Divisi
When to plant Tea in Zwara
West, Libya
Tea (Camellia sinensis) is an evergreen highland bush you grow not for one harvest but as a living plucking table — a flat-topped hedge, kept pruned to about waist height, that pushes out soft new shoots again and again for a whole generation.
| Fit | Favourable |
|---|---|
| When to plant (establish) | 29 Aug 2026 – 11 Apr 2027 open now |
| Expected harvest | about 1.9 t/ha |
| Work it takes | 213–430 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 Zwara is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.
Planting after 11 Apr 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.
What decides this in Zwara
| Rain and temperature | 60% |
|---|---|
| The soil | 76% |
| The lie of the land | 96% |
For tea in Zwara, rain and temperature is the tightest of the three at 60%. This one is fixed. It is why the planting window above is where it is — hitting those dates is the whole of your control here.
The season in Zwara
| Rain in a typical year | About 161 mm |
|---|---|
| This season's rain | Rain close to usual — plan around about 161 mm falling roughly when it always does |
| What that supports | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation, 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 3% of this area. |
| 97% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth no rain-fed season · about 140 mm |
|---|---|
| 3% | too dry for rain-fed cropping without irrigation; warm, with a cool spell that slows winter growth 81 growing days · about 180 mm |
last updated 17 September 2026
Frost and pest pressure hold back about 50% of yield here.
What tea needs to grow here
| Soil it likes | well-drained sandy loam or loam soil |
|---|---|
| Soil sourness (pH) | Happiest between pH 4.5 and 5.5 |
| Spacing | 120 cm between rows, 60 cm between plants |
| Feed it most with | nitrogen, potassium and zinc |
What it takes to grow tea in Zwara
| Planting material | About 12,000 plants per hectare |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen (N) | About 95 kg per hectare |
| Phosphate (P₂O₅) | About 14 kg per hectare |
| Potash (K₂O) | About 48 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 | 213–430 days per hectare, by hand |
These are the nutrients a tea 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 Tea with a plan, not a guess
Everything above describes Zwara 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 tea grow well in Zwara?
Zwara rates as favourable for tea.
When should I plant tea in Zwara?
Typically 29 Aug 2026 to 11 Apr 2027, forecast-adjusted.
Is this exact for my own field?
No — these are readings taken across Zwara, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.