Growing Sisal in Garissa

Soil suitability analysis based on Garissa's nutrient profile

Quick answer

Yes — Garissa is well suited to Sisal. Garissa's soil (pH 7.96, alkaline) gives Sisal a suitability score of 77/100. Match fertilizer to Garissa's nitrogen and phosphorus levels for the best result.

Garissa County is well suited to Sisal, scoring 77/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. Local soils average pH 7.96 — alkaline and inside the 5.5–8.5 band Sisal prefers, so no lime is usually required. Nitrogen (0.61 g/kg), phosphorus (37.7 mg/kg) and potassium (407 mg/kg) all meet Sisal's requirements, so a maintenance fertilizer programme is enough. The county's predominantly sandy soils suit Sisal, which favours sandy. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, Sisal is the single best-matched crop of the 106 we assess for Garissa County. At current prices (about KES 90/kg) and a typical 1,000 kg/acre yield, a well-managed Sisal crop here can gross roughly KES 90,000 per acre.

77Suitability score

Soil & climate match

FactorGarissa soilSisal needsStatus
pH7.965.58.5OK
Nitrogen0.61 g/kgmin 0.5 g/kgOK
Phosphorus37.7 mg/kgmin 6 mg/kgOK
Potassium407 mg/kgmin 100 mg/kgOK
Rainfall250 mm250–700 mmOK
Altitude200 m0–1,800 mOK

Top dressing guide

Product
None
Timing
None required
Instruction
Sisal is extremely low-input. No fertilizer top dressing needed.
Bags per Acre
0

Recommended seed varieties

Hybrid 11648Dryland/Coastal
KALRO · 730-1000 days · 400–600 kg/acre
High fibre yield; resistant to zebra disease.

Economics

Market priceKES 90/kg
Expected yield in Garissa963 kg/acre
Estimated revenueKES 86,670/acre
Adjusted for Garissa's 77/100 suitability. Under ideal conditions Sisal can reach 1,000 kg/acre (~KES 90,000/acre) — attainable here only after the climate and soil constraints below are addressed.

Preferred textureSandy

Fertilizer prices

DAP
KES 3,500(6,500)
CAN
KES 2,875(5,700)
NPK 17:17:17
KES 3,275(5,600)
Urea
KES 3,500(5,500)
Lime
KES 1,500(1,800)

Green = subsidized · (Commercial) per 50kg bag