Divisi
When to plant Maize in Karibib
Erongo, Namibia
C4 annual grass, wind- and cross-pollinated — buy hybrid seed fresh each season and isolate seed crops / sweetcorn from field maize by ~200 m.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Moderate | |
| When to plant | 22 Dec 2026 – 11 Jan 2027 opens in 12 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 2.5 t/ha | about 9.3 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 21 Apr 2027 to 31 May 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 meets its needs | 49% | |
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 Karibib yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 11 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Karibib
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For maize in Karibib, 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 season in Karibib
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | January 2026 to March 2026 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 301 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January looks 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 +1.8 °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 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 the largest that farms — about 8% of this area. |
| 88% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 210 mm |
|---|---|
| 8% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 79 growing days · about 310 mm · January to March |
last updated 17 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 60% 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 Karibib
| Planting material | About 53,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 40 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 20 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 15 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 | 82–165 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
Grow Maize with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Karibib 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.
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 Karibib?
Karibib rates as moderate for maize.
When should I plant maize in Karibib?
Typically 22 Dec 2026 to 11 Jan 2027, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Karibib, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
