Learn · Guide 1
How many Clusia do I need?
One formula, two spacing standards, three worked examples — and the honest reasons to tighten or stretch.
The formula (it’s the one we use)
Plants = hedge length in feet ÷ spacing, rounded up. That’s it. We don’t add a hidden “waste percentage,” and neither should you — Clusia isn’t sod. If your line turns a corner and you want the corner anchored, add one plant and be done.
Standard spacing by size
| Size | Standard | Range | What the range means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15-gallon (5 ft) | 2.5 ft on-center | 2–3 ft | 2 ft = solid wall fastest, highest cost per foot · 3 ft = budget stretch, closes in later |
| 25-gallon (6.5 ft) | 3 ft on-center | 3–3.5 ft | Already ~6 ft wide at delivery, so 3 ft reads nearly solid on day one |
“On-center” means trunk to trunk — measure between planting holes, not between leaves.
Three worked examples
1 · The backyard fence line — 40 ft
40 ÷ 2.5 = 16 → 16 × 15-gallon. That’s under our 20-plant minimum, so either tighten to 2 ft (40 ÷ 2 = 20 — a denser wall and you hit the minimum and the 20+ discount at once) or add the side run you were putting off anyway.
2 · The corner lot — 120 ft
120 ÷ 2.5 = 48 → 48 × 15-gallon at the 20+ rate ($40.50 est.) ≈ $1,944 in plants. Here’s the tier math worth knowing: at 100+ the rate drops to $36 — so if a neighbor splits a load with you, you both save real money. Yes, we allow that; the tier is about total plants on the truck-day.
3 · The privacy perimeter — 300 ft
300 ÷ 2.5 = 120 → 120 × 15-gallon at the 100+ rate ($36 est.) ≈ $4,320. Want it taller on the pool side? Mix: 25s for the 60 ft that faces the neighbor’s new balcony (60 ÷ 3 = 20 × 25-gal), 15s for the rest — mixed orders still tier on the combined count.
Tighten or stretch?
- Tighten (toward 2 ft / 3 ft) when the job is “I never want to see them again” — fastest solid wall, best for wind-exposed runs.
- Stretch (toward 3 ft / 3.5 ft) when budget leads and you can give it a year — the plants will meet, just later.
- Don’t exceed 3.5 ft expecting a hedge — that’s a row of shrubs, not a wall, for years.