EP0062652A1

EP0062652A1 - Plant protecting device

Info

Publication number: EP0062652A1
Application number: EP19810902750
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mogens Ransig
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1980-09-30
Filing date: 1981-09-29
Publication date: 1982-10-20
Also published as: GB2094604A; WO1982001116A1; DK412180A

Abstract

Un dispositif de protection des plantes (6) ou favorisant la croissance des plantes ou pousses, de preference a l'exterieur, comprend un couvercle pratiquement ferme pour encercler ou proteger la plante, et se presente comme une piece tubulaire rigide et de preference translucide a la lumiere verte (1), dont une extremite (2) est ouverte et l'autre extremite (3) ayant au moins un orifice d'event (4) est pratiquement fermee ou fermee par un couvercle separe ou solidaire (5, 7), la forme de la section de la piece tubulaire etant de preference ronde. Ce dispositif encerclant une plante (6) permet de la proteger contre le vent, la pluie, les chaleurs excessives, et les gelees nocturnes.A plant protection device (6) or promoting the growth of plants or shoots, preferably outside, comprises a practically closed cover to encircle or protect the plant, and is presented as a rigid tubular piece and preferably translucent to the green light (1), one end (2) of which is open and the other end (3) having at least one vent orifice (4) is practically closed or closed by a separate or integral cover (5, 7) , the shape of the section of the tubular piece being preferably round. This device encircling a plant (6) makes it possible to protect it from wind, rain, excessive heat, and night frosts.

Description

PLANT PROTECTING DEVICE

The present invention relates to a device for pro¬ tection of plants or for promoting the growth of plants and sprouts, preferably outdoor. Several devices for said purpose are known, however, these are subject to certain disadvantages. By outdoor use such devices require the use of a special securing by means of clips or weights in form of stones or the like in order not to be removed too easily by birds or gusts of wind. Other devices of said kind cause an obstruction to the growth or fading of the plants if they are not frequently monitored or covered more or less dependent on the sunlight intensity.

The growth-promoting device according to the inven- tion is characterized in that it comprises a tube part which is stiff and translucent, mainly for green light, one end of said tube part being open and the other end thereof being closed by a separate or integrated cap positioned close to at least one closeable venthole or the like, wherein the cross sectional outline of the tube part preferably is of a rounded shape. Thereby a plant protection device is achieved which beyond possessing the ability of resisting heavy winds and of being securely anchored in the ground by inserting the open end of the tube part in the ground round a plant, considerably promotes the growth of a plant, as the venthole and the transparent, e.g. green-coloured tube part and possibly also the cap, both prevent too high temperatures in the daytime and too low temperatures at night in the plant tissue, and simultaneously a drying up of the tissue during windy periods is prevented. The plant may utilize part of the carbon dioxide produced at night when the photosynthesis is resumed at dawn because of the down¬ wardly substantially closed construction of the device. In a particularly simple embodiment according to the invention the tube part is of a cylindrical shape and made of a green transparent plastics material such as glass or plastic, and the cap is mounted pivotably around the axis of the tube part and is provided with perfora-

J I tions which by a turning motion of the cap may be brought to flush with perforations in a separate or integrated top wall in the tube part. Thereby it is achieved that the plant is equally affected by the sun irregardless of the turning position in which the tube part is vertically arranged in or on the planting soil, and the ventilation through the perforations may easily be adapted to the needs of the plant.

The tube part and possibly also the cap may advan- tageously be covered by a layer preferably reflecting red and infra red rays and possibly also yellow, blue and/or ultra-violet rays. Thereby a noxious sun heating of the plant tissue is prevented to a considerable degree and so is possibly also noxious chemical influence deriving from solar radiation while, on the contrary, the rays in the green wave area being useful for plants reach the plant substantially unobstructedly through the wall of the device.

The device according to the invention will now be explained in more detail in connection with some embodi¬ ments and with reference to the drawing in which

Fig. 1 shows a simple embodiment of a device according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows a plane view of an unfastened cap for mounting on the top of the device of fig- 1,

Fig. 3 shows a simple embodiment of a means for adjustment of the opening degree of the venthole, Fig. 4 shows an embodiment comprising ventholes in the upper part of the tube part and which is provided with a tapered open¬ ing edge,

Fig. 5 shows an unfastened cap fitting on the embodiment of fig. 4,

Fig. 6 shows part of a tube part with lower ventholes,

Fig. 7 shows a bimetal plate for adjustment of the opening degree of the venthole, Fig. 8 shows some other different cross sectional outlines of the tube part for individual plants and a plurality of sprouts. Fig. 1 shows a simple embodiment of the invention comprising a tube part which is stiff and translucent, mainly for green light, the one end 2 thereof being open, and the other end 3 thereof comprising a poss^'ibly close- able venthole 4 in the end cap 5 of the cylindrical tube part 1, said cap 5 here being integrated with the tube part 1. In the present embodiment the cross sectional outline of the tube part 1 is circular but may also be of a different shape, e.g. elliptical or polygonal with rounded corners. A plant or sprouts 6 on the planting place being encircled by the tube part 1 and the end cap 5, is subject to mainly the green spectre of the sunlight and to a convenient ventilation through the venthole 4 and is protected against wind and rain and small animals by means of the cover formed by the tube part 1 and the cap 5, whereby the open end 2 of the tube part 1 may be pushed or driven into the planting soil. At the open end 2 the annular edge of the tube part 1 may possibly be tapered in order to facilitate the pushing down of the cover into the soil, and the tapering may be arranged so as to compact the soil around the plant during the push- ing operation of the cover. The edge of the tube part 1 at the open end 2 may also be provided with incisions or slots extending in the axial direction of the tube part 1 in order to provide ventholes around the open end 2, the size of said ventholes being determined by the depth into which the tube part 1 has been driven into the soil. The cover may be made of glass, preferably of quartz glass, or plastic, such as plexiglass or similar plastics materials.

The cover can be performed of different height and diameter in accordance with the purposes and needs. The manufacturing material should primarily or only allow passage of the green spectre sunlight to the plant since a low day temperature in the cover is thus obtained so that the plants will not sprout too soon. Furthermore, a decreased emission of heat from the plant at night as protection against night frost is achieved.

Fig. 2 shows a plane view of an unfastened cap 7 for mounting on the top of the device shown in fig. 1. The cap 7 comprises a venthole 8 which - in case the cap 7 is mounted on the top of the tube part 1 by rotation of the cap - may be caused to flush with the venthole 4 and which - by rotation of the cap away from this position - successively may decrease the air access to the venthole 4. Around its circumference the cap 7 supports a shirt 9 guiding the rotation of the cap 7 at the upper end of the tube part 1. The device shown in fig. 1 and the cap 7 from fig. 2 may have mutually cooperating stops or posi¬ tion securing means in order to limit the rotation of the cap 7 from a fully open to fully closed venthole 4 or for the determining of certain mutual positions in which e.g. the venthole 4 is fully open, half open or fully closed, respectively. Such stops and position securing means may comprise projections engaging grooves or recesses. Fig. 3 shows a further embodiment wherein the vent¬ hole 4 may be fully or partly closed by a pivotable tongue 10 being pivotably supported at the end cap 5. A wedge-shaped recess in the edge of the tongue provides for a fine adjustment of the opening of the venthole 4, which also applies to the venthole 8, the tapering end of which shown in fig. 2 serves the same fine adjustment purpose.

Fig. 4 shows an embodiment wherein the venthole 4 is positioned on top of the tube part 1 and wherein the cap 7 in the embodiment of fig. 5 comprises the venthole 8 being arranged in the shirt 9 of the cap 7 and which cooperates with the venthole 4 for ventilation adjust¬ ment. The ventholes 4 and 8 may, of course, exchange place or form while they retain their cooperating func- tion. Fig. 4 shows that the lowermost tube part edge is tapering for facilitating the pushing down of the tube part into the ground around one or more plants simultane¬ ously with the lower edge being positioned in a plane perpendicular to the tube part 1 so that the device according to the invention also may rest by its own weight upon the ground in case of a very small risk of the device tipping over because of wind and e.g. of birds, as e.g. is the case in greenhouses. Fig. 6 shows a further embodiment of the lower end of the tube part 1 which as in fig. 4 is tapered to facilitate the driving down into the ground,^" and which comprises lower edge in a plane perpendicular to the _tube part 1 and, moreover, comprising wedge-shaped incisions 12 defining ventholes together with the ground surface in the lower part of the tube part 1, the size of said ventholes is determined by the depth of the edge in the ground of the tube part 1.

In case of very thin-walled stiff tube parts 1 the tapering at the lower edge may be omitted, and at a larger wall thickness of the tube part 1 the tapering may be formed by two conical surfaces or by a cylinder sur¬ face and a conical surface. In the first case and in case the conical surface is positioned nearest to the centre of the tube part 1 a light compacting of the soil around the plant or the plants inside the tube part 1 is achiev¬ ed. The lower edge of the tube part 1 should not neces¬ sarily be perpendicular to the tube part 1 but may e.g. be inclined at an acute angle thereto whereby it is achieved that the tube part 1 is caused to extend further down into the ground at its one side so as to improve the fastening of the tube part in the ground without prevent¬ ing at its other side air or ground moist to permeate the tube part. The cap 7 may be provided with a hole 14 instead of the venthole 8, said hole 14 being closeable by a bimetal plate 15 which dependent on its temperature opens the hole 14. The bimetal plate 15 may have a re¬ flecting outer surface in cases where it is desired to reduce the influence from the heat emission of the sun, or it may have a dark surface in cases where it is desi¬ red to let ventilation of the interior of the device be dependent on the heat emission of the sun. The hole 14 may be identical with the venthole 4 in the cap 5 or in the tube part 1, and the bimetal plate 15 may be osi-s-_^ tioned outside as well as inside the cap 5 or the tube part.

Fig. 8 shows different cross sectional shapes of the tube part 1, the shape of which is not limited to the circular/cylindrical shape of fig. 1, 4, and 6. Fig. 8 A-C show cross sectional shapes being appropriate for two, three and four sprouts respectively so that the tube part 1 may be used for individual plants later on. _Fig. 8D shows an embodiment of an rectangular-cylindrical tube part 1 for e.g. five sprouts, said tube part 1 having a common conditioning in the device according to the inven¬ tion.

Instead of manufacturing the device of a green, transparent plastics material it may be manufactured of a transparent plastics material with a reflecting layer on the inner or outer surface, said layer preferably re¬ flects red and infra red rays but allows the remaining rays of the spectre to pass rather unobstructedly into the interior of the device. Said layer may also be .per- formed* so as to reflect the yellow, blue and/or ultra violet rays whereby only the purely green light of a wave-length of 4900-5750 A is admitted. An appropriate layer as filtering material is e.g. a very thin- gold layer. The device according to the invention has been successfully used for ensuring the outdoor wintering of rather sensitive plants such as the species Judas tree.

As a consequence of the very simple construction and the simple features thereof the device may easily be manufactured on prior machines, e.g. injection mounding machines for the manufacture of plexiglass containers.

OMPI

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. Device for the protection of plants or for the promotion of the growth of plants and sprouts, preferably outdoor, which comprises a practically closed shield body or cover for encircling or shielding the plant, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the cover comprises a tube part which is stiff and translucent, mainly^" for green light, the one end of said tube- part being open and_ the other end thereof with at least one venthole being sub- stantially closed or closed by a separate or integrated cap, whereby the cross sectional outline of the tube part preferably is of a rounded shape.

2. Device according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that the tube part is cylindrical and manufactured of a green, transparent artificial material, such as glass or plastic, and that the cap is mounted rotatably around the axis of the tube part and provided with perforations which by rotation of the cap may be brought into flush with perforations in a separate or integrated top wall in the tube part.

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the tube part and possibly also the cap is covered by a layer which preferably reflects red and infra red rays and possibly also yellow, blue and/or ultra violet rays.

4. Device according to claims 1, 2, or 3, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the tube part in or at its open end comprises preferably closeable ventholes.

5. Device according to claims 1, 2, 3, or 4, c h a - r a c t e r i z e d in that at least one venthole is closed by a bimetal plate being so performed as to bend in a direction away from the venthole for an increased opening thereof at an increased temperature.

OMPI