreen citrus tree — the most heat-loving and least cold-hardy of the whole citrus family.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 18 Sep 2026 – 20 Jul 2027 open now | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 14.8 t/ha | about 20.5 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 1 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Fenerive Est is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 20 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Fenerive Est
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 45% |
For lime in Fenerive Est, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 45%. 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 Fenerive Est
| When the rains are expected | September 2026 to September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,722 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 1,722 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +0.8 °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 | One kind of ground throughout. |
last updated 17 September 2026
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 Fenerive Est
| Planting material | About 340 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 30 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 6 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 37 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 Fenerive Est 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.
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 Fenerive Est?
Fenerive Est rates as favourable for lime.
When should I plant lime in Fenerive Est?
Typically 18 Sep 2026 to 20 Jul 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Fenerive Est, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
