Tree Row Volume Calculator

What this calculator determines

Tree row volume (cubic feet of canopy per acre) and the dilute gallons per acre that volume implies, using the method in the 2014 tree row volume note. If you enter a product amount for a traditional full-size orchard, it also scales that amount by how this canopy compares with the 400-gallon standard.

Formula or calculation method

row length per acre = 43,560 ÷ row spacing in feet

tree row volume = canopy height × canopy width × row length per acre

dilute gallons per acre = tree row volume ÷ 2,000

The same dilute volume can be written as 21.78 × canopy height × canopy width ÷ row spacing. The 2014 hand sheet rounds 21.78 to 21.8.

share of standard orchard = dilute gallons per acre ÷ 400

dilute-adjusted amount = standard-orchard amount × share of standard

concentrate-adjusted amount = dilute-adjusted amount × 0.82

Definitions of inputs

• Canopy height — Height of foliage you intend to spray, in feet.
• Canopy width — Width of that canopy across the row, in feet.
• Row spacing — Center-to-center distance between rows, in feet. In-row tree spacing is not used.
• Standard-orchard product amount — Optional amount per acre, in any unit, that you would apply on a traditional orchard needing about 400 gallons dilute per acre. The calculator scales the number you enter. It does not choose a product or a legal rate.

Worked example

Example only — not a recommendation. Figures follow the 2014 note.

Canopy 16 ft high and 10 ft wide, rows 25 ft apart:

• Row length = 43,560 ÷ 25 = 1,742.4 ft per acre
• Tree row volume = 16 × 10 × 1,742.4 = 278,784 ft³/acre
• Dilute volume = 278,784 ÷ 2,000 = 139.4 gal/acre
• Share of the 400-gallon standard = 34.8%

If a standard orchard used 5 units of product per acre, the dilute-adjusted amount is 5 × 0.348 = 1.74 per acre. The concentrate estimate is 1.74 × 0.82 = 1.43 per acre.

The hand sheet’s rounded factor (21.8 × 16 × 10 ÷ 25) calls the dilute volume 139 gallons.

How to interpret the result

Use dilute gallons per acre as a carrier starting point, then calibrate the sprayer in the orchard. A smaller share of the standard orchard means less canopy volume than the historical large-tree reference. Product labels may still require a fixed amount per acre, and some applicators do not go below half the labeled rate. The concentrate figure is a rough chemical adjustment for spraying with less water, not a measured tank mix.

Source note: Tree Row Volume (revised, W. Shane / J.C.W., Oct 2014).