Divisi
When to plant Sorghum in Kilimani
Nairobi, 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 | 13 Jan 2027 – 2 Mar 2027 opens in 15 weeks | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| Expected harvest | 3.4–3.6 t/ha | about 4.5 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 13 Apr 2027 to 20 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-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 25 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's outlook for Kilimani 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 2 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Kilimani
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 88% |
| The lie of the land | 60% |
For sorghum in Kilimani, 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 2026 season in Kilimani
| Rainy seasons | Two each year — two chances to plant |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | February 2026 to July 2026 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 925 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning wet — January, February, October, November and 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 one full main crop, 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 60% of this area. |
| 60% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 242 growing days · about 900 mm · February to July |
|---|---|
| 40% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 234 growing days · about 870 mm · February to June |
last updated 30 September 2026
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 Kilimani
| Planting material | About 100,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 15 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 6 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 17 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 Kilimani 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 Kilimani?
Kilimani rates as favourable for sorghum.
When should I plant sorghum in Kilimani?
Typically 13 Jan 2027 to 2 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Kilimani, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
