Divisi
When to plant Pineapple in Dadaab
Garissa, Kenya
Known here as nanasi · mananasi
Pineapple is a tough, low-growing plant — a rosette (a circle of stiff, spiny leaves growing out from one central point) about waist-high, carrying one sweet fruit in its heart.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant (establish) | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 open now |
| Expected harvest | about 46.0 t/ha |
| Bearing cycle | 450–730 days per crop once the plant is established. Planting to the first harvest takes longer than one cycle. |
| Work it takes | 158–335 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 1 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Dadaab yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 1 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Dadaab
| Rain and temperature | 76% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 96% |
For pineapple in Dadaab, 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 season in Dadaab
| Rain in a typical year | About 342 mm |
|---|---|
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — make sure water can drain off the field. |
| 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 | One kind of ground throughout. |
last updated 30 September 2026
Temperature holds back about 35% of yield here.
What pineapple needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sand or sandy loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 4.5 and 5.5 |
| Rain it needs | About 1,000–1,500 mm across the season |
| Feed it most with | potassium, nitrogen and zinc |
What it takes to grow pineapple in Dadaab
| Planting material | About 55,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 161 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 34 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 506 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 | 158–335 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a pineapple 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 Pineapple with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Dadaab 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.
Pineapple 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 pineapple grow well in Dadaab?
Dadaab rates as favourable for pineapple.
When should I plant pineapple in Dadaab?
Typically 21 Jan 2026 to 1 Jan 2027, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Dadaab, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.