Divisi
When to plant Sorghum in Cheraga
Alger, Algeria
Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor — mapfunde, mtama, amabele, mapira, dawa, mashilla) is the toughest of the grain cereals: a tall, C4 grass that keeps standing and yields when heat and dry spells have already beaten maize.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Moderate | |
| When to plant | 27 Feb 2027 – 8 Mar 2027 opens in 21 weeks | same |
| Expected harvest | about 0.9 t/ha | about 4.7 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 28 May 2027 to 26 Jul 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 90–140 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 92–168 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 41% | |
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 27 Feb 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Cheraga 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 8 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Cheraga
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For sorghum in Cheraga, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 88%. 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 2026/27 season in Cheraga
| When the rains are expected | September 2026 to May 2027 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 626 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, 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 +1.1 °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 | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 60% of this area. |
| 60% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 242 growing days · about 670 mm · September to May |
|---|---|
| 40% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 236 growing days · about 670 mm · September to May |
last updated 18 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 70% of yield here.
What sorghum needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | sandy loam, loam, clay loam or clay |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 7.5 |
| Rain it needs | About 450–650 mm across the season |
| Spacing | 70 cm between rows, 15 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen, phosphorus, zinc and sulphur |
What it takes to grow sorghum in Cheraga
| Planting material | About 100,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 4 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 2 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 4 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 | 92–168 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a sorghum 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 Sorghum with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Cheraga 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.
Sorghum 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 sorghum grow well in Cheraga?
Cheraga rates as moderate for sorghum.
When should I plant sorghum in Cheraga?
Typically 27 Feb 2027 to 8 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Cheraga, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
