Plant spacing calculator for any crop, orchard or bed
How many plants fit in an acre depends on two numbers — the distance between rows and the distance between plants in a row — and on the layout. This plant spacing calculator gives the plant population per acre, per hectare, per square metre and for your own field in acres, hectares, bigha, guntha or cent, for square, rectangular and triangular planting. It also works backwards: type the population you want and it returns the spacing.
It suits field crops sown in rows, vegetable nurseries and transplanting, orchards and plantations, and garden beds. For a small plot, switch to length × width to count the exact grid, including whether plants sit on the edges. Seeds or seedlings needed are worked out from seeds per hill, germination and an allowance for gap filling.
How to use the plant spacing calculator
- Pick the pattern: Square, Rectangular (rows) or Triangular (staggered rows, every plant equidistant from its neighbours).
- Type the row to row and plant to plant spacing and choose cm, m, inches or feet.
- Enter the field area, or choose Length × width for an exact count on a plot.
- Add seeds per hill, expected germination and extra for gap filling to see seeds or seedlings to buy.
- To find spacing instead, choose Spacing for a target, enter the plants per hectare or acre you want and, for rows, the row spacing to keep.
Plant Spacing Calculator features
Three layouts
Square, rectangular and equilateral-triangular planting, with a live preview of the arrangement.
Per acre, hectare and field
Population per acre, hectare and m², and the total for your field in Indian or international area units.
Reverse calculation
Plant spacing for a target population, keeping your row spacing.
Exact plot count
Counts whole rows and plants on a length × width plot, with or without plants on the edges.
Seed and seedling needs
Adds seeds per hill, germination or survival rate and gap-filling extra.
Plant population formulas
- Rectangular: plants = area ÷ (row spacing × plant spacing). At 60 × 45 cm, one plant needs 0.27 m², so a hectare (10,000 m²) holds 37,037 plants and an acre (4,046.86 m²) holds 14,988.
- Square: plants = area ÷ spacing². At 60 × 60 cm: 27,777 per ha, 11,241 per acre.
- Triangular (hexagonal): plants = area ÷ (spacing² × 0.866). Rows are 0.866 × the spacing apart and alternate rows are shifted by half a spacing. At 60 cm: 32,075 per ha — 15.5% more plants (a factor of 1.1547) than the square layout at the same distance.
- Reverse: plant spacing = area per plant ÷ row spacing, where area per plant = 10,000 ÷ plants per ha. For 40,000 plants/ha with 60 cm rows: 0.25 m² ÷ 0.6 m = 41.7 cm.
Plants per acre at common spacings
Values are rounded down to whole plants and assume the whole area is planted. To convert other land units first, use the area converter.
| Spacing | Layout | Per acre | Per hectare |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 × 10 cm | Rectangular | 134,895 | 333,333 |
| 45 × 15 cm | Rectangular | 59,953 | 148,148 |
| 60 × 45 cm | Rectangular | 14,988 | 37,037 |
| 90 × 60 cm | Rectangular | 7,494 | 18,518 |
| 1.5 × 1.5 m | Square | 1,798 | 4,444 |
| 3 × 3 m | Square | 449 | 1,111 |
| 6 × 6 m | Square | 112 | 277 |
| 6 m | Triangular | 129 | 320 |
Square or triangular planting?
Triangular planting fits more plants at the same spacing and gives each plant a more even circle of space, which is why it is used for some orchards and plantations. Square and rectangular layouts are easier to mark out, irrigate and work with machines or bullocks in both directions. Rectangular spacing with wider rows suits crops that need inter-cultivation or drip lines along the rows. Once the population is fixed, the fertilizer calculator works out the dose for the same field.
Plant Spacing Calculator FAQ
How do I calculate plants per acre?
Divide 43,560 sq ft (or 4,046.86 m²) by the area each plant occupies: row spacing × plant spacing in the same unit. At 3 × 2 ft, 43,560 ÷ 6 = 7,260 plants per acre.
How many plants per hectare at 60 × 30 cm?
10,000 m² ÷ (0.6 × 0.3) m² = 55,555 plants per hectare.
What is triangular plant spacing?
Plants sit at the corners of equilateral triangles: rows are 0.866 × the spacing apart and each row is shifted by half a spacing. It fits 15.5% more plants than square planting at the same distance.
What spacing gives 1,000 plants per acre?
Each plant gets 4.05 m², so a square spacing of about 2.01 m (6.6 ft) — or, for example, 2.5 m rows with plants 1.62 m apart.
Why is my real plant count lower than the calculator?
Field borders, bunds, paths and channels are not planted, and gaps appear where seeds fail. Use length × width for an exact grid and add a germination or gap-filling allowance.
Does the plant spacing calculator work in feet and inches?
Yes. Choose inches or feet for the spacing and feet for plot length and width; results are given per acre, per hectare and per m².