Divisi
When to plant Sunflower in Ouled Rabah
Jijel, Algeria
Sunflower is a tall, upright plant — about 1–2 m, higher than your head — that carries one big flower head on top.
| Measure | Rain-fed | With irrigation |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Moderate | |
| When to plant | 8 Mar 2027 – 17 Mar 2027 opens in 23 weeks | 11 Apr 2027 – 20 Jul 2027 |
| Expected harvest | 0.7–0.8 t/ha | about 1.3 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 6 Jun 2027 to 25 Jul 2027, depending on the planting date | |
| Ready to harvest | 90–130 days after planting | |
| Work it takes | 74–155 days per hectare, by hand | |
| Rain meets its needs | 51% | |
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 8 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
No seasonal forecast reaches Ouled Rabah yet, so these dates follow the rains it usually gets rather than this year's.
Planting after 17 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Ouled Rabah
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 45% |
For sunflower in Ouled Rabah, 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 Ouled Rabah
| When the rains are expected | September 2026 to June 2027 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,242 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 +1.0 °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, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 4 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 33% of this area. |
| 33% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 279 growing days · about 1,190 mm · September to June |
|---|---|
| 33% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 250 growing days · about 990 mm · September to May |
| 17% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 280 growing days · about 1,230 mm · September to June |
| 17% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 252 growing days · about 1,030 mm · September to May |
last updated 18 September 2026
Limited water holds back about 50% of yield here.
What sunflower needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam, loam or clay loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 7.5 |
| Rain it needs | About 400–750 mm across the season |
| Spacing | 60 cm between rows, 25 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | boron, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium |
What it takes to grow sunflower in Ouled Rabah
| Planting material | About 50,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 31 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 14 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 56 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 | 74–155 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a sunflower 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 Sunflower with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Ouled Rabah 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.
Sunflower 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 sunflower grow well in Ouled Rabah?
Ouled Rabah rates as moderate for sunflower.
When should I plant sunflower in Ouled Rabah?
Typically 8 Mar 2027 to 17 Mar 2027, typical season.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Ouled Rabah, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
