When to plant Sunflower in Wad Bandah
West Kordofan, Sudan
Sunflower is a tall, upright plant — about 1–2 m, higher than your head — that carries one big flower head on top.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant | 8 Oct 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 opens in 1 week |
| Expected harvest | about 2.9 t/ha |
| Harvest | From 6 Jan 2027 to 11 May 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 28 Oct 2026. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Wad Bandah is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 1 Jan 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Wad Bandah
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 60% |
| The lie of the land | 96% |
For sunflower in Wad Bandah, the soil is the tightest of the three at 60%. 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 season in Wad Bandah
| Rain in a typical year | About 182 mm |
|---|---|
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 182 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| What that supports | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season |
| Ground this covers | One kind of ground throughout. |
last updated 30 September 2026
The soil 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 Wad Bandah
| Planting material | About 50,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 130 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 58 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 232 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 Wad Bandah 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.
Or check your field firstSunflower 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 Wad Bandah?
Wad Bandah rates as favourable for sunflower.
When should I plant sunflower in Wad Bandah?
Typically 8 Oct 2026 to 1 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Wad Bandah, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.