Maize is Zimbabwe's most important staple food crop, grown across all provinces. It forms the backbone of food security and is a key component of most smallholder farming systems.
120
Days to Maturity
3–8 tonnes/ha
Typical Yield
Moderate
Water Need
Moderate
Drought Tolerance
Optimal Soil Types
pH Range: 5.5 – 7
Requires well-drained soils rich in organic matter. Waterlogged soils dramatically reduce yield.
Fertilizer: 2 Nutrich Earthworm poop tea 8 Nutrich Vermicompost 4 Compound D 5 Nutrich Vermifoliar
Optimal Temp: 18–27°C
Rainfall: 500–900mm/year
Climate Zones
Irrigation critical during tasselling and grain fill. Deficit irrigation reduces yield by 30–50%.
14°C
clear sky
Manicaland
47%
Humidity
9
km/h Wind
14–14°C
Min / Max Today
5-Day Forecast
Fri
14°
14°
Sat
25°
8°
Sun
29°
10°
Mon
30°
13°
Tue
30°
12°
Maize optimal climate: Temp: 18–27°C°C · Rainfall: 500–900mm/yr
Planting Months
Harvesting Months
Planting Depth: 5–7 cm
Spacing: 90cm rows × 30cm plant spacing
Material: Seeds
Provinces
Natural Regions
Symptoms: Ragged leaf feeding, frass in whorl
Management: Spray lambda-cyhalothrin or spinosad; early detection critical
Symptoms: Dead heart, larva tunnelling in stalk
Management: Apply Dipterex 80SP or spinosad granules into whorl at 3 weeks
Symptoms: Yellowing, sticky residue, sooty mould
Management: Dimethoate 400EC spray; encourage natural enemies
Symptoms: Rectangular grey-brown leaf lesions
Management: Plant resistant varieties; avoid dense planting; use triazole fungicides
Symptoms: Yellow streaks on leaves, stunting
Management: Plant tolerant varieties; control leafhopper vectors
Symptoms: Long cigar-shaped tan lesions
Management: Foliar fungicide application; crop rotation
Governed Product Guidance
Crop-specific product selection, application rates, mixing, timing and treatment guidance for Maize are available only through ZEF's governed production-agronomy workflow after country readiness and product/regulatory approval.
Staple food (sadza), livestock feed, ethanol production, starch industry
Export Potential:
Cultivation Guide
Step-by-step guide tailored to Maize in Zimbabwe
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