DE29809677U1 - Pot or planter for plants - Google Patents

Description

Gernert GmbH, Adam-Stegerwald-Straße 12, 97447 Gerolzhofen Pot or planter for plants
The invention relates to a pot or a planter for plants.

Pots or planters for plants serve on the one hand to hold soil substances, such as potting soil, peat, clay soils, and soil-replacing substances, such as soilless water cultures (hydroponics), and on the other hand as a water reservoir for the plant pots.

A particularly important prerequisite for healthy plant growth is, in addition to a sufficient nutrient content of the soil or the soil-replacing substance, the water content of the soil. This must not be too high or too low, although the ideal water content varies depending on the type of plant. To meet this requirement, the water content in the soil should be checked frequently. In the case of soil, the water content is usually regulated taking into account constant climatic conditions in the environment, e.g. in greenhouses, based on experience and by checking the soil occasionally. For hobby gardeners, who often have changing environmental conditions, the ideal water content in the soil can only be guaranteed by constantly checking by taking samples of the soil. This is very time-consuming.

In a pot combination consisting of a plant pot and a planter, the latter serves as a water reservoir that supplies the plant roots with water through at least one

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In a pot combination consisting of a plant pot and a planter, the latter serves as a water reservoir that supplies the plant roots with water through at least one opening in the bottom of the plant pot. With this pot/planter principle, the time between waterings can be extended considerably. But here too, it proves to be very cumbersome to determine the water content in the planter to determine the next watering.

In hydroponics, the water content of the soilless water culture is determined using measuring tubes that indicate the water level in the plant pot using a measuring rod protruding from the soil. However, this indirect method of measuring the water content in hydroponics cannot rule out measurement errors caused by faulty measuring tubes. In addition, such measuring tubes only show a certain area of the hydroponic culture, which can often lead to an incorrect assessment of the water content if the arrangement of the hydroponic stones causes an uneven water distribution.

It is therefore the object of the invention to enable a direct determination of the water content of soil substances and soil-replacing substances in pots or plant pots.

This object is achieved in that the pot or planter comprises at least one section of transparent material in the area of its base, which forms at least one section extending through the entire thickness of the pot wall.

With the transparent wall section extending upwards from the bottom of the pot, it is possible to determine the water content of any soil substance or soil-replacing substance simply by looking at it. The water content of the plant pots can be determined because, on the one hand, the color of the soil substance provides information about the moisture level of the soil substance and, on the other hand, the water level in the hydroponic system can be read directly. In addition, a visual check of the condition of the soil substance or the soil-replacing substance is also possible without taking a sample. Furthermore, the plant pot, which implies a direct measurement of the water content, makes the indirect measuring device in the form of a measuring tube in hydroponic systems obsolete.

In order to take into account an uneven water distribution in the soil substance or soil-replacing substance through the pot or planter according to the invention, several separate transparent sections can be arranged on the circumference of the pot wall in the area of the bottom.

The transparent section should advantageously extend from the bottom of the pot to at least a quarter of the total height of the pot wall, in order to ensure a greater overview of the water content in the soil substance or soil-replacing substance as well as in the planter.

A two-component injection molding process using coextrusion is particularly economical for large quantities of plastic pots or plastic planters. The transparent sections are produced by using a transparent plastic material in addition to an opaque plastic material.

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rentes the transparent sections in the plastic materials forming the pot wall. All plastics for injection molding in all colors should be able to be used. In addition, the shape of the pot or planter should be selected in such a way that at least one transparent section according to the invention can be attached.

At least one transparent section acts as a measuring window, making it particularly convenient to check the current water level and allowing a prediction of how long the ideal water content in the soil or soil-replacing substance will be maintained. This measuring window is provided with a scale that shows, for example, the approximate time until the next watering process depending on the water content.

Further advantages and features of the pot or planter according to the invention are explained in the following description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side view of the pot or planter according to the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the pot or planter according to the invention.

In Fig. 1 and 2, a planter 1 for plants is shown, the cross-section of which is essentially ring-shaped, with the outer and inner diameters increasing monotonically from the pot base 2 while the wall thickness remains the same. The planter 1 has an outer diameter d _a of approximately 8 cm at the pot base 2, with the outer diameter D _a at the open

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rim 3 of the planter 1 measures approx. 14 cm. This increase in the outer circumference of the pot wall 4 is realized in four different wall areas 5, 6, 7, 8.

A transparent section 9 extends, as can be seen in Fig. 1, from the bottom of the pot 2 to the upper end of the wall area 6. This transparent section 9 serves as a viewing window to gain insight into the interior of the planter 1. As can be seen in Fig. 2, four such transparent sections 9 are integrated with a circumferential distance of 90° in the wall areas 5, 6 of the pot wall 4. In order for the transparent sections 9 of the pot wall 4 or the wall areas 5, 6 to fit together in a form-fitting manner, the planter 1 is manufactured using a two-component process. The colored, opaque planter 1 is first manufactured using the injection molding process by coextrusion, while in the second step the transparent sections 9 shown are injected from a transparent colored plastic. In this way, the planter has a window through which water or moisture in the soil substance or soil-replacing substance can be checked.

Three support feet 10 are arranged on the pot base 2, which extend in the form of a circular segment as an extension of the wall area 5 to the support surface (not shown), whereby the support surface of the support feet 10 is very small compared to the surface of the pot base 2.

Claims (5)

-6- Claims 1. Pot or planter for plants, characterized in that it comprises at least one section of transparent material in the region of its base, which forms at least one zone extending through the entire thickness of the pot wall. 2. Pot or planter according to claim 1, characterized in that several transparent sections separated from one another are provided. 3. Pot or planter according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the at least one section extends from the pot bottom to at least a quarter of the total height of the pot wall. 4. Pot or planter according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is manufactured in a two-component injection molding process by coextrusion. 5. Pot or planter according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one section is designed as a measuring viewing window, in particular for the actual water level.