Divisi
When to plant Mandarin in Nhacra
Oio, Guinea-Bissau
The mandarin (also called tangerine or naartjie) is the hardiest and easiest-to-peel of the citrus trees — a small, spreading evergreen that lives and bears fruit for decades.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 14 May 2027 – 22 Aug 2027 opens in 32 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 9.3 t/ha | about 32.4 t/ha |
| Work it takes | 91–203 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 3 Jun 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Nhacra 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 Aug 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Nhacra
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For mandarin in Nhacra, 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 Nhacra
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | May 2026 to November 2026 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,509 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — September and October 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 +0.7 °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 full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 71% of this area. |
| 71% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 180 growing days · about 1,520 mm · May to November |
|---|---|
| 21% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 179 growing days · about 1,470 mm · May to November |
| 8% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 179 growing days · about 1,520 mm · May to November |
last updated 16 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 50% of yield here.
What mandarin 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 mandarin in Nhacra
| Planting material | About 340 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 19 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 4 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 23 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 | 91–203 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a mandarin 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 Mandarin with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Nhacra 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.
Mandarin 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 mandarin grow well in Nhacra?
Nhacra rates as favourable for mandarin.
When should I plant mandarin in Nhacra?
Typically 14 May 2027 to 22 Aug 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Nhacra, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
