Are you searching for the best fertilizer to use for each plant or crop in Kenya? This guide lists the recommended fertilizer application rates for vegetables, cereals, and cash crops like tea, coffee, and sugarcane. The post has the best fertilizer for the most profitable fruit trees such as avocado, mango, and citrus fruit trees.
The use of fertilizer can easily double your farm yields and profits. But, you must use the right fertilizer blend in the correct amounts. According to the Ministry of Agriculture guidelines, you will need to follow the recommended fertilizer application rate for planting and top-dressing applications.
What is the fertilizer application rate? This is the quantity and type of fertilizers that are applied to a given piece of land or a plant. It can be given as the amount of fertilizer per square meter, acre, or hectare. It is expressed as kg/Ha, bags/acre, or g/tree.
Related: What you need to know about Types of fertilizers
Best Fertilizer for every vegetable Crop in Kenya
Looking for the fertilizer rate per horticulture crop in Kenya. Whether you are growing vegetables in a kitchen garden or you are in commercial vegetable farming, the following are the minimum recommended fertilizer rates;
- Irish potatoes: The application rate for planting Irish potatoes is 500kg/Ha of DAP fertilizer.
- Beetroot: Plant beetroot using 300kg/Ha of DAP phosphorus fertilizer.
- Eggplants: To plant the Brinjals or the eggplant vegetable, use 120kg/Ha of NPK 23:23:0 compound fertilizer.
- Broccoli: Broccoli vegetable needs planting fertilizer only. The recommended rate is 500kg/Ha of DAP.
- Cabbage: The cabbage vegetable needs 250kg/Ha of DAP planting fertilizer. For topdressing, use 250Kg/Ha of CAN nitrogen fertilizer.
- Melon: To plant the vine vegetable, apply 200kg/Ha of TSP or DAP. For topdressing, apply 250kg/Ha of CAN fertilizer.
- Carrots: The carrot vegetable has a recommended application rate of 200kg/Ha of DAP. The other option is 220 kg/Ha of DSP planting fertilizer. The application rate for topdressing is 200kg/Ha of CAN nitrogen fertilizer.
- Cucumber: The vine vegetable requires 200kg/Ha of DSP planting fertilizer.
- Kales: During planting, apply 500 kg/Ha of DSP or 250kg/ha of Kales or vegetables. To topdress, apply 200kg/Ha of the CAN fertilizer in ha the sukumawiki vegetables.
- Leeks: Leek vegetables require 250kg/Ha of DAP fertilizer to plant. In topdressing, apply 125kg/Ha of the CAN fertilizer.
- Lettuce: During the planting stage, apply 200kg/Ha of lettuce vegetables. You can also use 400kg/Ha of the DSP fertilizer. It requires a top dressing of 125kg/Ha of the CAN fertilizer.
- Onions: Plant the bulb onions in Kenya, and apply 400kg/Ha of DSP K fertilizer. Other alternatives are 200Kg/Ha of TSP or 150Kg of DAP fertilizers. Onions require topdressing of 300kg/ha of CAN fertilizer.
- Tomato: Tomatoes require fertilizer application at the planting stage only. The recommended application rate is 200kg/Ha of DSP phosphate fertilizer or 100kg/Ha of DAP or TSP fertilizers.
Which is the Best Fertilizer for beans in Kenya?
Are you looking for the best fertilizer for planting beans in Kenya? Most legume fertilizers do not require topdressing. You will need a one-time planting fertilizer application. The list below has the recommended fertilizer application rates for beans, green beans, cowpeas, and peas.
- Beans most beans and other legume plant requires fertilizer for planting only. Its recommended application rate is 200kg/ha of DAP Fertilizers. The same rate is recommended for NPK 23:23:0 or the NPK 17:17:17 compound fertilizers depending on your soil test results.
- French beans: To plant the French beans, apply 200kg/Ha of DAP fertilizer and top-dress it by applying 100kg/Ha of CAN nitrogen fertilizer.
- Cowpeas Apply 100kg/Ha of DSP or 80 kg/Ha of the TSP fertilizer when planting the cowpeas for vegetables or pulses. For topdressing apply 150kg/Ha of CAN or 100Kg/Ha of Urea. Where the two are not available, plant using 150Kg/Ha pf the NPK 20:20:20 compound fertilizer. This does not need any topdressing.
- Garden Peas: Apply 200kg/ha of the TSP planting fertilizer to plant garden peas. Top dress with 150kg/ha of the CAN fertilizer.
- Snow peas: To plant the Snow peas vegetables, apply 250kg/Ha of DAP K fertilizer. During topdressing, apply 200kg/Ha of CAN N fertilizer.
Best Fertilizer for each cereal crop in Kenya
Are you a cereal farmer looking for fertilizer rates for barley, maize wheat, or rice crops in Kenya? The following gives you the planting and top dressing rates. It is recommended to do a soil test and follow for accurate soil health management recommendations
- Barley, There are two types of barley in Kenya.
- For normal barley, apply 90 kg/ha of DAP at the planting stage and top dress it with 300kg/Ha of CAN or 90kg/Ha of ASN.
- Malting barley, plant it using 90 kg/ha of DAP and top dress it with 180 kg of CAN fertilizer per Ha. The alternative is to apply 100 kg/Ha of MAP and top dress it with 90kg/Ha of ASN.
- Maize, to plant maize, use either 150-200 kg/Ha of DAP, 150 kg/Ha per of TSP, or 200 kg/Ha of NPK 23:23:0. When maize is almost flowering, top dress it using either 250Kg/Ha of CAN or 150 kg of Urea.
- Wheat. The volume of fertilizers you use to grow wheat depends on the year of the crop.
- virgin land or year one use 130kg/Ha of NPK 11:52:0 fertilizer.
- 2nd year planting, use 130 kg/Ha of DAP.
- In 3rd year, apply 109 kg/ha and
- 4th year 87 Kg/Ha of DAP.
- 4 years plus, use 200kg/Ha of NPK fertilizer 20:20:0.
- Rice, Rice has 3 key stages of fertilizer application, sowing, transplanting, and topdressing.
- sowing rice seeds in the nursery using 160 kg/Ha of DAP fertilizer.
- Transplanting, use either the 100kg/Ha of DAP, 100kg/Ha of NPK 17:17:17, or the NPK 23:23:0.
- For top dressing, use 180 kg/Ha of SA fertilizer or 100 Kg/Ha of CAN.
- Millet To plant millet, use 120kg/Ha of DAP or 180 Kg/Ha of MAP phosphate fertilizer. During the topdressing stage, use 125kg/Ha of CAN nitrogen fertilizer.
- Sorghum Apply 120kg/Ha of DAP or 180 Kg/Ha of MAP for basal application when you are planting. For topdressing apply 100kg/Ha of the CAN fertilizer.
Best Fertilizer for fruit trees in Kenya
Unlike the horticulture and grain crops above, The fruit trees in Kenya are perennial plants requiring fertilizer application for a long period of time.
- Avocado, the fertilizer rate for your avocado trees depends on their age. The table below summarizes the recommended fertilizer application rates for Hass and Fuerte avocado trees per age. The rate in g/tree for CAN and TSP fertilizers.
| Age of Avocado tree | CAN fertilizer (g/tree) | TSP fertilizer (g/tree) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 years | 120 | 120 |
| 4-5 years | 220 | 450 |
| 6-7 years | 450 | 650 |
| Over 8 years | 650 | 650 |
- Bananas, to plant the Bananas, apply 200kg/Ha of DAP planting fertilizer or 150 kg/Ha of NPK 23:23:0. During topdressing, apply 300kg of CAN fertilizer.
- Citrus, The fertilizer application rate for citrus fruits like lemon, lime, and pixie oranges depends on the age of the tree. The table below summarizes the rate in g/tree for CAN and TSP fertilizers.
| Age of citrus fruit tree | CAN fertilizer (g/tree) | TSP fertilizer (g/tree) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 years | 200 | 150 |
| 4-5 years | 400 | 500 |
| Over 5 years | 600 | 1000 |
- Mango, the recommended fertilizer application rate for Mango trees depends on the age of the tree. In years 1-3 apply 150g/tree of TSP or DAP fertilizer and 240g/tree of CAN. In years 4-5 apply 400g/tree of CAN and 500g/tree of TSP or DAP. Over 5-7 years apply 400g/mango tree of CAN and 1000g/tree of DAP or TSP phosphate(K) fertilizers.
| Age of mango tree | CAN fertilizer (g/tree) | TSP or DAP fertilizer (g/tree) |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 years | 240 | 150 |
| 4-5 years | 400 | 500 |
| Over 5 years | 400 | 1000 |
- Passion fruits, to plant the passion fruits, the recommended fertilizer application rate is 200Kg/Ha of TSP or DAP phosphorus (P) fertilizer. For topdressing apply 300Kg/Ha of the CAN fertilizer.
- Pineapples, The sweet fruit has a recommendation rate of 500 kg/ha of DAP. Besides you can use 250kg/Ha of NPK 23:23:0 to plant pineapples or 200kg/Ha of the SA fertilizer. To get sweet pineapples, top-dress them by applying 200kg/Ha of urea nitrogen fertilizer
Fertilizer rates for cash crops in Kenya
The cost of fertilizers is a key determiner in the profitability of key cash crops in Kenya such as tea, coffee, and sugarcane. These two require perpetual application of fertilizers over long periods of time. the following are the top rates.
- Tea, to plant and top-dress tea, use an acidic compound fertilizer like NPK 26:5:5 or 20:10:10. In the 1st year, apply 180kg/ha (6g per plant) 6 weeks after transplanting and thereafter at 8 weeks intervals up to the end of the first year. In the 2nd year, apply 160kg/ha (15g/bush) every 3 months. In the 3rd year, Apply 720kg/ha (67g/bush) once. The same applies in the 4th year where you Apply 920kg/ha (86g/bush) once.5th year, Prune and then apply 600kg/ha (56 g/bush) at tipping.
| Age of tea Bushes | NPK 26:5:5 or 20:10:10. (g/tree) | NPK 26:5:5 or 20:10:10. (Kg/Ha) |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 180*6 |
| Year 2 | 15 | 160*4 |
| Year 3 | 67 | 720*1 |
| Year 4 | 86 | 920 |
| Year 5 | 56 | 600 |
- Sugarcane, to Plant sugarcane, use 2-3.5 bags/ha of DAP or 6-9 bags/ha of the SSP fertilizer. To top dress apply 4-5 bags/ha of urea or 8-9 bags/ha CAN depending on your agrozone and crop cycle.
Read more:
- Ministry of Agriculture (2012): Crops Extension Pocket Handbook Vol. 1 – Field Crops.
- Fertilizer Consumption & Fertilizer Use by Crop (FUBC) in Kenya, September 2015
Read Next: Where to Buy Fertilizers in Kenya
The recommendations for fertilizer application rates should have included also the rates for manure application in different agricultural ecological zones of kenya.