Plants Per Square Feet Calculation Charts
Plant calculation charts come in particularly handy when planting groundcover plants, annual bedding plants and other plants that you intend on planting over a large area spaced a certain distance apart.
You can use either of the calculation charts below to determine how many plants it will take to fill a given area based on how far the plants will be spaced apart.
Before using the calculation charts you will need to measure and determine the total square footage of the area to be planted.
Here are a couple examples to help you determine total square feet of a planting area:
- To determine total square footage of a square or rectangular area:
multiply the length of the area by the width of an area. For example: If the length of an area is 100', and the width of the area is 50', the equation would look like this:
100' x 50' = 5,000 Total Square Feet
- To determine the square footage of a circular area:
Start by multiply the length of the radius of the circle by itself. (The radius of a circle is the distance from the center of the circle to the outside edge of the circle.) For example, if the diameter of a circle is 20' across, the radius of a circle is 10'.
After multiplying the radius of a circle by itself, multiply that total figure by 3.14. For example, if you determine that the radius of a circle is 10' the equation would look like this:
10' x 10' = 100', then 100' x 3.14 = 314 total square feet
Chart 1 - Precalculated Plants Per Square Feet Chart
The chart below has fixed square footage in the left column (highlighted in beige) and spacing distances across the top (highlighted in yellow).
Example: If you intend on spacing your plants 18-inches apart, and your planting area is 300 square feet, the box where that column and row intersect indicates you will need 133 plants to cover the planting area.
If you don't find the exact size of your planting area, either estimate by selecting the closest area listed or use Chart 2 below to more precisely calculate how many plants will be required.
Chart 2 - Plants Per Sqaure Feet Calculation Chart
In the chart below, the column on the left indicates how far apart you intend to space your plants (groundcovers, annual bedding plants, etc.)
The column on the right is the number you need to multiply by the total square footage of the area you intend to plant.
Example: If you want to cover an area of 120 square feet with plants that you intend on spacing 10-inches apart the equation would look like this:
120 (Sq Ft) x 1.45 = 174 (Plants)
