FR2552620A1 - Method for the production of a turf carpet whose culture substrate is composed mainly of sugarcane trash. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to the production of turf by means of sheets or in carpet form which allow lawns to be created by transplanting sheets or strips. It comprises a plastic film deposited on the soil 3, a culture substrate composed of sugarcane trash 4 or admixed to generator ash 6, a by-product of cane trash, by incorporating grass seeds or rhizomes 4 and 6, and a mesh made of plastic or another material 7, supported by various materials. Amongst the most interesting applications of the invention which may be cited there is the rapid establishment of lawns by transplanting turf sheets.

Description

The interest of implementing a turf when creating green spaces or creating sports fields has always been confronted with costs of transport, handling and psychological brakes inherent in the natural degradation of the environment. 'environment (clod lawn).

To do this, various systems are used to produce turf in plates or in carpets - Either by taking samples from nature by transplanting clods - Or by growing in substrate - Either in a support of polystyrene beads in suspension - patent
French NO 72 03670 from Stuart Goodall Ltd.

- Either by cultivation in crushed tree bark - French patent
NO 76 36574 - Or again by using a biodegradable material support such as
flexible expanded lyurethane in which the grass is placed in two layers and deposited directly on the natural ground to obtain a carpet - sys
Westmill (GB) -; - Or the use of a support obtained from linen thread in
which seeds are sandwiched and placed on a waterproof floor
cultured wheat - See in particular European patent NO 35953 filed by
FITEXA corresponding to French patent 2,477,830.

These methods are not economically suitable for countries far from industrial centers producing raw materials.

Concerning more particularly the hot producing countries of sugar cane or the by-product can constitute an element of valorization of this culture. In the context of the present claims, a carpet has been discovered which is favorable for the germination of lawn seeds or for the development of lawn rhizomes, the essential qualities of which are to provide a lawn carpet whose support used would complete the mechanical structure of the soil by use. bagasse.

In the context of the present invention, it should be remembered that a turf carpet consists of a support in which grass seeds are sown (or rhizomes are placed) and for which conditions favorable to good germination or to a good recovery tending to a good vegetative development are united and that a carpet has formed on the surface
The support or the tablecloth consists of bagasse of cane sugar recovered at the factory, possibly supplemented with bagasse ash as a product from the generator oven and is used after possible crumbling in the event of clods caused by storage. bagasse fibers are those which come from the sugar cane grinding mill and are approximately I to 4 cm in length while the bagasse ash has a particle size of approximately 0.5 to I mm
The support is placed on a previously leveled and compacted ground and patented with a flexible plastic film.

The thickness of the bagasse support is 2 to 6 cm, the weight is from 2 kg to 3 kg / m2. We can add to the bagasse ash from the furnace of the generator of the sugar factory in a proportion of 30 to 50 X.

The bagasse is taken at the sugar factory and is stored either for another use if the natural decomposition is sufficient or or by decomposition which would be caused by the use of a gerr re chemical ACTILEX, product known to gardeners . If the neutral PH is not reached a correction of the PH level can be carried out by adding lime.

When the support is deposited on the ground either manually or mechanically to a thickness varying between 4 to 8 cm, the seeds of grass are deposited uniformly by means of a pneumatic or mechanical seed drill in a proportion of 20 to 100 grams per m2 depending on the selected varieties of grass' these are rhizomes, these are pricked manually or mechanically in the support at the rate of 50 to 100 cuttings / m2.

In windy regions, in order to trap the seeds or rhizomes of grass and bagasse and in order to make the seedlings more united, it is placed on the bagasse support a net of biodegradable polyethylene or not whose meshes will have a dimension of 5 mm to 20 mm of this optional operation).

The germination of the seeds as well as the growth of young plants will take place under optimum conditions due to the favorable conditions which are rer nied because bagasse is a very light fiber, its capacity of water retention being important and the material Nutrient in suspension provided by irrigation or in solid form constitutes ideal conditions for plant growth. Under such conditions, the decomposition of the bagasse will be accelerated.

Regarding the grass carpet obtained by sowing, as soon as the fertilizer additions in liquid or solid forms are made at the rate of 5 to 40 g of nutrients evaluated in the dry state are made monthly, the first mowing of the grass can be done at around 4 weeks; the ccmr marketing can intervene after 5 to 6 mowing, or between 3 to 5 months depending on the intensity of sunshine - or the ambient temperature. By con * reX the culture by rhizomes implies a culture of 16 to 24 weeks.

The lawn being removed without the plastic sheet separating the crop from the natural soil and cut either into strips or squares, is ready to be transported and stored for 8 days without compromising growth.

To maintain solidarity between the bagasse support and the net: it is placed on the net, either pebbles or wooden rods or metal sheets which prevent the net from being moved by the wind. Then the above materials are removed as soon as the grass has crossed the net
The latter will therefore be placed above the growing medium and below the grass shoots, that is to say at the level of the plant collar.

This procedure will prevent the seeds, rhizomes and bagasse fibers from being carried away by the wind and will make the mass of the carpet more united at the start of the vegetation by the fact that the grass shoots will have entered and passed through the net stitches.

The grass carpet thus formed based on bagasse will have the advantage of forming a solid carpet and will have the qualities of sufficient mechanical resistance to withstand handling and transplantation. The biodegradation of bagasse occurring in a period of approximately 2 years will release the elements favorable to plant growth.

When the operations of setting up the support are finished, regular watering in order to maintain a constant humidity there will follow as well as an addition of nutrients to ensure a good recovery of seedlings and rhizomes as well as good vegetation ; it will be used either of soluble or liquid fertilizer which one finds in the specialized Establishments. Watering will be done in such a way that constant humidity is maintained without drowning the mass in water.

Given the low weight per m2 of the carpet, which weighs around 6 kg per m2, appreciable economic advantages are observed in terms of transport, which can be done without any particular disadvantage. With this advantage compared to the volume and the resistance of the product produced, the mechanical conditions are met to handle the product in a normal way.

The laying of the carpet will be done in the same conditions required for laying the turf by plates taken from the wild or produced by any other plating process.

The gathering of the plates will be done according to the cutting system which will be chosen during the removal on the cultivation field either in squares or in strips. The carpet can be used in flat or inclined floors. The retention in water and in fertilizing solution will allow the carpet to ensure its transplant mutation in complete safety as soon as the water and the nutritive solutions are brought more particularly during the first 4/5 weeks.

Claims (3)

CLAIMS 1 - Grass by plates or carpet (1) deposited on the ground (2), cultivated on a plastic film (3), the lower part consists of roots and a support (4) and the upper part of foliage of grass (5) 2 - Lawn by plates according to claim 1 characterized in that the culture support consists essentially of bagasse of sugar cane (4) 3 - Lawn by plates according to the claims 1 characterized by use according to claim 2 of a support for growing cane cane sugar mixed with cane ash from generator ovens. 4 - Turf by plates cultivated in a bagasse support of sugar cane  according to claim 3 containing a non-germinated grass seed at a  density of 20 to 100 grams per m2 or rhizomes at a density of 50 to  100 cuttings per m2. 5 - Turf by plates cultivated in a. cane bagasse holder  comprising according to claim 3, 30 to 50 Z of bagasse ash from  generator furnace, container according to claim 4 or seeds  grass with a density of 20 to 100 grams per m2 or rhizomes of one den  50 to 100 cuttings per m2. 6 - Turf by plates according to claims 4 and 5  characterized by the use of a plastic mesh net or other ser  before joining the seeds and the support during the  cultivation by using stones, wooden rods or cards C) 7 - Culture implementation procedure

 Seion claims 1 to 6 by reason to intervene a watering and an amendment in order to cause the germination of the seeds or the growth of the rhizomes.