Divisi
When to plant Pigeon pea in Umkhanyakude
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
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) | 8 Oct 2026 – 17 Nov 2026 opens in 1 week | 29 Aug 2026 – 28 Oct 2026 |
| Expected harvest | 1.6–2.0 t/ha | about 1.3 t/ha |
| 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 | 93% | |
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 28 Oct 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Umkhanyakude 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 17 Nov 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Umkhanyakude
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For pigeon pea in Umkhanyakude, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 88%. 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 Umkhanyakude
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | October 2026 to April 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 628 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 +1.5 °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, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 31% of this area. |
| 31% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 223 growing days · about 660 mm · September to May |
|---|---|
| 24% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 230 growing days · about 720 mm · September to May |
| 21% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 351 growing days · about 900 mm · August to August |
| 13% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 365 growing days · about 990 mm · July to July |
last updated 17 September 2026
Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% of yield here.
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 Umkhanyakude
| Planting material | About 75,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 114 kg per hectare — the crop fixes most of this itself; inoculated seed matters more than a bag |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 23 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 48 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 Umkhanyakude 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 Umkhanyakude?
Umkhanyakude rates as favourable for pigeon pea.
When should I plant pigeon pea in Umkhanyakude?
Typically 8 Oct 2026 to 17 Nov 2026, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Umkhanyakude, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
