GB2179834A

GB2179834A - Plant watering device

Info

Publication number: GB2179834A
Application number: GB8522111A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Andrews
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-09-05
Filing date: 1985-09-05
Publication date: 1987-03-18
Also published as: GB8522111D0

Abstract

A plant watering device comprises a plastics stake 10 having a shoulder 18 on to which fits a hemi-spherical plastics container 15 having a lower hole 16 and mesh cover 21. Water supplied to container 15 escapes through a small orifice 19 formed by a notch in hole 16 and passes down a groove 20 in stake 10 to soil 11 where a plant is growing. The plant may be attached to support arms 14 connected to stake 10. Container 15 may be rotated relative to stake 10 to cut off the escape of water. A number of plant watering devices may be supplied from a conduit (50, Fig. 2) having a number of spaced orifices (51) closable by plugs (52). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Plant tending device This invention relates to a device for tending plants.

The invention provides a device for tending plants comprising an elongate member having one end insertable into the ground, means mounting on the elongate member a container for liquid, means to allow liquid to escape from the container, in use, and means on the elongate member for providing a course for the escaping liquid to run down into the ground.

This device enables a plant or plants to be left unattended whilst being fed individually with liquid, e.g. water.

The invention also provides a liquid delivery arrangement comprising a conduit having a plurality of holes therein at intervals along its length, means for connecting the conduit at one end to a supply of liquid, means for closing off the other end of the conduit, and means to leave each hole open or closed so that the hole delivers or does not deliver liquid.

This arrangement can be used in conjunction with a number of these plant tending devices to allow several of the devices to tend plants at once for long periods.

By way of example, embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a sectional view showing a plant tending device according to the invention, and Figure 2 is a view showing a liquid delivery arrangement according to the invention.

A plant tending device according to the invention is shown in Fig. 1 and comprises an elongate member 10 which is insertable into the ground 11. The member 10 here is in the form of a solid round bar of plastics material.

One end of the member 10 is pointed, as at 12, to facilitate insertion into the ground 11.

The other end is strengthened by a ferrule 13 to enable the member 10 to be hammered into the ground 11. The member 10 has sufficient rigidity to be able to provide useful support for a neighbouring plant or plants. Tags 14 are conveniently incorporated at intervals on the member 10 to enable a plant or plants to be tethered to the member for support. It will be appreciated that the member 10 may be made of other suitable material, and may be of some other section, such as tubular.

Towards the upper end of the member 10, a container 15 is mounted. The container 15 can hold liquid such as water, plant fertilizer etc and is also conveniently made of plastics material. The container 15 here is bowlshaped, having a hole 16 in the bottom. The hole 16 enables the container 15 to be mounted on a reduced diameter portion 17 at the upper end of the member 10 and rest on a shoulder 18 on-the member. A small orifice 19 is provided in the bottom of the container 15 to allow liquid in the container to escape.

The orifice 19 is formed by a notch in the hole 16 in the container 15 and is bounded in part by the member 10 itself. This means that liquid escaping from the container 15 will tend to cling to the surface of the member 10. A groove 20 is provided in the surface of the member 10 to provide a course for the escaping liquid to run down into the ground. The groove 20 helps to ensure that the escaping liquid running down the member 10 is not blown away in a wind. A mesh 21 is advantageously fitted over the container 15, not only to prevent ingress of debris, but also to provide more stability for the mounting of the container on the member 10.

It will be seen that, using a device such as this, an individual plant or plants can be left unattended while the device provides a steady supply of liquid, e.g. water. The device has the advantage that it supplies liquid to the individual plant or plants and does not feed neighbouring weeds. Of course, the device can conveniently be made in a range of different sizes to suit different plants, by varying the length of the elongate member, the size of the container and possibly also the size of the orifice in the container. The device may be left in the ground and allowed to collect rain water. If it is desired to cut off the supply of liquid from the container 15, the container shown in Fig. 1 can simply be rotated on the member to so that orifice is not aligned with the grooves, but is occluded by the shoulder 18.

For the purposes of easy packaging, it is convenient to make the device using a number of assemblable parts. However, it will be understood that the device could be made integrally, for example, as a one-piece moulding.

It will also be appreciated that there are many possible ways of mounting the container on the elongate member. For example, it is possible to mount the container in such a way that the size of the orifice, and hence the liquid flow rate, may be adjusted. Also, the liquid could be allowed to run down the bore of the elongate member in the case where the member is of tubular cross-section, in which case there need be no orifice in the container but in the elongate member itself instead.

Fig. 2 shows an arrangement enabling delivery of liquid from a reservoir selectively to a number of the Fig. 1 devices simultaneously.

The arrangement comprises a conduit 50 in which there are a plurality of holes 51 at spaced intervals along its length. Associated with each hole 51 there is a removable plug 52. With the plug removed, the hole delivers liquid and with the plug in, the hole does not deliver liquid. This means that the conduit can be placed above a line of plant tending devices, as shown in Fig. 2, with some of the plugs removed so that liquid is delivered where appropriate along the line to each device. There may be conveniently provided on each plant tending device a clip or the like, formed integrating with the mesh, for example, to enable the conduit to be anchored in position over each container. The conduit 50 can be connected at one end 53 to a supply of liquid from a reservoir (not shown), and is closed off at the other end 54. This simple and inexpensive arrangement can easily be set up in a greenhouse, for example, or over a bed, and allows different numbers of plant tending devices in different positions to be used at once. Also, of course, if the reservoir contains a lot of liquid, the plants can be left unattended for very long periods.

Claims

1. A device for tending plants comprising an elongate member having one end insertable into the ground, means mounting on the elongate member a container for liquid, means to allow liquid to escape from the container, in use, and means on the elongate member for providing a course for the escaping liquid to run down into the ground.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the elongate member is of sufficient rigidity to be able to provide useful support for a plant or plants.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the elongate member includes means to enable a plant or plants to be tethered thereto.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, claim 2 or claim 3 wherein there is means to isolate the means to allow liquid to escape, preventing the supply of liquid from the container.

5. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein there is means to adjust the means to allow liquid to escape, allowing the rate of supply of liquid from the container to be varied.

6. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the means for providing a course for the escaping liquid comprises a longitudinal groove on the outer surface of the elongate member.

7. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the container is open-topped and the device further comprises a mesh for covering the container to prevent ingress of debris into the container.

8. A device as claimed in claim 7 wherein the elongate member and the container are provided as separate elements and the mesh is mounted to the container in such a way as to provide additional stability for the mounting of the container on the elongate member.

9. A plant tending device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

10. A liquid delivery arrangement compris ing a conduit having a plurality of holes therein at intervals along its length, means for connecting the conduit at one end to a supply of liquid, means for closing off the other end of the conduit, and means to leave each hole open or closed so that the hole delivers or does not deliver liquid.

11. An arrangement as claimed in claim 10 wherein the means to leave each hole open or closed comprises a removable plug.

12. An arrangement substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

13. An arrangement as claimed in claim 10, claim 11 or claim 13 used in conjunction with one or more plant tending devices as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.