When to plant Maize in Musigati

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Maize

Bubanza, Burundi

C4 annual grass, wind- and cross-pollinated — buy hybrid seed fresh each season and isolate seed crops / sweetcorn from field maize by ~200 m.

Maize in Musigati, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant 3 Sep 2026 – 18 Feb 2027 open now 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
Expected harvest about 3.8 t/ha about 5.4 t/ha
Harvest From 1 Jan 2027 to 8 Jul 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 120–140 days after planting
Work it takes 82–165 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 outlook for Musigati 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 18 Feb 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Musigati

Rain and temperature 96%
The soil 76%
The lie of the land 45%

For maize in Musigati, 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 2026/27 season in Musigati

When the rains are expectedAugust 2026 to July 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 1,408 mm
This season's rainLeaning 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 heatHotter than usual — about +1.2 °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 a long crop, or two in a year, 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 38% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
38% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 313 growing days · about 1,360 mm · August to July
27% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 290 growing days · about 1,050 mm · September to June
15% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 317 growing days · about 1,360 mm · August to July
12% enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 301 growing days · about 1,170 mm · September to June

last updated 16 September 2026

Sloping ground holds back about 45% of yield here.

What maize needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sandy loam, loam or clay loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 5.5 and 7.5
Spacing 75 cm between rows, 25 cm between plants
Feed it most with sulphur, zinc and magnesium

What it takes to grow maize in Musigati

Planting materialAbout 53,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 61 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 30 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 23 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 work82–165 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a maize 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 — manageableSoil pH below the crop's optimumSteep slope

Grow Maize with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Musigati 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

Where to sell Maize nearby

Maize 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 maize grow well in Musigati?

Musigati rates as favourable for maize.

When should I plant maize in Musigati?

Typically 3 Sep 2026 to 18 Feb 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Musigati, 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 Musigati

Keep going

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