Divisi
When to plant Roselle in Dababa
HADJER LAMIS, Tchad
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.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Moderate | |
| When to plant | 10 Jul 2027 – 19 Jul 2027 opens in 40 weeks | 28 Oct 2026 – 17 Nov 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 0.4 t/ha | about 1.5 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 7 Nov 2027 to 15 Jan 2028, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 120–180 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 85–175 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 58% | |
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 10 Jul 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Dababa yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 19 Jul 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Dababa
| Rain and temperature | 76% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 96% |
For roselle in Dababa, 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 2027 season in Dababa
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | July 2027 to September 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 327 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 327 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.9 °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 one short crop, and only if timed to it, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 91% of this area. |
| 91% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 105 growing days · about 440 mm · June to October |
|---|---|
| 9% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season no rain-fed season · about 300 mm · July to September |
last updated 17 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 45% 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 Dababa
| Nitrogen (N) | About 16 kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 6 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 22 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 Dababa 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.
Roselle 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 roselle grow well in Dababa?
Dababa rates as moderate for roselle.
When should I plant roselle in Dababa?
Typically 10 Jul 2027 to 19 Jul 2027, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Dababa, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
