How Do I Calculate How Many Plants Are Right for My Room Size?

We know that houseplants have a special way of transforming your living space. Living plants not only look beautiful but also do double duty as air purifiers, improving the quality of the indoor air you breathe.

But how many plants should you use in a space? Too few, and they might not have the desired effect. Too many, and your plants may not be able to thrive.

Ever wonder whether you can calculate exactly how many plants you can fit into your room? Believe it or not, our plant calculator can calculate the exact number of plants for you.

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And we’ve got a few helpful tips to help you understand the factors that go into choosing the plants for your room.

Factors That Go Into Plant Choice

Factors That Go Into Plant Choice

First, let’s look at some things to consider when choosing plants for your room.

  • Room size. How big is the room you want to put your plants in? Of course, the bigger the room, the more you will be able to fit. Remember though, ceiling height also comes into play here. A room with smaller square footage but higher ceilings will accommodate more plants than one with low ceilings.
  • Plant size. Your plants should not be too big for your room. If you’re selecting living plants, be sure to get them smaller than you would like since they are going to grow. Also be aware of how big your plants will get, so you can be sure to have enough room.
  • Number of windows. If you want to have a lot of plants that need bright light, you’ll need to have plenty of windows for the sunshine to come in. Rooms with few or no windows will probably not be able to accommodate a large number of plants.
  • Hours of daylight in the room. Even if a room has several big windows, there may not be much light coming in during the day. A large tree or building could be blocking the light from coming in, or the window may be situated on a side of the house that doesn’t get much sun. If this is the case, consider getting plants that require medium to low light rather than plants that need direct sun for several hours a day.
  • Type of plants you desire – floor plants, shelf plants, hanging plants, or combination. If you have a room with a sunny windowsill or shelf, it makes sense to have lots of sun-loving small plants around.

If you love indoor trees or large potted plants, make sure you have a room large enough to accommodate them. If plants are too crowded, they may lack sufficient airflow to thrive.

Hanging plants can add a wonderful sense of texture and dimension to a room, but make sure you can hang them where they won’t be in the way of people or pets.

Calculating the Size of Your Room

Calculating the Size of Your Room

Before you plan which plants to get and how many, you’ll need to know how to calculate room size. Don’t worry, you don’t need to have a degree in advanced math to do this, just a tape measure and a notepad.

Before measuring, make sure you can stretch the tape measure from one end of the room to the other without running into anything. If this isn’t possible, clear out any furniture that gets in the way, so you can get an accurate measurement. You’ll need to get wall to wall measurements on both sides.

Now it’s time to get your numbers. Secure your tape measure against the wall, keeping it flush and even. It’s best to do this down on the floor rather than in the middle of the wall.

Stretch your tape straight across to the opposite wall and record the measurement that is on the tape once it touches the wall. Repeat this process for the other set of walls in the room.

You should have two numbers written down, one for length and one for width. The numbers may or may not be the same.

Once you’ve got your numbers, simply multiply them together. Length x Width= area of the room (usually calculated in square feet or square meters). For example, if your room is 10 feet long and 10 feet wide, your total area will be 100 square feet.

This method works for square or rectangular rooms. For irregularly shaped rooms, you may need to take a few sets of measurements and add them together. An L-shaped room, for example, is really just two rectangles, so measure accordingly.

Using Our Plant Calculator For Your Room Size

Using Our Plant Calculator For Your Room Size

Plant Calculator

My Almost Green Thumb Plant Calculator

Answer the questions below to generate our guidance on estimating the number of plants that might be right for your intended use and size of a specific room. You can use the Tab key to move from field to field when required.

What are you trying to accomplish with your plant design?
With air purification as your goal, NASA recommends at least 1 air purifying plant per 50 square feet of space. How many square feet is the room you are planning?
Since you are wanting to improve the air quality in your space that is less than 50 sq. ft. in area, the recommendation is to add 1-2 smaller plants to your room.
Since you are wanting to improve the air quality in your space that is between 50 sq. ft. and 100 sq. ft. in area, the recommendation is to add 1-2 small to medium plants to your room.
Since you are wanting to improve the air quality in your space that is between 100 sq. ft. and 250 sq. ft. in area, the recommendation is to add 2-5 small to medium plants to your room. You could also consider adding 2 large plants and 1 or 2 smaller plants.
Since you are wanting to improve the air quality in your space that is between 250 sq. ft. and 500 sq. ft. in area, the recommendation is to add 6-8 small to medium plants to your room. You could also consider adding 3-4 large plants and 2 or 3 small or medium plants.
With interior design aesthetics as your goal, be aware that there is definitely such a thing as too many plants. Too many plants can make a space feel cluttered and difficult to navigate. It can also create a disruption in the flow of the room, causing a negative impact on the feng shui of the room. How many square feet is the room you are planning?
What sized plants are you planning to add to the room?
Small plants are ideal for small spaces. Be sure not to clutter the space by using 1-2 small plants in this size of room.
Be cautious with medium plants in small spaces, as they can take up valuable space. If you are set on using a medium plant in a small space, look for opportunities to keep them off the floor, counter, or shelf spaces. Use design elements like hanging baskets or even wall features to ensure they don't disrupt the flow of the room.
We really don't recommend using large plants in small spaces as they can disrupt the flow of the room. Try to stick to small plants or possibly one medium plant.
In small spaces, it's going to be difficult to effectively use more than 1 or 2 plants and not make the room feel crowded. Consider sticking with small plants or maybe 1 small plant and 1 medium plant if your space affords it.
In a medium-sized space, you have significantly more flexibility when it comes to using small plants. Focus on trying to incorporate 2-5 small plants throughout the space. Just be sure to avoid cluttering countertops or works spaces.
In a medium-sized space, you can often incorporate 2-3 medium-sized plants without feeling like you are overcrowding the flow of the room. Options like corner plants and even hanging plants can ensure that your medium-sized plants aren't taking up valuable floor space.
In a medium-sized space, be cautious about how many large plants you incorporate. Large plants can often consume a lot of space, restricting the flow of the room. 1 large plant, such as a corner plant, could be incorporated with several small or possibly 1 medium-sized plant.
In a medium-sized space, a combination of small and medium-sized plants can be a good solution. Consider 2-3 small plants, like succulents, combined with a single medium plant like a pony-tail palm. Avoid larger plants that could restrict the flow of the room.
Because this space is a larger space, you have a lot of flexibility in using small plants. At this size, you could easily incorporate 8-10 small plants into your decor. Just be sure that you don't create a feeling like the small plants are "scattered" throughout the room. Instead, look for opportunities to group them together such as multi-plant planters or even a wall-installation of small plants like succulents.
In this larger space, medium plants are a good choice because they can fill the space without a sense of clutter that could be caused by a larger number of smaller plants. In a room this size, you could easily incorporate 3-4 medium plants into your decor. Look for opportunities to fill corners, decorate tables, or even frame a fireplace with medium-sized plants.
In this larger space, large plants can work well, adding beautiful greenery to your decor. 2-3 ferns or trees such as a Fiddle Leaf Fig tree can fill empty corners or frame a doorway. Be careful not to add too many plants to the space, though, to avoid it feeling like a small jungle.
This sized space provides a lot of flexibility if you choose to add a combination of small, medium, and large plants. For example, you could add 1-2 small succulent plants on a bookshelf, 2 medium Snake plants to frame a window, and 1 large Fiddle Leaf Fig tree to add greenery to an empty corner. The key is to ensure that the sizes and colors of the combined plants don't overwhelm the flow of the room.
In a room of this size, using small plants might create a sense of emptiness or clutter. Too many small plants can create a sense that they are "scattered" throughout the room, while too few small plants might leave the room feeling hollow or empty. Look for opportunities to group small plants together in a plant wall or a multi-plant palette feature. Grouping 10-12 plants together on a single wall can create a feature wall and a conversation piece.
In a room this size, you could easily add 5-6 medium plants without crowding the space. Be sure to look for opportunities for the plants to compliment each other and the decor of the room.
Larger rooms afford more flexibility when it comes to large plants. In a room of this size, you could add 3-4 large plants without disrupting the flow of the room. Just be sure that you spread them out throughout the room in order to avoid feeling like your plants are "clustered". Sometimes, using large plants to frame a large doorway or patio door can help create a welcoming entrance to the room.
Blending a combination of small, medium, and large plants can create an amazing decor in a space of this size. Consider using small plants on bookshelves or end tables, while reserving medium and large plants for corners or for framing entryways. With a room of this size, you could like add 6-8 small plants, 2-3 medium-sized plants and 2 large plants.
When it comes to creating a space for caring and nurturing plants, it comes down to mathematics. As long as the room has the right levels of light for the plants you want to grow, knowing how many plants you can fit in a greenhouse or a plant room can simply come down do how many pots you can fit in the room. Enter the length and width of your proposed plant space.
sq. ft.
Now that we know the area of your proposed plant space, we need to know the average size of the containers you will be using for your plants. Enter the length and width of your containers in inches.
sq. in.

We hope you’ve benefited from reading about how to choose plants and that our calculator has helped you figure out the right number of plants for your room. If you have any questions or additional tips or feedback, feel free to comment below!

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