Divisi
When to plant Sorghum in Doutsila
Nyanga, Gabon
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 | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 10 Sep 2026 – 19 Apr 2027 open now | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 3.7 t/ha | about 4.6 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 9 Dec 2026 to 6 Sep 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-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 5 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Doutsila 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 19 Apr 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Doutsila
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For sorghum in Doutsila, the soil is the tightest of the three at 76%. This is the one you can actually move. Lime raises a sour soil, manure and compost lift what it holds, and both work within a season or two — money spent here changes the answer.
The 2026/27 season in Doutsila
| When the rains are expected | September 2026 to July 2027 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,620 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — January, February, September, 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 +0.7 °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 a long crop, or two in a year, 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 78% of this area. |
| 78% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 303 growing days · about 1,660 mm · September to July |
|---|---|
| 22% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 298 growing days · about 1,520 mm · September to July |
last updated 17 September 2026
Frost and pest pressure hold back about 15% 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 Doutsila
| Planting material | About 100,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 15 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 7 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 18 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 Doutsila 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 Doutsila?
Doutsila rates as favourable for sorghum.
When should I plant sorghum in Doutsila?
Typically 10 Sep 2026 to 19 Apr 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Doutsila, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
