For Knit Fabric, in-ground, containers the spacing should be roughly 4 foot centers for nearly all species. Consider the growth and development of trees in 12 or 14-inch containers versus 18 inch. Trees in 12 of the 14-inch containers will typically be harvested when the stem diameter is 2 inches. For trees in 18-inch diameter containers that are going to be grown to a larger size (one more growing season) the removal of the lower limbs should begin at this point. As the longer lower branches are removed, the branches at a point roughly 4 feet above the ground are not as long and therefore can be left to grow another growing season without appreciable interference with each other. On the other hand, if 24-inch diameter Knit Fabric containers are used, the spacing should be about 5 to 6 feet on centers to allow for proper branch development on a tree of 3.5 to 4.0 inch stem diameter. As for spacing between rows, 10 feet is very workable for most species. The only reason to use rows wider would be if your machinery were of a larger size. Spacing trees 4 feet in the row and 10 feet between rows provides approximately 1000 trees per acre. Remember that most plants have developed methods that allow leaves in the inner branches to function similarly to those in full sun. There are only a few species that are particularly sensitive to shading by an adjacent plant; those are primarily the pines, and other conifers and particularly bald cypress.
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