Growing Sisal in Kwale

Soil suitability analysis based on Kwale's nutrient profile

Quick answer

Yes — Kwale is well suited to Sisal. Kwale's soil (pH 6.76, near-neutral) gives Sisal a suitability score of 79/100. Match fertilizer to Kwale's nitrogen and phosphorus levels for the best result.

Kwale County is well suited to Sisal, scoring 79/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. Local soils average pH 6.76 — neutral and inside the 5.5–8.5 band Sisal prefers, so no lime is usually required. Nitrogen (0.93 g/kg), phosphorus (9.8 mg/kg) and potassium (131 mg/kg) all meet Sisal's requirements, so a maintenance fertilizer programme is enough. The county's predominantly sandy loam soils suit Sisal, which favours sandy. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, Sisal is the #37 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Kwale 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.

79Suitability score

Soil & climate match

FactorKwale soilSisal needsStatus
pH6.765.58.5OK
Nitrogen0.93 g/kgmin 0.5 g/kgOK
Phosphorus9.8 mg/kgmin 6 mg/kgOK
Potassium131 mg/kgmin 100 mg/kgOK
Rainfall900 mm250–700 mmHigh
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 in Kwale
0

Kwale's nitrogen reads 0.93 g/kg, but the rate stays at zero: Sisal is not top-dressed, for the crop-specific reason above.

Seed varieties for Kwale

Varieties suited to Kwale's 200 m altitude and 900 mm annual rainfall — 1 of 1 sisal varieties we list.

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 Kwale988 kg/acre
Estimated revenueKES 88,920/acre
Adjusted for Kwale's 79/100 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