Growing Dragon Fruit in Vihiga

Soil suitability analysis based on Vihiga's nutrient profile

Vihiga County is well suited to Dragon Fruit, scoring 76/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. Local soils average pH 5.62 — slightly acidic to near-neutral and inside the 5.5–7 band Dragon Fruit prefers, so no lime is usually required. The main gap is potassium — measured at N 1.02 g/kg, P 14.8 mg/kg, K 164 mg/kg against this crop's medium/medium/high demand — so the fertilizer plan below prioritises closing that deficit. Dragon Fruit prefers sandy loam soils, while Vihiga is largely clay loam, so drainage and organic-matter management matter more here. At current prices (about KES 500/kg) and a typical 5,000 kg/acre yield, a well-managed Dragon Fruit crop here can gross roughly KES 2,500,000 per acre.