Divisi
When to plant Sweet orange in Almargeb
West, Libya
The sweet orange is an evergreen fruit tree — plant it once and, cared for well, it feeds your family and earns money for 20–30 years.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant (establish) | 21 Jan 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 open now |
| Expected harvest | about 32.8 t/ha |
| Bearing cycle | 210–360 days per crop once the plant is established. Planting to the first harvest takes longer than one cycle. |
| Work it takes | 86–183 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 1 Jan 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.
This season's rainfall outlook for Almargeb 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 Almargeb
| Rain and temperature | 96% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 60% |
| The lie of the land | 76% |
For sweet orange in Almargeb, 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 2026 season in Almargeb
| Rain in a typical year | About 222 mm |
|---|---|
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 222 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| What that supports | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it, warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth |
| Ground this covers | 2 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 53% of this area. |
| 53% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 85 growing days · about 190 mm |
|---|---|
| 45% | enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 107 growing days · about 270 mm · November to March |
last updated 17 September 2026
The soil holds back about 20% of yield here.
What sweet orange needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 6.0 and 6.5 |
| Spacing | 600 cm between rows, 600 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, zinc and boron |
What it takes to grow sweet orange in Almargeb
| Planting material | About 300 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 66 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 13 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 82 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 | 86–183 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a sweet orange 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 Sweet orange with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Almargeb 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.
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 sweet orange grow well in Almargeb?
Almargeb rates as favourable for sweet orange.
When should I plant sweet orange in Almargeb?
Typically 21 Jan 2026 to 1 Jan 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Almargeb, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.
