When to plant Passion fruit in Antsirabe I

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Passion fruit

Vakinankaratra, Madagascar

Passion fruit is a fast-growing climbing vine that must have a strong frame of posts and wires — a trellis — to climb on; it never does well sprawled on the ground.

Passion fruit in Antsirabe I, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Favourable
When to plant (establish) 15 Feb 2027 – 13 Mar 2027 opens in 20 weeks same
Expected harvest about 12.2 t/ha about 18.4 t/ha
Bearing cycle 60–90 days per crop once the plant is established. Planting to the first harvest takes longer than one cycle.
Work it takes 105–222 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 15 Feb 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for Antsirabe I 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 13 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Antsirabe I

Rain and temperature 76%
The soil 76%
The lie of the land 88%

For passion fruit in Antsirabe I, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 76%. This one is fixed. It is why the planting window above is where it is — hitting those dates is the whole of your control here.

The 2026/27 season in Antsirabe I

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedOctober 2026 to June 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 1,339 mm
This season's rainLeaning dry — January, February, November and December 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 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 one full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 64% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
64% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 242 growing days · about 1,330 mm · October to June
36% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 239 growing days · about 1,320 mm · October to June

last updated 17 September 2026

Frost and pest pressure hold back about 45% of yield here.

What passion fruit needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sandy loam or loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 5.5 and 6.5
Spacing 150 cm between rows, 300 cm between plants
Feed it most with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium

What it takes to grow passion fruit in Antsirabe I

Planting materialAbout 2,300 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 30 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 7 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 49 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 work105–222 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a passion fruit 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

Frost riskEarly-maturing — escapes late drought

Grow Passion fruit with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Antsirabe I 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

Passion fruit 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 passion fruit grow well in Antsirabe I?

Antsirabe I rates as favourable for passion fruit.

When should I plant passion fruit in Antsirabe I?

Typically 15 Feb 2027 to 13 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Antsirabe I, 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 Antsirabe I

Keep going

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