Growing Dragon Fruit in Uasin Gishu

Soil suitability analysis based on Uasin Gishu's nutrient profile

Uasin Gishu County is a solid choice for Dragon Fruit, with a soil-match score of 61/100. Local soils average pH 6.39 — slightly acidic to near-neutral and inside the 5.5–7 band Dragon Fruit prefers, so no lime is usually required. Nitrogen (1.56 g/kg), phosphorus (25.3 mg/kg) and potassium (227 mg/kg) all meet Dragon Fruit's requirements, so a maintenance fertilizer programme is enough. Dragon Fruit prefers sandy loam soils, while Uasin Gishu is largely clay loam, so drainage and organic-matter management matter more here. At 2100 m, the county sits above Dragon Fruit's preferred altitude ceiling of 1700 m, where frost risk and cold nights reduce the crop's productivity. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, Dragon Fruit is the #78 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Uasin Gishu County. Dragon Fruit's full potential is about 5,000 kg/acre (~KES 2,500,000/acre at KES 500/kg), but at Uasin Gishu's 61/100 suitability a realistic target here is closer to 3,813 kg/acre (~KES 1,906,500/acre) unless the constraints above are addressed.