Divisi
When to plant Sorghum in Manyatta
Embu, Kenya
Known here as mtama
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 | 17 Dec 2026 – 7 Feb 2027 opens in 11 weeks | 20 Jul 2026 – 27 Dec 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 3.1 t/ha | same |
| Harvest | From 17 Mar 2027 to 27 Jun 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 | 93% | |
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 12 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's outlook for Manyatta leans wet. Plant at the early end of the window, and make sure water can drain off the field — a wet year does more damage through waterlogging than through the rain itself.
Planting after 7 Feb 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Manyatta
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 88% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For sorghum in Manyatta, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 60%. 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 2025 season in Manyatta
| When the rains are expected | December 2025 to December 2025 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 2,002 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — December look heavier than usual. Make sure water can drain off the field; a wet year does more damage through waterlogging and disease than through the rain itself. |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.0 °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 | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 35% of this area. |
| 35% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 346 growing days · about 1,810 mm · February to January |
|---|---|
| 27% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 256 growing days · about 1,170 mm · September to July |
| 16% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 365 growing days · about 1,720 mm · January to December |
| 5% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; cold for much of the year, with a short planting season 365 growing days · about 1,770 mm · January to December |
last updated 30 September 2026
Sloping ground holds back about 20% 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 Manyatta
| Planting material | About 100,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 13 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 6 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 15 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 Manyatta 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 Manyatta?
Manyatta rates as favourable for sorghum.
When should I plant sorghum in Manyatta?
Typically 17 Dec 2026 to 7 Feb 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Manyatta, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
