Divisi
When to plant Sorghum in Gert Sibande
Mpumalanga, South Africa
Known here as amabele · amazimba
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 | 2 Oct 2026 – 1 Nov 2026 opens in 1 week | 29 Aug 2026 – 28 Oct 2026 |
| Expected harvest | 2.6–3.4 t/ha | about 4.5 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 31 Dec 2026 to 21 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 | 76% | |
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 1 Nov 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Gert Sibande is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 1 Nov 2026 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Gert Sibande
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For sorghum in Gert Sibande, 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 Gert Sibande
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | September 2026 to May 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 724 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 724 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +1.5 °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 69% of this area. |
| 69% | enough rain for one full main crop; cool for part of the year, so frost sets the planting date 211 growing days · about 700 mm · October to April |
|---|---|
| 18% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 225 growing days · about 840 mm · September to May |
| 13% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 192 growing days · about 620 mm · October to April |
last updated 17 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 30% 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 Gert Sibande
| Planting material | About 100,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 11 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 5 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 12 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 Gert Sibande 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 Gert Sibande?
Gert Sibande rates as favourable for sorghum.
When should I plant sorghum in Gert Sibande?
Typically 2 Oct 2026 to 1 Nov 2026, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Gert Sibande, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
