If it is not in the book, how to determine qty per square?

cpl100 8/27/2012, 12:36 pm

I have purchased seeds to plant Tatsoi and Extra Dwarf Pak Choi. Neither of these are in the book, of course. So, do you experts somehow use the thin-to number (which in these two are 6-8" and 4" respectively)?

I was thinking the Tatsoi is most like lettuce which would be 4 to a square. The Pak Choi is so small (pick at 2" tall) and states to plant 1 - 2" apart and thin to 4". I was thinking that these do not need to be 4" apart. But what do I know my first year! Shocked

Exactly how do you figure it out?

Thanks!

No_Such_Reality 8/27/2012, 1:32 pm

Divide the 12" by the thin to number and square it. Plant the thin to number going both directions. 4" = 9 per square (thinned to 4 inches going across and then thinned to 4" inches going down.

You can use the thin to number as it needs a "square" of X*X (so 4" by 4" square and a 6-8" by 6-8" square.

the 6-8" would be 3-4. I'd probably try 4 and get slightly smaller.

Another way to do it is take half of the thin to number and start in a corner that far from each wall. Then the plant in both directions is the thin to number from the first.

cpl100 8/27/2012, 1:36 pm

No_Such_Reality wrote:Divide the 12" by the thin to number and plant that level going both directions. 4" = 9 per square (thinned to 4 inches going across and then thinned to 4" inches going down.

You can use the thin to number as it needs a "square" of X*X (so 4" by 4" square and a 6-8" by 6-8" square.

the 6-8" would be 3-4. I'd probably try 4 and get slightly smaller.

I must be math challenged today because I cannot figure out your second paragraph at all! (I do understand the first directions, though!) Thank you for spelling out what I should do!

No_Such_Reality 8/27/2012, 1:47 pm

LOL, I felt like I was writing clear as mud as I wrote it.

You can think of the thin to number as it needs a square the size of the thin to by the thin to. So if the thin to is "X" inches then the square it needs is X by X inches. So for a thin to 4 inch plant, it needs a 4"x4" square.

The other part I was trying to say was that each plant needs to be at least half of the thin to distance from each edge of the square. So you can start in one corner and place a plant and then go the thin to distance to the next plant (as long as that plant is still half the thin to distance from the edge).

That Pak Choi at thin to 6-8" could be anywhere from 2 to 4 per square. 2 per square would equate to a thin to of 8 inches. 4 per square is a 6 inch thin to distance.

**llama momma** 8/27/2012, 1:59 pm

If it says thin to 4 inches here is the formula to use:
A- Always start with 12.
B- Then divide by the thin to number.
C- Now square the number and thats how many go in the square.

So it goes like this:
12 divided by 4 = 3.
Then 3 squared or 3x3 = 9. Cha-ching, 9 plants go in the square.

Try it again using 6 as the thin to number.
You should get 4 as your answer

cpl100 8/27/2012, 2:01 pm

LOL, I was trying to 'square' the number (mathematically) i.e., the square of 4 is 16 and the square of 6 is 36, etc.

Nothing at all close to what you meant!

I like your first example the best! Well, except that for that dwarf baby bok choi that should be picked at 2" high seems like it should fit more than 9 per square (in my head, without doing the math, lol). I guess today I do not like math!

Thanks again for your assistance. I appreciate you explaining it.

cpl100 8/27/2012, 2:01 pm

llama momma wrote:If it says thin to 4 inches here is the formula to use:
A- Always start with 12.
B- Then divide by the thin to number.
C- Now square the number and thats how many go in the square.

So it goes like this:
12 divided by 4 = 3.
Then 3 squared or 3x3 = 9. Cha-ching, 9 plants go in the square.

Try it again using 6 as the thin to number.
You should get 4 as your answer

LMBO!!! I like your cheat sheet at the bottom! Thanks.

**llama momma** 8/27/2012, 2:45 pm

If it is not in the book, how to determine qty per square? 3170584802

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