DE9115418U1 - Long-term irrigation for ornamental plants - Google Patents

Description

-&Igr;&Egr; 535-15-ka 4 June 1992

Device for long-term irrigation (hydroponics) of ornamental plants

The subject of the present innovation is a device for long-term irrigation (hydroculture) of ornamental plants with the features of the generic term of claim 1.

DE 90 05 260 Ul describes such a device, but in which only a single opening in the bottom is formed in the first container (plant container) through which the water can flow back from the plant container into the water container. This is therefore dependent on the water level in the plant container. Water can be pumped from the lower storage container into the upper plant container at a certain time using the pump control, but this immediately flows out again through the opening in the bottom, so that there is a risk that the plants are not sufficiently watered.

US 3,992,809 describes a similar device, but the upper plant container is filled with soil. This known device is therefore not designed for hydroponics.

Starting from a device with the features of the generic term of claim 1, the innovation is therefore based on the task of designing it in such a way that long-term irrigation of the hydroculture is provided that is physiologically perfect for the plants.

This problem is solved by the characterizing features of protection claim 1. The water is fed through the additional, small-dimensioned bottom opening in the bottom of the first container (plant container).

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kept in constant motion, even when the pump is not switched on. The pump control is also designed so that the upper container can be emptied at a specific time. This is only necessary when the roots of the ornamental plants are completely covered with water, so that oxygen can then reach the plant roots when the plant container is completely emptied.

The feature of the innovation is that in a plant container, the plants with their corresponding pots stand on the bottom of the plant container and a liquid level is maintained in the bottom area, into which the plant pots are immersed. It is important that this container is completely emptied from time to time in order to remove this water level, to allow oxygen to reach the previously moistened root areas in order to prevent these roots from rotting.

Another important feature of the innovation is that a water tank is arranged below the plant container, from which the water is taken, which is fed into the plant container in circulation mode and is then fed back into the lower water tank via a corresponding drain hose.

In a further development of the innovation, the circulating irrigation can be combined with a fountain. The circulating pump then initially pumps the water into a fountain stone, where the water flows decoratively down into the plant container, from where it is then fed back into the lower water container via a drain hose. The use of a fountain also has the advantage of better water treatment, because the bubbling effect of the fountain enriches the water with oxygen.

The arrangement of the plant container with a water container underneath it has the advantage that a large water supply can be maintained in the water container, which results in long-term irrigation of, for example, 3 months or more without the water container having to be refilled. This period applies to a plant container with a base area of 60 x 60 cm and a water reservoir of 40 1.

It is important that the circulation pump is controlled by a timer and that the timer switches off the circulation pump at predetermined times so that the water in the bottom of the plant container flows completely and oxygen can reach the roots. This means that no watering errors can be made such as can happen with plants that are watered by hand. This means that such ornamental plants are completely maintenance-free.

By installing an appropriate heater in the water tank, it is ensured that the circulating water is always kept at a constant temperature. Hydroponic plants, for example, need a water temperature of between 18 and 25°, which is easily maintained with the invention. At a temperature below 18°, root rot occurs.

Compared to hydroponic arrangements, there is also the advantage that this innovation does not require expanded clay, which is required for other hydroponic plants in order to supply the roots with oxygen and moisture.

With this innovation, other filling substances can be used instead of expanded clay, such as pebbles, field stones or the like.

The new interval switching of the circulation pump also results in energy savings compared to a constantly running circulation pump.

A plant container according to the invention can also preferably be used in open-air operation, provided that the lower water container is provided with an upper overflow opening. In open-air operation, rainwater then falls into the plant container from above and flows into the lower water container via the drain hose, so that there is a risk that the lower water container will become too full and a backflow will occur. In order to avoid this backflow, the innovation provides for the lower water container to be provided with an upper outlet opening in order to prevent a constant, maximum fill level in this water container from being exceeded.

This makes it possible to use the arrangement in open-air operations as well.

The subject matter of the present innovation arises not only from the subject matter of the individual protection claims, but also from the combination of the individual protection claims with one another.

All information and features disclosed in the documents - including the summary, in particular the spatial configuration shown in the drawings, are claimed as essential to the invention, insofar as they are new compared to the prior art, individually or in combination.

The innovation is explained in more detail below using drawings showing several implementation options. The drawings and their descriptions reveal further key features and advantages of the innovation.

Show it:

Figure 1: perspective view of an installation example for an arrangement for long-term irrigation according to the innovation;

Figure 2: an exploded view of the arrangement according to Figure 1;

Figure 3: a second embodiment of an arrangement compared to Figure 2;

Figure 4: a third embodiment compared to Figure 2; Figure 5a: a detailed view of a drain bar; Figure 5b: a detailed view of a ring drain.

In Figure 1, a plant container 3 is installed in a piece of furniture 1, where the plants 4 are either planted in pots and the pots contain expanded clay or the like, or the plants are directly installed in the plant container 3 with the aid of a suitable support substrate, such as expanded clay, field stones or pebbles. If there are no pots, it is intended that the water does not hit the roots directly from above. For this purpose, a drainage frame can be arranged on the outer circumference of the fountain 5, on which the water hits and is directed to the bottom of the plant container 3.

In a preferred first embodiment, the fountain 5 is provided in the plant container, which decoratively allows a fountain of water to trickle down from its fountain stone 16 (see Figure 3) and additionally provides the air humidity necessary for plant growth.

The furniture 1 can also be designed as a shelf, cupboard or the like and in the embodiment according to Figure 1 also has front compartments 2. A side door 6 is provided in order to make the water tank or the supply devices accessible.

According to Figure 2, further details of the arrangement according to Figure 1 can be seen.

A liquid-tight pipe 8 runs through the bottom of the plant container 3, which has an upper base 7. According to Figure 3, the fountain stone 16 with a central recess can be placed on this base, so that the water can flow through the fountain stone and down over this fountain stone.

In the connection area between the fountain stone 16 and the base 7, a simple rubber ring can be inserted as a seal.

A drain hose 14 leads downwards from the bottom area of the plant container in a manner to be described later and is led through an opening 15 into a water container 13 located below.

A pump 9 is arranged on the water tank 13 and is placed on an access opening 10 of the water tank 13.

The pump 9 takes the water from the lower water tank 13 via the suction hose 11, on the underside of which a filter 12 is arranged, and leads it via the pipe 8 into the plant container 3.

Figure 3 shows a modified embodiment compared to Figure 2, but further details of the plant container 3 are shown that cannot be seen in Figure 2.

First, the fountain stone 16 is shown, which - according to the above description - is placed sealingly on the base 7.

An opening is provided in the bottom area of the plant container 3, to which a ring 17 is attached in a sealing manner. The pipe 8 extends through the recess 38 of the ring 17 and the purpose of the ring 17 is to prevent water or filling material from entering the lower water container.

The drain hose 14 is also arranged in the base area, which protrudes with an upper extension 19 above the base surface of the plant container 3. This ensures that there is always a certain minimum water level in the plant container 3 as long as the circulation pump is switched on. As soon as the circulation pump is switched off, all of the water in the base area on the base surface 39 drains off via a relatively small drain opening or via several drain openings 18 and flows into the water container 23 below.

The lower water container 23 has a surrounding strip 20 on which the upper plant container 3 is placed. Supports (not shown in detail) can also be present which support the plant container 3 from its base surface 39 on the lower water container 23.

The water tank 23 also contains an electric heater 21 with a thermostat and the pump 9 with a flanged filter 22, through which the water in the lower water tank 23 is sucked in. A water level indicator 24 and a timer 25 are arranged on the side of the water tank 23.

According to Figure 4, instead of a single supply nozzle for the water, an inlet bar 29 is shown, to which the pipe 8

is flanged. The inlet bar 29 has nozzle openings 30, through which the supplied water is finely distributed on the floor surface 39.

Opposite, in Figure 4, a drain bar 31 is shown, which is described in more detail below with reference to Figure 5a. The inlet bar is also assigned a drain opening 32 to which the drain hose 14 is flanged.

Instead of the tubular, electric heater 21 in Figure 3, a heater in the form of a heating mat is shown.

Figure 5a shows two examples of a drainage strip 31, where it can be seen that the top of the drainage strip can consist either of a filter mat 34 or of a grid 35. This is to ensure that the substrate material in the plant container does not get into the drainage openings.

The drain bar 31 is essentially designed as a hollow channel and the water from the water tank flows into this channel cross-section either through the filter mat 34 or the grid 35.

In the interior of the drain strip 31, a drain opening 37 is arranged, which is connected to the drain hose 14 in a liquid-tight manner. Furthermore, in the area of the bottom surface of the drain strip 31, a smaller drain opening 32 is provided, through which the residual water flows in the direction of arrow 36 into the water container 23 below as soon as the circulation pump is switched off. This is where the remaining water on the bottom surface 39 of the plant container 3 is drained.

In a further development of the innovation, it is planned that the drain bar

31 is designed in two parts and consists of two parts 40, 41 inserted into one another, with the lower part 41 being designed as a hollow profile that is open at the top and is otherwise closed on all sides, with the aforementioned drainage openings 37, 32 then being arranged in this part 41.

In this hollow profiled part 41, the upper part 40 is then held so as to be displaceable in the arrow directions 26 in order to ensure that different liquid levels can be provided in the plant container 3 above the base surface 39.

In an alternative embodiment, Figure 5b shows that a ring 17 is present, which consists of two coaxially interlocking ring parts 27, 28. The upper ring part 27 is designed to be displaceable in the arrow directions 26 in relation to the lower ring part 28. The water now flows over the edge of the upper ring part into the ring 17 and flows back through the drain opening (not shown in detail) into the water container 23 below.

DRAWING LEGEND

1 Furniture

2 compartment

3 plant containers

4 plants

5 fountains

6 Door

7 Sockets

8 Pipe

9 Pump

10 Access opening

11 Suction hose

12 filters

13 water tanks

14 Drain hose

15 opening

16 fountain stone

17 Rings

18 Drain opening

19 Approach

20 bar

21 Heating

22 filters

23 water tanks

24 water level indicators

25 Time clock

26 Arrow direction

27 Ring part

28 Ring part

29 Inlet bar

30 Nozzle opening

31 Drain bar

32 Drain opening 33

34 Filter mat

35 Grid

36 Arrow direction

37 Drain opening

38 recess

39 Floor area

40 part

41 part

Claims (11)

1. Device for long-term watering (hydroculture) of ornamental plants with a lower water container for water, on which a first container for holding plants is placed, furthermore with a pump which conveys the water from the water container into the first container, from where it can reach the water container in a circuit via a first bottom opening, and with a control for the pump, characterized in that in addition a second small-dimensioned bottom opening (18) is formed in the bottom of the first container (3), through which the water can also flow back into the water container (13), and that the control of the pump (9) completely empties the first container (3) as a function of time. Telephone: Telex: Facsimile / Fax: ?r Lindau (0 83 82) 5 43 74 (patent-d) +49-8382-7 80 27 7 80 25 Telegram address: patri-lindau " - - ". ? Bank accounts: Postal checking account Bayer. Vereinsbank Lindau (B) No. 1257 110(bank code 735 200 74) Munich 414 848- Hypo-3ank Lindau (B) No. 66 70-326 843 (bank code 733 204 42) (bank code 700 10080) Volksbank Ürsdau (B) No. 51 222 000 (bank code 735 901 20) -2- 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first container (3) and the water container (13) are arranged behind a front wall, whereby a piece of furniture (1) is formed with compartments (2) pointing forward. 3. Device according to claim 1, characterized characterized in that the pump (9) is controlled by a timer (25) which switches off the pump (9) depending on the time in order to empty the first container (3). 4. Device according to claim 1, characterized characterized in that the irrigation pipe (8) extends into the first container (3) and has a base (7) on which a fountain stone (16) can be placed, 5. Device according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the lower water container (13) has an upper outlet opening as an overflow. 6. Device according to claim 1, characterized characterized in that the lower water container (13) has a circumferential strip (20) on which the plant container (3) can be placed. 7. Device according to claim 1, characterized characterized in that the plant container (3) is supported on the water container (13) via supports on the floor area. 8. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the plant container (3) has one or more inlet strips (29) with nozzle openings (30) in the water inlet area and in the same way one or more -3-Drainage strips (31) are designed with drainage openings (32). 9. Device according to claim 8, characterized characterized in that the top of the drain strip (31) has a filter mat or a grid (35), the drain strip (31) being designed as a hollow channel. 10. Device according to claim 8, characterized in that the drainage strip (31) is designed in two parts and consists of two parts (40, 41) inserted into one another, the lower part (41) being designed as a hollow profile open at the top and having the drainage openings (32, 37). 11. Device according to claim 8, characterized characterized in that the discharge area consists of two coaxially interlocking ring strips (27, 38).