GB2026830A - Plant growth containers - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a growing bag made from flexible plastics material and containing a plant growth medium such that plants can be grown in situ in the bag. Means are provided for drawing the side walls of the bag together to prevent their collapse if the bag is stood on its edge, and to compact the growth medium in the bag. The aforesaid means preferably comprises at least one strap or cord secured tightly around the bag, but may also include an interconnecting means connecting the opposed side walls of the bag, such as a pin or lines of stitching. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in plant growth containers The invention relates to plant growth containers which are hereinafter referred to as "growing bags".

Growing bags are now commonly used in horiticulture particularly for the growing of tomatoes. The conventional growing bag comprises a sack or bag made of a flexible plastics material containing a plant growth medium, usually a peat-based compost. In use the growing bags are laid in rows on the floor of a glasshouse and the tomato plants are grown through holes cut in the top wall of the bag.

The conventional growing bag is pillow-shaped or bolster-shaped and when it is laid flat on the floor the bottom wall of the bag assumes a saucer-shape when viewed in cross-section. It is the usual practice to cut drainage slits in the side wall of the bag but because of the rounded under-surface of the bag these drainage slits are usually positioned a distance of an inch or two inches above the lowermost surface of the bag. It has been found that water collects in this lowermost saucer-shaped portion of the bag and this can cause rotting of the plant roots, and also may result in a buildup of toxic salts as effective flushing of the salts from the bag cannot be achieved.These difficulties are aggravated in periods of changeable weather during the growing season, that is when long periods of dull weather are followed by brief periods of dry hot weather. The plants will have adjusted their water intake to the moist dull conditions and when these conditions are followed by a sudden change to hot dry conditions the plants will tend to wilt and a substantial increase in water application is required. However, on the resumption of dull weather the growing medium will tend to have become water-logged and efficient drainage is not obtained because of the problems referred to above and plant mortality can occur.

Afurther problem associated with growing bags is that because of the flexibility of the material from which they are made, the growing medium within the bag is not compact which makes it extremely difficult to move bags containing growing plants without causing root damage.

It is an object of the invention to overcome these difficulties and to provide a growing bag which can be efficiently and effectively drained and in which water-logging can be prevented.

According to the invention a growing bag comprises a bag or sack made from a flexible sheet material and containing a plant growth medium, the bag having a top wall, a bottom wall, and two side walls, wherein means are provided for drawing at least the opposed side walls inwardly towards each otherso as to compactthe plant growth medium within the bag. According to a preferred embodiment, the side walls at least are drawn together at at least one location on the bag by means of at least one strap or cord tightly secured around the bag.

Preferably, there are two straps or cords secured tightly around the girth of the bag at spaced locations along its length. In one embodiment a stake or pole extends through the bag preferably along or substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bag such that the stake or pole can be used as a support to hold the bag in an upright or substantially upright position. Awatertray may be attached at each end of the stake or pole.

The use of straps or cords to compact the bags has shown to be remarkably successful and beneficial in growing trials. Firstly, because the side walls are prevented from collapsing downwardly due to the straps, the bottom of the bag which rests on the floor will assume a relatively flat profile and when viewed in cross-section will be in a plane which is at an angle of approximately 90" to the plane of the side walls. Thus, any excess moisture will collect evenly over the full width of the bottom wall and can be drained by cutting drainage slits at selected positions adjacent the bottom of the side walls. In addition because the straps tend to compress the growing medium, the bags can be moved from a propagation house, after propagation of the plants, to the glasshouse proper without damage to the root system.This has the advantage that early growth can take place outside the main glasshouse thus utilising glasshouse space to the full. Furthermore, capillary action in the growing medium, which may be a peat-based compost, is improved by compaction, which encourages even distribution of moisture and root development throughout the whole growing bag.

According to another aspect 6f the invention a growing bag comprises a bag or sack made from a flexible plastics material and containing a plant growth medium, the bag having a top wall and a bottom wall and two side walls, the side walls each being of greater surface area than either the top or bottom wall, wherein means are provided for interconnecting the opposed side walls at at least one location on the side walls intermediate the top and bottom walls such that when in use the bag may be stood on its side on the bottom wall and will remain substantially upright without collapsing ofthe side walls occurring.

The purpose of the connecting means is to prevent the side walls, when the bag is standing in an upright position, from bulging outwardly by ensuring that substantially no portion of one side wall is spaced from the opposed side wall a distance greater than the width of the top or bottom walls. The interconnecting means may be in the form of a web or webs formed integrally in the bag and which join the two side walls of the bags together at a position or positions preferably along the longitudinal centre line of the bag. The length of the or each web is preferably less than the width of the top and bottom walls such that the side walls are drawn inwardly towards each other along the longitudinal centre line of the bag.

Preferably, however, the interconnecting means is inserted after the filling of the bags with the growing medium and may comprise, for example, a line or lines of stitching or a tie or pin. The tie or pin may be made from cord or wire but preferably is moulded from a plastics material.

Some embodiments of a growing bag according to the invention are hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a sectional end elevation of a conventional growing bag; Figures 2 and 3 are respectively a perspective view and side elevation of one embodiment of a growing bag according to the invention; Figure 4 is a side elevation of a second embodi mentofa growing bag of the invention; Figure 5 is a front elevation of a third embodiment of a growing bag of the invention; Figure 6 is a sectional elevation of a fourth embodiment of a growing bag according to the invention; Figure 7 is a side elevation of the growing bag of Figure 6; and Figure 8 is an elevation of one embodiment of interconnecting means.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, this shows a cross-sectional side elevation of a conventional growing bag in the position it normally assumes when laid on a fiat surface, such as the floor of a glasshouse. The bag is usually made from a sleeve or tube of flexible plastics material and comprises a top wall 1, a bottom wall 2 and side walls 3, 4. The bag is filled with a growing medium such as a peat-based compost 5. In use a plant growth aperture 6 (or apertures) is formed in the top wall of the bag by removing one or more panels of the plastics material and up to three tomato plants 7 are grown in the growing medium in the bag. Drainage holes 8 are cut in the side walls 3 and 4 with the intention of allowing excess water to escape.However, because the bottom wall 2 of the bag is dished water accumulates in the area below the broken line 9 which is below the level of the apertures 8 and this causes rotting of the roots of the plant as explained in the preamble.

One embodiment of a growing bag according to the invention is shown in Figures 2 and 3. The initial construction of the bag is similar to the conventional growing bag in that it is preferably made from a sieeve of plastics material, e.g. P.V.C., the opposed sides of which are welded transversely to form a bag or sack. The bag is then filled with a peat compost or other growing medium and sealed preferably by forming a gusset. However, in the case of the bags of the invention they are laid on their side in an upright position rather than laid flat as is the case with the conventional bags. Thus the narrower sides of the bag form the top wall 10 and the bottom wall 12, while the wider sides form the side walls 13 and 14.

However, if a conventional growing bag was stood on its side in the manner shown in Figure 2 the side walls 13 and 14 would collapse downwardly so that the bottom ofthe bag would again assume a rounded profile. This is prevented according to the invention by providing straps 15 for holding the side walls 13 and 14 in the position shown in Figure 2.

Preferably, two straps are used at spaced locations on the bag, and the straps are fastened tightly around the girth of the bag to compact or compress the growing medium within the bag. The straps 30 may be made from a plastics material and may be of the kind commonly used for packaging. The free ends of each strap can be secured together by a suitable crimping tool. Alternatively, a cord or the like may be tied tightly around the bag to draw the sides together.

Referring to Figure 4 of the drawings, a growing bag comprises an elongate sack or bag 51 which is pillow or bolster shape and is made from a flexible plastics material. The bag contains a suitable plant growth medium such as a peat based compost. At least two straps or belts 52 are secured tightly around the girth of the bag at spaced intervals along its length to compact the growing medium. A pole 53, which may be made from wood, metal or other suitable material, extends through the bag substantially along the longitudinal axis of the bag. The pole can be used to support the bag in an upright position either by inserting the lower end of them pole, which preferably is pointed, into the ground and/or securing the top end of the pole to a support wire.Plants such as tomato plants, strawberry plants, lettuce plants and the like can be grown through apertures cut in the wall of the bag, in well known manner. The growing medium in the bag may be watered by a drip feed through suitable capillary tubing, or in other well known manner.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the pole 53 extends upwards from the floor of a support tray 54, which stands on legs 55. The top end of the pole is formed as a handle 56. The top end of the pole extends through a second tray 57 which rests on the top of the bag. The lower tray 54 and upper tray 57 are each adapted to contain water and/or liquid plant growth nutrients. Preferably, nipples 58 are formed in the floor of the upper tray 57 and these protrude into the plant growth medium in the bag. Preferably, a length of capillary matting or like water absorbent material is inserted in each nipple to encourage a controlled ingress of moisture into the bag.

The plant growth containers shown in Figures 4 and 5 are suitable for high density cropping and also are suitable for growing plants indoors.

In the embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 6 the opposed side walls of the bag are drawn together by connecting means which are inserted afterthe bags have been filled with compost. In one method the bags are laid flat (i.e. with either the wall 13 or 14 downwards) on a conveyor and passed beneath apparatus for inserting the interconnecting means.

The apparatus may comprise, for example, a stitching machine which inserts one ortwo lines of stitching through the bag, either transversely or longitudinally of the bag to hold the side walls 13 and 14 relative to each other. Alternatively, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the interconnecting means inserted by the apparatus comprises a pair of pins 17.

One form of pin is shown in Figure 8 and comprises a length of plastics material 18, formed with a sharpened end 19 which is inserted through the bag. A flat stop member 20 is attached to the other end of the pin. The member 20 lies in a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of the pin and abuts the wall 13 to prevent the end of the pin from entering the bag. The stop member 20 is preferably moulded integrally with the pin 17, but alternatively, as shown in the drawings, may be located on the pin by interlocking an aperture 21 in the stop member with a slot 22 in the pin 17.

The sharpened end 19 of the pin which protrudes from the opposite wall 14 of the bag is also provided with a stop member 23, which may be located in the pin by the interlocking of an aperture 24 in the stop member with a slot 25 in the pin 17. Preferably, a series of slots 25 are provided so that the distance between the stop members 20, 23 can be regulated.

It is of course the distance between the stop members which determines the relative spacing of the opposed side walls 13, 14 in the region ofthe pins 17. Preferably, this distance is slightly less than the normal transverse width of the walls 10,12 such that the side walls 13 and 14 are gathered inwardly in the region of the pins 17.

Because the pins 17 prevent the side walls 13 and 14 from collapsing the bag can be stood upright on the bottom wall 12 and the wall 12 lies flat on the ground and is in a plane substantially normal to the plane of the side walls. Thus any water which collects at the bottom of the bag is distributed substantially evenly over the bottom and can be drained to the extent necessary by cutting drainage slits 26 (see Figure 7) in the side walls 13, 14 adjacent the bottom wall 12.

By means of the construction of the invention water-logging of the bag can be prevented. The invention also offers a further advantage over existing growing bags in that as the bags can be stood upright on their edge a greater surface area of the bag is exposed to heat and light thus encouraging greater growth, and hot air can also penetrate below the bottom wall of the bag in the region of the straps.

Also by standing the bags on their edges the growing fruit is kept higher off the ground than with conventional growing bags, and more space is left between the rows. Because the compost in the bag is kept compact root growth is encouraged and the bags can be moved without causing root damage.

The bags are suitable for growing a wide variety of fruit, vegetables and flowers.

Claims (22)

1. A growing bag comprising a bag or sack made from a flexible sheet material and containing a plant growth medium, the bag having a top wall, a bottom wall, and two side walls, wherein means are provided for drawing at least the opposed side walls inwardly towards each other so as to compact the plant growth medium within the bag.

2. A growing bag as claimed in claim 1, wherein the side walls at least are drawn together at at least one location on the bag by means of at least one strap or cord tightly secured around the bag.

3. A growing bag as claimed in claim 2, wherein there are two straps or cords secured tightly around the girth of the bag at spaced locations along the length of the bag.

4. A growing bag as claimed in claim 1,wherein the means for drawing the side walls of the bag towards each other comprises means interconnecting the two side walls such that the side walls will not collapse outwardly when the bag is in use.

5. A growing bag as claimed in claim 4, wherein the interconnecting means is in the form of a web or webs formed integrally with the bag and which join the two side walls of the bag together.

6. A growing bag as claimed in claim 5, wherein the web or webs are treated so as to interconnect the side walls along the longitudinal centre line of the bag.

7. A growing bag as claimed in claim 6, wherein the length of or each web is preferably less than the width of the top and bottom walls such that the side walls are drawn inwardly towards each other along the longitudinal centre line of the bag.

8. A growing bag as claimed in claim 4, wherein the interconnecting means comprises a tie which is inserted through the bag and which is secured at each end thereof to a respective side wall of the bag so as to draw the side walls inwardly towards each other.

9. A growing bag as claimed in claim 8, wherein the tie comprises a longitudinal pin made from plastics material and sharpened at one end to facilitate piercing of the bag, the pin being provided at the other end with a stop member which abuts one outer wall of the bag, and the sharpened end of the pin being provided with a removable stop member which can be positioned in the sharpened end of the pin after it has been passed through the bag, and which abuts the opposite outer wall of the bag.

10. A growing bag as claimed in claim 9, wherein the positioning of the stop member in the sharpened end of the bag is adjustable.

11. A growing bag as claimed in claim 4, wherein the interconnecting means comprises one or more lines of stitching.

12. Agrowing bag comprising an elongate bag or sack made from a flexible sheet material and containing a plant growth medium, and at least one belt or strap secured tightly around the bag to compress the plant growth medium within the bag.

13. A growing bag as claimed in claim 12, wherein there are at least two straps provided at spaced locations along the length of the bag.

14. A growing bag as claimed in claim 13, wherein a stake or pole extends through the growing medium in the bag substantially along the longitudinal axis of the bag.

15. Agrowing bag as claimed in claim 14, wherein a water tray is located at one or each end of the stake or pole, and means are provided for supplying water to the compost in the bag.

16. A growing bag as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the sheet material is a plastics material.

17. Agrowing bag comprising a bag or sack made from a flexible plastics material and containing a plant growth medium, the bag having a top wall and a bottom wall and two side walls, the side walls each being of greater surface area then either the top or bottom wall, wherein means are provided for interconnecting the opposed side walls at at least one location on the side walls intermediate the top and bottom walls such that when in use the bag may be stood on its side on the bottom wall and will remain substantially upright without collapsing of the side walls occurring.

18. A growing bag substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings.

19. A growing bag substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 4 of the drawings.

20. A growing bag substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 5 of the drawings.

21. A growing bag substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 6 to 8 of the drawings.

22. A method of growing plants in a growing bag as claimed in any of the preceding claims substantially as herein before described.