Plant Spacing Calculator
How many plants fill a bed on a square, row or triangular grid, the trees per hectare or acre, and the plants for a hedge.
Result…
How it's calculated
Square grid: plants = area ÷ spacing² Rows: plants = area ÷ (spacing in the row × spacing between rows) Triangular grid: plants = area ÷ (spacing² × √3 ÷ 2) Per hectare = 10 000 m² ÷ area per plant; per acre = 43 560 ft² ÷ area per plant Hedge: plants per row = length ÷ spacing, rounded down, + 1
Counts plants for a bed, a planting of trees or a hedge. On a square grid every plant takes a square of side equal to the spacing; with rows it takes the in-row spacing × the row spacing; on a triangular (offset) grid every plant is the same distance from six neighbours and takes spacing² × √3 ÷ 2, so about 15.5% more plants fit the same area. Trees per hectare and per acre use exact areas (1 acre = 43 560 ft² = 4046.8564224 m²). A hedge counts the gaps along its length plus one plant for the end. The spacing itself depends on the species and the purpose, so take it from the label, a grower or a forester.
Your numbers, step by step
About the Plant Spacing calculator
This plant spacing calculator counts the plants you need for a bed, a block of trees or a hedge. For an area, enter its length and width (or the area itself) and the spacing, then choose a square grid, rows with a different spacing between them, or a triangular (offset) grid where every plant is the same distance from its neighbours. It divides the area by the space each plant takes and rounds up, and it gives the density per square metre or square foot, per hectare and per acre, so it doubles as a trees-per-acre calculator. For a hedge, it counts the gaps along the run and adds one plant for the end, for a single or double row. The spacing itself comes from the plant label or your grower, and every step shows your own numbers in metres or feet.
How to use it
- Choose metric or imperial units, and pick “An area” or “A hedge or row” under “Planting”.
- For an area, enter the length and width, or switch “I know the” to “Area” and type the “Area to plant”.
- Choose the “Pattern”: “Square”, “Rows” or “Triangular”.
- Enter the “Spacing between plants”, centre to centre, and for rows the “Spacing between rows”.
- For a hedge, enter the “Hedge length” and choose a single or double row under “Rows in the hedge”.
Worked example
A 6 × 2 m bed planted 0.4 m apart on a triangular grid. Each plant takes 0.4² × √3 ÷ 2 = 0.1386 m², so the bed holds 12 ÷ 0.1386 = 86.6 plants, rounded up to 87. That is about 7.2 plants per m², or about 72 169 per hectare. A square grid at the same spacing would need 75. For a hedge, 40 ft of single row at 2 ft spacing has 40 ÷ 2 = 20 gaps, so 20 + 1 = 21 plants.
Updated
Questions people ask
How do I calculate how many plants I need for an area?
Divide the area by the space one plant takes. On a square grid that is the spacing squared, so a 50 m² bed at 0.5 m spacing takes 50 ÷ 0.25 = 200 plants.
What is the formula for triangular plant spacing?
Plants = area ÷ (spacing² × √3 ÷ 2). Each plant takes about 0.866 of the square it would take on a square grid, so roughly 15.5% more plants fit the same area.
How many trees per acre at 10 × 10 ft spacing?
An acre is 43 560 ft², and each tree takes 10 × 10 = 100 ft², so 43 560 ÷ 100 = 435.6 trees per acre. The calculator gives the per-hectare figure too, using 1 acre = 4046.8564224 m².
How many hedge plants do I need per metre?
Divide the hedge length by the spacing, round down and add one for the plant at the end. A 10 m hedge at 30 cm spacing takes 33 + 1 = 34 plants per row, or 68 in a double row.
Why does my bed take a few more plants than the calculator says?
Area ÷ space per plant assumes the outer plants sit half a space in from the edge. If you plant right on the edges of a small bed, you add a row and a column. For the soil or mulch to fill the bed, see the topsoil calculator and the mulch calculator.
What spacing should I use for my plants?
It depends on the species, the soil, the climate and how quickly you want cover, so take it from the plant label, the nursery or a forester. This calculator only turns the spacing you choose into a count.