Plant Population Calculator
Table of contents
Why is the plant population calculator necessary? — Plant population densityHow to calculate plant population or the number of plants per acre?How to calculate plant population per acre?How to use the plant population calculator?How to buy plant seeds?FAQsUse the plant population calculator to calculate the number of plants you can grow in your farm field and make early yield and profit estimates. You can switch between plants per hectare or plants per acre depending on your evaluation and use the result of the plant population calculator to compare early-season and late-season crop population or evaluate crop losses and replanting strategy.
If you're gardening or landscaping, use the plant spacing calculator to find the most appropriate plant spacing for your crops. This article addresses how to calculate plant population, using the plant population density calculation formula and using this tool as a plant per hectare calculator or plant per acre calculator. Depending on the kind of crop you want to grow, you can also measure the plant yield that you'd get!
Why is the plant population calculator necessary? — Plant population density
Plant population is the number of plants in an area of land. Farmers need to find the optimum plant population for their farmland if they want to get healthy plants and maximum yield. It's essential if you're transplanting and have to plan field structure accounting for walkways or seed planting (which is usually the case with large farm fields), and you must factor in the growing cost of seeds to avoid wastage.
Another vital importance of growing an optimum plant population is to avoid overpopulated fields or high plant density that can lead to plants competing for food, water, and space. On the other hand, low plant density leaves room for weeds to invade your farm.
Therefore, farmers must use the formula for calculating plant population to check these possibilities. The plant population calculator makes it easy to find crop plant population so you can:
- Determine optimum plant population for your farm.
- Find proper plant spacing.
- Know how much fertilizer, manure, and mulch the farm needs. (Our fertilizer calculator and mulch calculator can help you with that!)
- Estimate the amount of labor to cultivate the farm.
- Arrange for water needed and the appropriate irrigation method.
- Establish your margin of safety when accounting profit from crop yield.
How to calculate plant population or the number of plants per acre?
To calculate plant population, multiply the number of plant rows by the number of plants per row. However, if you want to find the plant population per area of land, as is the case when planning field cultivation, use the formula:
Plant population = (field area x number of plant/stand) / ((plant spacing + walkway width) x row spacing)
Note that you must use the same units in the plant population density calculation formula.
How to calculate plant population per acre?
If you want the plant population or number of plants per acre, simply divide the calculated plant population by the field area in acres.
Plant population per acre = plant population / field area in acres
But since you're here, you don't need to calculate plant population per acre or worry about how to calculate plant population when using the plant population calculator. Just input figures into the calculator to get your result.
How to use the plant population calculator?
Using the plant population calculator as a plant per acre calculator or plant per hectare calculator is very simple. And you don't even have to follow the steps in the exact order given to get your answers:
- Determine the area of your farm field:
- If you have a shapeless or non-regular farm field, input the length of the longest side and measure the breath of 5 different sections to get the average width.
- If your farm field is square-shaped, input the length and width of the field.
- Provide the plant spacing or spacing between plants.
- Figure out how wide you want your walkway to be.
- Input the row spacing.
- Input the number of plants or seeds per stand to get the total plant population.
- By clicking on
additional settings, you can estimate the weight of seeds to buy by inputting the number of seeds per unit weighed.
How to buy plant seeds?
Plant seeds are sold in sealed tins or packets by weight. Occasionally, you are provided with the number of seeds available in these sealed containers; most of the time, you only get the weight. If you want to buy seeds, it is good to know the right amount to buy based on your evaluated plant population to avoid buying more than required. But how do you do that?
You also need to account for germination failure. Plant mortality happens the same way animal mortality is a reality for pastoral farmers. Therefore, it is good to plant an additional 10–20% of the calculated population, so you can get your desired harvest in case of crop losses. In the calculator's section additional settings, you can do this by providing possible losses to get a new target plant population.
Next, get an estimate of the number of seeds per kilogram or pound. Then, use the formula to get the number of seeds needed:
Estimated weight of seeds needed (for the plant population) = (number of seeds per kg/lb * field area) + 20%
Provide the information in the plant population calculator to find the exact weight of seeds you need for the calculated plant population.
Some estimates for the number of are as follows:
Crop | Seeds per kilogram (kg) |
|---|---|
Groundnut | 1,500 |
Maize | 2,500 |
Beans | 3,000 |
Cowpea | 4,000 |
Sorghum | 40,000 |
Rhubarb | 60,000 |
Corn Salad | 800,000 |
Rosemary | 900,000 |
Lettuce | 1,200,000 |
Pumpkin | 10,000 |
Kale | 68,000 |
Tomato Cherry | 86,000 |
Radish | 140,000 |
Parsnip | 146,000 |
Squash | 15,000 |
Mustard | 125000 |
Turnip | 100,000 |
Watermelon | 20,000 |
Cauliflower | 200,000 |
Chilli | 200,000 |
Pea | 900 |
Spinach | 30,000 |
Tomato | 250,000-380,000 |
Eggplant | 250,000 |
Cabbage | 350,000 |
Broccoli | 350,000 |
Brussels Sprouts | 350,000 |
Sunflower | 1,500 |
Cucumber | 40,000 |
Carrot | 400,000-1,200,000 |
Onion | 400,000 |
Beetroot | 48,000 |
Thyme | 250,000 |
Parsley | 600,000 |
Corn | 8,000 |
Okra | 3,500 |
How to calculate plant population per acre?
To calculate plant population per acre:
- Determine the area of the field in acres.
- Multiply the area of the field by the number of plants grown per stand.
- Divide the result by the product of space between plants in acres and space between rows in acres.
What is the formula for calculating plant population?
The formula for calculating plant population is:
Plant population = (field area x number of plant per stand) / ((plant spacing + walkway width) x row spacing)
How to establish plant population?
- Use the plant population calculator to find the optimum plant population for your farmland.
- Account for seed germination failure by increasing the plant population by 10-20%.
- Buy the right number of seeds needed.
- Divide the farmland into rows, accounting for walkways. If the rows are large enough, 50 cm or above, you may not need walkways.
- Plant your seeds by recommendation.
What is the best soybean population for 15-inch row?
You can determine the best soybean population for a 15-inch spacing between rows by dividing your farm area by the product of your spacing between each soybean plant or seed and 15-inches.