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Maize (Masara) takes about 110 days from planting to harvest. This calendar runs from land preparation to storage.
110 days to harvest · 2026 wet season
6 May 2026
Prepare
Clear and ridge the field
Plough and make ridges 75cm apart. Burn nothing — plough crop residue back in to hold moisture.
20 May 2026
Plant
Plant maize
2 seeds per hole, 25cm between holes on the ridge, 75cm between ridges. Plant after the second good rain, not the first.
Improved seed: SAMMAZ 15 or Oba Super 2
3 Jun 2026
Fertilizer
First fertilizer (basal)
Apply 150kg/ha NPK 20:10:10 in a band 5cm to the side of each plant. Do not touch the stem.
NPK 20:10:10 (Notore or Indorama), 3 bags/ha
10 Jun 2026
Weed
First weeding
Weed by hoe or apply pre-emergence herbicide. Maize loses the most yield to weeds in the first 6 weeks.
Atrazine + Metolachlor (Primextra Gold), 2.5 L/ha
14 Jun 2026
Watch
Check for fall armyworm
Look into the funnel (whorl) of each plant early morning. Ragged holes and wet sawdust-like droppings mean armyworm. Scout twice a week.
1 Jul 2026
Fertilizer
Top dressing (urea)
Apply 100kg/ha Urea when the plant is knee-high. Apply just before rain, never on dry soil.
Urea 46%N, 2 bags/ha
4 Jul 2026
Weed
Second weeding and earthing up
Weed and pull soil up around the stem base to stop the plant falling in wind.
19 Jul 2026
Watch
Check for rust and leaf blight
Reddish-brown powder on leaves is rust. Long grey-green lesions are blight. Photograph and scan if unsure.
7 Sept 2026
Harvest
Harvest maize
Harvest when husks are dry and brown and the grain is hard. A black layer at the base of the kernel means it is ready.
17 Sept 2026
Store
Dry and store
Dry to 13% moisture before bagging. Grain that dents under a fingernail is still too wet and will grow mould.
Hermetic storage bag (PICS bag)