Divisi
When to plant Pigeon pea in KaNyaka
Cidade de Maputo, Moçambique
Known here as guandu · feijão-guandu
Pigeon pea (red gram) is a hardy, woody bush bean that sends a taproot two metres deep, so it keeps growing and podding long after other crops burn off in the dry.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Favourable | |
| When to plant (establish) | 26 Oct 2026 – 15 Dec 2026 opens in 4 weeks | 9 Aug 2026 – 7 Dec 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 1.7 t/ha | same |
| Bearing cycle | 90–300 days per crop once the plant is established. Planting to the first harvest takes longer than one cycle. | |
| Rain meets its needs | 84% | |
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 25 Nov 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for KaNyaka 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 15 Dec 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in KaNyaka
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 76% |
For pigeon pea in KaNyaka, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 76%. 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 KaNyaka
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | September 2026 to July 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 830 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, October, 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 heat | Hotter than usual — about +0.9 °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 | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 44% of this area. |
| 44% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 244 growing days · about 820 mm · September to July |
|---|---|
| 22% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 276 growing days · about 830 mm · September to July |
| 22% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 276 growing days · about 830 mm · September to July |
| 11% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 245 growing days · about 820 mm · September to July |
last updated 17 September 2026
What pigeon pea needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sand, sandy loam, loam, clay loam or clay soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.0 and 7.0 |
| Spacing | 75 cm between rows, 30 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | phosphorus and sulphur |
What it takes to grow pigeon pea in KaNyaka
| Planting material | About 75,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 102 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 20 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 42 kg per hectare |
| In the shops | A basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. Skip the nitrogen top dressing; inoculated seed does that job. |
These are the nutrients a pigeon pea 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 Pigeon pea with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes KaNyaka 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.
Pigeon pea 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 pigeon pea grow well in KaNyaka?
KaNyaka rates as favourable for pigeon pea.
When should I plant pigeon pea in KaNyaka?
Typically 26 Oct 2026 to 15 Dec 2026, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across KaNyaka, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
