Plant Pulse

When to plant Corn in Low Country Dry Zone

When to plant Corn in Low Country Dry Zone. Stored windows: September–October; April. Ranges from different sources are not averaged.

Unverified — based on Field Crops – Maize – Sinhala, Department of Agriculture Sri Lanka, Sinhala page, accessed 2026-10-20: https://doa.gov.lk/field-crops-maize-si/; confirm for your microclimate.

Stored planting windows

  • September–October

    Direct sow

    Using 105–115 stored days. Plant in Sep, first harvest about 105–115 days later (around December–January). Plant in Oct, first harvest around January–February. Calculated from the stored day count and the planting month. It is not a separate harvest calendar. Farmer field experience. Using 90–110 stored days. Plant in Sep, first harvest about 90–110 days later (around December–January). Plant in Oct, first harvest around January–February. Calculated from the stored day count and the planting month. It is not a separate harvest calendar.

    Sinhala maize page: under rain, the end of September or the beginning of October. Both months are marked because a month is the finest step. Commercial cultivation is described as more suitable in the dry and intermediate zones.

    Unverified — based on Field Crops – Maize – Sinhala, Department of Agriculture Sri Lanka, accessed 2026-10-20: https://doa.gov.lk/field-crops-maize-si/; confirm for your microclimate.

  • April

    Direct sow

    Using 105–115 stored days. Plant in Apr, first harvest about 105–115 days later (around July–August). Calculated from the stored day count and the planting month. It is not a separate harvest calendar. Farmer field experience. Using 90–110 stored days. Plant in Apr, first harvest about 90–110 days later (around July–August). Calculated from the stored day count and the planting month. It is not a separate harvest calendar.

    Sinhala maize page: Yala at the beginning of April. The grid marks all of April.

    Unverified — based on Field Crops – Maize – Sinhala, Department of Agriculture Sri Lanka, accessed 2026-10-20: https://doa.gov.lk/field-crops-maize-si/; confirm for your microclimate.

From farmer field experience

Based on hands-on growing experience from Sri Lankan farmers. Not yet verified against official sources.

  • October–November

    Direct sow

    Using 105–115 stored days. Plant in Oct, first harvest about 105–115 days later (around January–February). Plant in Nov, first harvest around February–March. Calculated from the stored day count and the planting month. It is not a separate harvest calendar. Farmer field experience. Using 90–110 stored days. Plant in Oct, first harvest about 90–110 days later (around January–February). Plant in Nov, first harvest around February–March. Calculated from the stored day count and the planting month. It is not a separate harvest calendar.

    Farmer field notenoted Oct 2026

    Low Country Dry Zone, Maha, October–November, rainfed.

    Unverified — based on Farmer field experience, noted 2026-10-23; confirm for your microclimate.

  • April–May

    Direct sow

    Using 105–115 stored days. Plant in Apr, first harvest about 105–115 days later (around July–August). Plant in May, first harvest around August–September. Calculated from the stored day count and the planting month. It is not a separate harvest calendar. Farmer field experience. Using 90–110 stored days. Plant in Apr, first harvest about 90–110 days later (around July–August). Plant in May, first harvest around August–September. Calculated from the stored day count and the planting month. It is not a separate harvest calendar.

    Farmer field notenoted Oct 2026

    Low Country Dry Zone, Yala, April–May, irrigated.

    Unverified — based on Farmer field experience, noted 2026-10-23; confirm for your microclimate.

Season ranges

Two or more season ranges are stored. They are not joined. A month is marked only when it falls inside a stored range.

  • Yala is stored from more than one source, and the months do not match. Yala (FAO) is Mar–Aug. Yala (National Drought Plan) is Apr–Sep. Both ranges are shown. They are not averaged.
  • Maha is stored from more than one source, and the months do not match. Maha (FAO) is Sep–Feb. Maha (National Drought Plan) is Oct–Mar. Both ranges are shown. They are not averaged.

Agricultural seasons

  1. Yala (FAO): Mar–Aug (Agricultural)

    Improvement of plant nutrient management for better farmer livelihood, food security and environment in Sri Lanka, J.D.H. Wijewardena, Department of Agriculture, hosted by FAO, accessed 2026-10-20: https://www.fao.org/4/ag120e/AG120E12.htm

  2. Maha (FAO): Sep–Feb (Agricultural)

    Improvement of plant nutrient management for better farmer livelihood, food security and environment in Sri Lanka, J.D.H. Wijewardena, Department of Agriculture, hosted by FAO, accessed 2026-10-20: https://www.fao.org/4/ag120e/AG120E12.htm

  3. Yala (National Drought Plan): Apr–Sep (Agricultural)

    National Drought Plan for Sri Lanka, Ministry of Environment, September 2020, accessed 2026-10-20: https://www.unccd.int/sites/default/files/country_profile_documents/NDP%20of%20Sri%20Lanka-Final%20Report-Sept%202020.pdf

  4. Maha (National Drought Plan): Oct–Mar (Agricultural)

    National Drought Plan for Sri Lanka, Ministry of Environment, September 2020, accessed 2026-10-20: https://www.unccd.int/sites/default/files/country_profile_documents/NDP%20of%20Sri%20Lanka-Final%20Report-Sept%202020.pdf

Methodology

Where do these planting months come from?
Each range is a stored planting window for this crop and climate. A month that is not listed has no stored window. It is not a recommendation to skip planting.
Why can the same season appear more than once?
When two sources give different months for the same season, both ranges are listed. They are not averaged, and the gap between them is not filled in.
How are grower notes different from official windows?
Farmer field notes are labelled Farmer field experience, with the month they were noted. They are not official department windows, and they are not yet verified against official sources.

Corn crop page · Planting calendar for Corn in Low Country Dry Zone