ES2331556B2 - PLANTATION UNIT FOR THE CROP OF HELOPHIT PLANTS AND PLANTATION SYSTEM THAT INCLUDES THE SAME. - Google Patents

Abstract

Planting unit for plant cultivation Helophytes and planting system comprising it.

Planting unit and training system floating or semi-submerged plantations with hellophyte plants (amphibians), which are naturally  rooted in the bottoms and banks of wetlands, usually at less than 1 meter deep, and they have a part of their body above water, where each planting unit comprises a container (1) that houses the helophite seedling (2), an element connector (3) and a ballast (4) and where each unit is fixed initially in a floating mesh (6) located on the surface of the wetland

Description

Planting unit for plant cultivation Helophytes and planting system comprising it.

Object of the invention

The present invention relates to a unit to grow and grow helophyte plants (amphibious plants), which normally develop in ponds, lagoons, channels of water or shallow wetlands, and to a system that comprises said planting unit to obtain formations isolated or continuous vegetables, which are placed on the surface of the wetland or at a desired depth.

Field of the Invention

The planting unit and the system that the understand are included in the field of environmental technology,  especially in gardening and sewage treatment domestic and industrial, especially in the purification of effluents with removable contaminants through plant mediation helophytes

Background of the invention

Under the term of helófitas a group of amphibious perennial plants is included whose persistent organs are rooted in the bottom of a wetland (channel, raft or lagoon), and whose stems emerge and develop leaves and flowers in the aerial means. They usually occupy the transition areas between the aquatic and terrestrial environments. A characteristic example of this type of plants is the enea (any of the species of the genus Thypha L.). A characteristic of this type of plants is its low density due to its special anatomy, which contains numerous airspaces (aerenchyme) through which the conduction of oxygen from the air to the roots occurs. This characteristic makes the whole of the plants have a density lower than the unit, which gives the isolated specimens the property of floating in the water horizontally.

Description of the invention

Achieve the development of these types of plants in vertical position and the possibility of forming a continuous tapestry on a wetland or on isolated surfaces, it is the objective of the present invention

To do this, according to a first aspect, provides a planting unit for them to grow and be develop helófitas plants (amphibious plants), in lagoons, wetlands or water courses.

The planting unit described here it comprises a container or container with a tubular shape, which is based or performed on a low density synthetic material. The end of said container is to house the basal part of a seedling of Helophyte that is part of the planting unit. The diameter inside of the cylindrical container or container is between 30 and 40 mm, its wall has a thickness of 1 cm and its length is between 5 and 10 cm In this way, a container can be accommodated hellophyte seedling and, through its open bottom, it It will allow the rhizomes and roots of the plant to grow.

The unit also includes a ballast, whose weight is previously determined based on the thrust force that will exert water on the unit and keeping in mind that said weight must be less than the force of water thrust, to maintain upright to the floor, vertically.

Preferably, the ballast is constituted by coarse sand or gravel confined in a mesh of plastic material. Its function is to contribute to the center of gravity of the system being locate at a certain distance from the surface of the wetland and avoid overturning the planting unit.

The unit further comprises a connector element. rigid comprising a V-shaped section, by which the  ballast, a straight intermediate section and a U-shaped section inverted, whose parallel branches hug the container wall. One of said parallel branches has in its extreme part a oblique fold or sub-section, in order to facilitate insertion and planting unit fixation on any device or half floating.

Preferably, the connecting element consists on a steel wire between 20 and 30 cm long, which is intended to shift down the center of gravity of the system to prevent the planting unit from tipping over.

The unit also comprises a steel pin which diametrically crosses the walls of the container by its part closest to the base closest to the ballast.

Finally, the unit is characterized because the sapling of the helophyte is partially submerged in position vertical.

According to a second aspect, a system for cultivating helophyte plants, which includes less a planting unit as described and defined before and a floating mesh. This floating mesh extends over the aquatic surface (wetland or channel to cover) and in it set the planting units, giving rise, after the time, that there is a continuous tapestry of vegetation that can be keep on said surface.

The planting unit is fixed to the mesh a through the fold that is located at one end of the element unit connector. This fold facilitates the insertion of the unit in the floating mesh located on the surface aquatic

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1. Represents a planting unit described according to the invention.

Figure 2. Represents a plastic mesh on the surface of the wetland water and on which each one is fixed of the plantation units.

Figure 3. Represents a section of the unit of plantation.

Figure 4. Two types of helophyte plantations in the aqueous environment: one, floating on the surface of the wetland, and the other, semi-submerged.

Description of a preferred embodiment

To form floating plantations or semi-submerged amphibious plants (helophytes) in lagoons or water courses, it is part of the following unit of planting as described herein.

A hollow cylindrical container (1), such as a tubular container of low density synthetic material, in which inside (6) the helophyte seedling (2) will be housed, as shown Figures 1 and 3. In this example a hollow tube of polyurethane with a length of 8 cm, an inside diameter of 35 mm and 1 cm of wall thickness, whose lower part is crossed transversely a steel pin (7), see figure 3, for that the seedling does not leave the container by sliding.

The helófita seedlings are produced on a low density inert plant substrate, where they develop their root system in a compact root ball with a diameter not greater than 35 mm of the inside diameter of the mentioned tube above.

Then, the ballast (4) is performed, with a weight less than the pushing force of the water, which is determined previously. In this case, coarse sand is used, which is sheaths in a plastic mesh, for example, of polyethylene, of the which are used to bag garlic or small nuts.

Then, the rigid connecting element (3), which It will be in charge of joining or connecting the container (1) with the ballast (4). In this example, a 2 mm diameter steel wire is used and 25 cm long. The section of the wire by which the ballast is fixed (4), plastic mesh with coarse sand, is V-shaped. On the other side, the section of the wire that joins the container (1), has U-shaped inverted, so that parallel branches embrace the container wall (1), while one of said branches It ends in a fold (8), as illustrated in Figure 3.

Thus, once the planting unit is built, and located in the wetland, the plant is partially submerged vertical position.

For the realization of the planting system, the wetland or water channel is covered with a mesh floating and then each planting unit is fixed to said mesh through the bend located at one end of the wire of steel, as shown in figure 2.

Through this embodiment it is achieved that the individual plants stand upright in the water, with the part  submerged basal and leaves and stems on the surface, constituting an individualized floating set.

As can be seen in figure 4, from the aggregation of different units at regular distances, by For example, between 5 and 10 plants per m2, a continuous planting by the lateral growth of new shoots and rhizomes that are intertwined with each other and with the mesh, being able to reach to constitute plant surfaces that can occupy surfaces continuous wetland or insulated surfaces, the size wanted.

In this way, plantations can be formed (9) that are maintained on the aquatic surface or plantations that are  submerge (10) to the desired depth, by using ballasts with the appropriate weight for said depth based on inert material of the gravel or similar type.

Claims (2)

1. Planting unit for the cultivation of helófitas plants (amphibious plants}, in lagoons or water courses, characterized in that it comprises a tubular container (1) of low density, to house the helófita seedling (2), a ballast (4 ), consisting of coarse sand or gravel confined in a mesh of plastic material, whose weight is less than the pushing force of the water, and a rigid connecting element (3), consisting of a steel wire with a length of between 20 and 30 cm, consisting of a V-shaped section, by which the ballast (4) is fixed, a straight intermediate section and an inverted U-shaped section, whose parallel branches hug the container wall (1), a of which it presents at its extreme part a fold (8) and a pin (7) that diametrically crosses the container 1 near the base of the container closest to the ballast (4), and because at least a part of the seedling is submerged vertical position. 2. Planting system for the cultivation of helophite plants on aquatic surfaces, comprising at least one planting unit as defined in claim 1 and a floating mesh (5) that extends over the aquatic surface to be cultivated, characterized in that the . Planting units are fixed to the floating mesh (5) through the fold (8) located at one end of the connecting element (3).