Growing Groundnuts in Machakos
Soil suitability analysis based on Machakos's nutrient profile
Yes — Machakos is well suited to Groundnuts. Machakos's soil (pH 7.03, near-neutral) gives Groundnuts a suitability score of 76/100. Match fertilizer to Machakos's nitrogen and phosphorus levels for the best result.
Machakos County is well suited to Groundnuts, scoring 76/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. At an average pH of 7.03 the soil sits above Groundnuts's preferred 5–7 range, which can limit uptake of phosphorus and micronutrients. Nitrogen (0.82 g/kg), phosphorus (31.4 mg/kg) and potassium (338 mg/kg) all meet Groundnuts's requirements, so a maintenance fertilizer programme is enough. The county's predominantly sandy loam soils suit Groundnuts, which favours sandy. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, Groundnuts is the #59 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Machakos County. At current prices (about KES 90/kg) and a typical 500 kg/acre yield, a well-managed Groundnuts crop here can gross roughly KES 45,000 per acre.
Soil & climate match
| Factor | Machakos soil | Groundnuts needs | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| pH | 7.03 | 5–7 | Adjust |
| Nitrogen | 0.82 g/kg | min 0.5 g/kg | OK |
| Phosphorus | 31.4 mg/kg | min 12 mg/kg | OK |
| Potassium | 338 mg/kg | min 150 mg/kg | OK |
| Rainfall | 700 mm | 500–1,400 mm | OK |
| Altitude | 1,100 m | 0–1,800 m | OK |
Top dressing guide
Machakos's nitrogen reads 0.82 g/kg, but the rate stays at zero: Groundnuts is not top-dressed, for the crop-specific reason above.
Seed varieties for Machakos
Varieties suited to Machakos's 1,100 m altitude and 700 mm annual rainfall — 2 of 2 groundnuts varieties we list.
Economics
Fertilizer prices
Green = subsidized · (Commercial) per 50kg bag