Divisi
When to plant Roselle in Taba
South Sinai, Egypt
Roselle — you may know it as bissap, zobo, karkade or sorrel — is a tall, warm-season hibiscus grown for the fleshy red cups (the calyces) that swell at the base of each flower once the petals drop.
| Fit | Moderate |
|---|---|
| When to plant | 2 Mar 2027 – 22 Mar 2027 opens in 22 weeks |
| Expected harvest | about 0.6 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 30 Jun 2027 to 18 Sep 2027, depending on the planting date |
| Ready to harvest | 120–180 days after planting |
| Work it takes | 85–175 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 2 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Taba is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 22 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Taba
| Rain and temperature | 76% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 45% |
For roselle in Taba, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 45%. 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 season in Taba
| Rain in a typical year | About 18 mm |
|---|---|
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 18 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| What that supports | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 88% of this area. |
| 88% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 20 mm |
|---|---|
| 12% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 10 mm |
last updated 18 September 2026
Temperature holds back about 40% of yield here.
What roselle needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 5.5 and 7.5 |
| Spacing | 80 cm between rows, 60 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium |
What it takes to grow roselle in Taba
| Nitrogen (N) | About 24 kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 9 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 33 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 | 85–175 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a roselle 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 Roselle with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Taba 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.
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 roselle grow well in Taba?
Taba rates as moderate for roselle.
When should I plant roselle in Taba?
Typically 2 Mar 2027 to 22 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Taba, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.