With the new season of planting, gardeners, horticulturists, and flower enthusiasts, who cannot help but look forward, involved in tending to a flower garden, will be a year of planting, involved. This is probably the most basic of considerations in planning a flower garden—knowing the number of flowers that produce blooms in a certain area—which is more commonly known as a “flat.” For the purpose of this blog, we’ll look closer at the concept of a flat, find out what generally fits in one, and talk about factors which can affect floral yield. Whether you’re a seasoned grower or a young Padawan hoping to add a splash of color to your space, let’s get informed and inspired about floral endeavors.
What is a Flat
A “flat” is a shallow, specially constructed container used in starting seedlings or young plants. Flats come in many sizes and may include more or less plant cells—small compartments that seeds or cuttings are planted in.
A standard flat is typically 11 inches by 22 inches in size and contains 72, 128, or even 200 individual plants depending upon cell size. The 72-cell flat is probably one of the most popular sizes for flower flats, as this number provides good variety yet allows a flower ample room to grow.
How Many Flowers Fit in a Flat?
- 72-Cell Flats: The 72-cell flat is quite popular amongst gardeners for growing all sorts of flowers at a high level of efficiency. At the average square footage, each plant is supported by one cell, so in a standard 72-cell flat, one can grow 72 flower seedlings.
- 128-Cell Flats: These cells are perfect to grow smaller flowers or herbs that are a little less space-intensive. Though you are able to fit up to 128 flowers in this flat, do remember, how many flowers you plant therein should be based also upon the growth habit and spacing needs of each flower type.
- 200-Cell Flats: For even smaller plants, a 200-cell flat is capable of holding as many as 200 seedlings. It might be useful for annuals that are able to stand close spacings or, honestly, seem to thrive when they’re crowded.
Kinds of Flowers and How Far Apart They’re Planted
Account for the type of flowers you grow while deciding how many flowers to plant in your flat. There are flowers of different growth habits, varying in height and spacing that may alter how many can be grown in a flat successfully.
- Annual Flowers: Many of the more common ones, including marigolds, zinnias, and petunias, will perform best when they have room to grow. Most flower varieties need to be spaced about 10-12 inches apart when mature. Because of this, they are probably more suited to growing on flats in smaller quantities of 36-48 plants in a 72-cell flat when seeded individually.
- Hardy Flowers: Hybrid coneflowers and daylilies, plus the black-eyed Susans may be larger root perennials so, in a flat, there could be 24-36 actually individual plants. A significant thing of this, again, is in the planning of what is going to happen at a later planting date when scale really occurs.
- Dwarf Varieties: Some flowers naturally are dwarfs, for example, dwarf marigolds, and a few types of pansies. With these you can plant more closely; you can put 72 seedlings in a standard 72-cell flat without difficulty.
Factors Affecting Flower Yield
- Seed Germination: The percentage of seeds which germinate will greatly affect the amount of flowers you can get from a flat. Variables that may change the rate of germination include such things as how good the seeds are, the condition of the soil, and the settings of the environment around the plants such as the amount of light and temperature.
Raising Conditions: Care and attention towards watering and lighting is necessary for seedling growth. As stressors at any stage in the early growth phases will lay down a reduction in the yield, it becomes very important to create the best possible growing environment.
- Transplanting Time: The time to transplant seedlings into their permanent growing area is also a determinant of the total yield. This should be done in accordance with frost dates and climatic conditions so that the tender plants get an appropriate chance to grow well.
- Resistance to Diseases: Some flower varieties are more resistant to prevalent diseases than others. Their existence and threats are crucial and require proper management to ensure maximum yield.
Conclusion
In other words, the number of flowers one can put in one flat depends on what type of flower one would like to propagate, how big the flat one is using is, and what sort of conditions one has created for one’s growing flowers. In this year of 2024, as the gardeners set off to their floral undertakings, it’s made one better prepared to understand these ingredients to enable one to decide on what to do in one’s planting schemes.
Whether you sow a flat full of vibrant annuals or care for perennial blooms, the real measure of success is not necessarily the number of flowers you plant in a flat—it’s in their growth, style, and beauty they add to our gardens. Happy gardening!
I am Amelia, a professional who is powerfully driven by an extreme passion for the minute intricacies of flowers and trees. Through years of rigorous studies and practical exposure to botany and horticulture, I managed to nurture expertise that cuts across the scientific and aesthetic fronts of plant life.