Divisi
When to plant Sunflower in Sikensi
Agneby-Tiassa, Côte d'Ivoire
Known here as tournesol
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 | 9 May 2027 – 17 Jun 2027 opens in 31 weeks | 21 May 2027 – 9 Aug 2027 |
| Expected harvest | about 2.0 t/ha | about 2.7 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 7 Aug 2027 to 25 Oct 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 4 Jun 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Sikensi leans dry, so these dates sit later than the long-run average. Planting on the date you are used to risks germinating into a false start and having to replant.
Planting after 17 Jun 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Sikensi
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 96% |
| The lie of the land | 76% |
For sunflower in Sikensi, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 76%. 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 2027 season in Sikensi
| When the rains are expected | February 2027 to December 2027 |
|---|---|
| Rain in a typical year | About 1,305 mm |
| This season's rain | Leaning dry — February, September, October and November 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 all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | 3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 52% of this area. |
| 52% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 301 growing days · about 1,320 mm · February to December |
|---|---|
| 35% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 298 growing days · about 1,240 mm · February to December |
| 13% | enough rain for a long crop, or two in a year; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 303 growing days · about 1,380 mm · February to December |
last updated 30 September 2026
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 Sikensi
| Planting material | About 50,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 90 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 40 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 160 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 Sikensi 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 Sikensi?
Sikensi rates as favourable for sunflower.
When should I plant sunflower in Sikensi?
Typically 9 May 2027 to 17 Jun 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Sikensi, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
