Divisi
When to plant Sorghum in Ntsupe
Qacha's Nek, Lesotho
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 | 30 Sep 2026 – 9 Nov 2026 open now | 18 Sep 2026 – 8 Oct 2026 |
| Expected harvest | 1.1–1.4 t/ha | about 0.3 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 29 Dec 2026 to 29 Mar 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 | 64% | |
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 20 Oct 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Ntsupe yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 9 Nov 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Ntsupe
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 45% |
For sorghum in Ntsupe, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 45%. 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 2026/27 season in Ntsupe
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | October 2026 to April 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 622 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 +1.6 °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, cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date |
| Ground this covers | 3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 78% of this area. |
| 78% | enough rain for one full main crop; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 211 growing days · about 650 mm · October to April |
|---|---|
| 11% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 168 growing days · about 550 mm · October to April |
| 9% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 146 growing days · about 580 mm · November to April |
last updated 16 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 Ntsupe
| Planting material | About 100,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 5 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 2 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 5 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 Ntsupe 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 Ntsupe?
Ntsupe rates as moderate for sorghum.
When should I plant sorghum in Ntsupe?
Typically 30 Sep 2026 to 9 Nov 2026, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Ntsupe, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
