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Number Of Plants For An Area Calculator

Work out number of plants for an area instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Number Of Plants For An Area Calculator

Square grid density is one over the spacing squared. Triangular or offset planting fits about 15.5% more plants in the same area at the same centre-to-centre distance, which is why it is standard for ground cover and orchard layouts.

Formula

Plant density

square: 1 / spacing^2 per m2; triangular: that x 1.1547

Worked example

With the default values below, Number Of Plants For An Area Calculator returns Plants required of 174. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Area to plant
24 m²
Plant spacing
40 cm
Planting patternone of Square grid, Triangular / offset
Triangular / offset
Cost per plant
3.5

Results

Plants required
174 plants
Planting density
7.22 plants/m²
Total cost
$609.00
Extra plants versus a square grid
24 plants

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Plant density
  3. 3Plants required= 174 plants
  4. 4Planting density= 7.22 plants/m²
  5. 5Total cost= 609.00
  6. 6Extra plants versus a square grid= 24 plants

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does triangular spacing fit more?

Each plant sits in the gap between two in the previous row, so rows are spaced at spacing x sin(60 degrees) rather than the full spacing.

Does closer planting speed up cover?

Yes, at proportionally higher cost. For ground cover the usual approach is to accept two seasons of gaps rather than pay for immediate cover.

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