Divisi
When to plant Sunflower in Kouande
Atacora, Benin
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 | Favourable | |
| When to plant | 25 Apr 2027 – 13 Aug 2027 opens in 29 weeks | 22 Mar 2026 – 7 Dec 2026 |
| Expected harvest | about 1.8 t/ha | about 2.6 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 24 Jul 2027 to 21 Dec 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-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 May 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Kouande is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 13 Aug 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Kouande
| Rain and temperature | 88% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 88% |
For sunflower in Kouande, the soil is the tightest of the three at 76%. This is the one you can actually move. Lime raises a sour soil, manure and compost lift what it holds, and both work within a season or two — money spent here changes the answer.
The 2027 season in Kouande
| Rainy seasons | One each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it |
|---|---|
| When the rains are expected | April 2027 to November 2027 |
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,066 mm |
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 1,066 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| This season's heat | Hotter than usual — about +0.9 °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 94% of this area. |
| 94% | enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 191 growing days · about 1,070 mm · April to October |
|---|---|
| 5% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 179 growing days · about 1,000 mm · April to October |
last updated 30 September 2026
Temperature holds back about 20% 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 Kouande
| Planting material | About 50,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 81 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 36 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 144 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 Kouande 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 Kouande?
Kouande rates as favourable for sunflower.
When should I plant sunflower in Kouande?
Typically 25 Apr 2027 to 13 Aug 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Kouande, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
