Paddy Transplanting & Seedlings, Hills & Nursery
Plants paddy
“One accepted answer here saves a hundred people an hour each.
Enter your field area, row and hill spacing and seedlings per hill to get the total hills, the hills per m², the seedlings to raise, and the nursery area and seed needed.
Enter your field
Next: raise 269,790 seedlings on ~405 m² nursery; transplant 2–3 seedlings/hill at 20–25 days.
Spacing & seedlings/hill vary (SRI uses 1 seedling at wider spacing); adjust for variety and season.
Paddy transplanting — key facts
- Hills/m²
- 10,000 ÷ (row × hill cm)
- Common spacing
- 20×15 to 20×20 cm
- Seedlings/hill
- 2–3 (SRI: 1)
- Nursery area
- ≈ 1/10th of main field
- Transplant age
- ≈ 20–25 days
- SRI
- 1 seedling, wider spacing
- Sets
- the plant population
- Privacy
- Runs in your browser; nothing uploaded
Get the population right from the nursery up
Rice yield starts with plant population, and population is set the day you transplant. The hill spacing you choose fixes how many hills sit in each square metre, and the seedlings per hill fill them out — too few and the field is under-planted, too many and the crop crowds, lodges and invites disease. Plan it backwards from the field: decide the spacing, count the hills, and raise exactly the seedlings you need on a nursery about a tenth of the main field.
This tool gives the total hills, hills per square metre, the seedlings to raise, and the nursery area and seed from your field, spacing and seedlings per hill. Use it to plan the nursery, order seed, and hit the right population for your variety — conventional or SRI. Pair it with the Seed Rate, Plant Spacing & Population and Vegetable Nursery Tray tools for a complete planting plan.
Hit the right population
Set hills/m² for your variety and soil.
Size the nursery
Raise just enough seedlings on ~1/10th area.
Order seed right
Know the seed to sow before the season.
Plan SRI or conventional
Model 1 seedling wide, or 2–3 per hill.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this paddy calculator work out?+
From your field area, row and hill spacing and seedlings per hill, it works out the total number of hills, the hills per square metre, how many seedlings you need to transplant, and the nursery area and seed to raise them. Together that sets your rice crop's plant population — the foundation of good yield.
How is the plant population calculated?+
Hills per square metre = 10,000 ÷ (row spacing × hill spacing) when both are in centimetres. Multiply by the field area in m² for total hills, and by seedlings per hill for total seedlings. For example 20 × 20 cm gives 10,000 ÷ 400 = 25 hills/m², or 250,000 hills per hectare.
What spacing should I transplant at?+
Common paddy spacing is around 20 × 15 cm to 20 × 20 cm, giving roughly 25–33 hills/m². Wider spacing suits vigorous, tillering varieties and richer soils; closer spacing suits short-duration varieties. The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) uses much wider spacing — about 25 × 25 cm — with a single seedling.
How many seedlings per hill?+
Conventional transplanting uses 2–3 healthy seedlings per hill so each hill establishes well and tillers out. SRI uses a single young seedling per hill at wider spacing, relying on heavy tillering of that one plant. More seedlings per hill raises your seed and nursery needs proportionally.
How big a nursery do I need?+
Raise the nursery on roughly one-tenth of the main field area — about 1000 m² of nursery for one hectare to be transplanted. A well-managed nursery on that area produces enough seedlings for the field; the tool estimates the nursery area and the seed to sow into it from your inputs.
When should I transplant the seedlings?+
Transplant at about 20–25 days for most varieties, when seedlings are young and recover quickly with little transplanting shock. SRI transplants even younger — around 8–12 days. Older, over-aged seedlings establish slowly, tiller less, and tend to lose yield, so don't let the nursery run on too long.
What is SRI and how does it differ?+
The System of Rice Intensification transplants a single very young seedling per hill at wide spacing (about 25 × 25 cm), with careful water and weed management. It uses far less seed and fewer seedlings per hill but relies on each plant tillering strongly. Set seedlings per hill to 1 and widen the spacing to model it here.
Why does plant population matter so much?+
Too few hills wastes land and caps yield; too many crowd the crop, encourage disease and lodging, and don't add yield. Hitting the right hills per square metre for your variety and soil — and filling them with healthy seedlings — gives the crop the population it needs to reach its potential.
Are these figures exact?+
They are solid planning figures. Real seed and nursery needs depend on seed weight and germination, nursery management, and field losses, while the right spacing depends on variety, soil and season. Treat the outputs as a starting plan and adjust to your variety's recommendation and your own experience.
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