GB2213033A - Plant protector - Google Patents

Abstract

A plant protector of transparent or translucent material comprises one or more sections which are constructed about a plant in use. In one embodiment, each section is a flexible sheet which is shaped upon assembly to produce an upright tube about the plant. In other embodiments, the sections are pre-shaped. The or each section is preferably attached to one or more stakes for support. <IMAGE>

Description

Plant Protector This invention relates to a protector for sheltering and supporting a plant, especially a tree.

Trees are susceptible to damage from various sources during their lives, particularly in the early years when as saplings they can be easily damaged by heavy livestock such as cattle. Trees of all ages are also subject to attack from pests such as rodents or deer.

There have therefore been several proposals for treeprotecting or tree-supporting devices, particularly devices designed to protect and support the tree during its especially vulnerable youth.

Knon devices are capable of supporting or sheltering a tree and of protecting the tree against certain forms of damage, but none of these devices provide a combination of attributes giving protection against several sources of damage and also promoting the growth of the tree. Moreover, existing devices are usually intended for use only while the tree is very young, whereas the tree remains susceptible to damage throughout its life and could therefore benefit from continued protection.

An object of this invention is to provide a means for sheltering and supporting a tree which overcomes or mitigates these and other disadvantages.

In a broad sense, this invention provides a plant protector comprising a barrier for at least partially enclosing a plant, wherein the barrier is made up of one or more sections of transparent or translucent material and is erected about the plant in use.

In preferred embodiments, the barrier comprises a single normally flat sheet of flexible material which is formed into an upstanding tube about the plant. In other embodiments, the barrier comprises a plurality of sections which are assembled about the plant.

Suitably, the sections are part-cylindrical in shape whereby the assembled barrier is tubular.

The or each section may be provided with tabs which facilitate fixing. The tabs may be used to attach the barrier to upright support posts, and may be used to attach one section to another section. In embodiments which employ a flexible sheet, tabs may be provided on opposite edges of the sheet to mate up with one another when the sheet is formed into a tube. The tabs may then be attached to one another to hold the sheet in its tubular shape.

Although any suitable material may be used, it is preferred that the barrier is made of polycarbonate.

It is envisaged that the diameter and/or the height of the barrier may be readily adjustable. The adjustment may be effected by adding or removing sections or, where a flexible sheet is employed, by widening or tightening the tube in the manner of unwinding or winding a scroll.

Embodiments and aspects of this invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a preferred embodiment of this invention; Figure 2 is a schematic plan view corresponding with Fig 1; Figure 3 is a schematic end view showing an aspect of another embodiment of this invention; Figure 4 is a schematic plan view showing the embodiment of Figure 3 in use; Figures 5, 6 and 7 are schematic plan views showing other embodiments of this invention; Figure 8 is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment; Figure 9 is a schematic end view showing a detail of Figure 8.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, in a preferred embodiment of this invention a plant protector 10 comprises a single sheet of transparent or translucent material which is formed into an upright tubular barrier 12. The barrier 12 may be tinted or may be substantially clear.

The barrier 12 may be free-standing but is preferably supported by means such as a stake 14. The barrier 12 may be attached to the stake 14 by any of a variety of means, including nails, screws, brackets, bolts, wires, clamps, ties or string. In the embodiment illustrated, the attachment is effected by ties 16 of wire or string which pass through holes or slots 18 adjacent the side edges of the sheet and loop around the stake 14.

The sheet from which barrier 12 is made is normally flat and is therefore very easy to store. In use, the sheet is formed by hand into a tube by bringing the side edges of the sheet together. The side edges are then fastened to one another to prevent the sheet reverting to its flat configuration. In preferred embodiments the means attaching the barrier 12 to the stake 14 also fasten the side edges together.

Barrier 12 may be made of any suitable flexible material but polycarbonate is preferred by reason of its durability and strength.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings, a development of the above embodiment is shown in which a polycarbonate sheet 20 has one or more tabs 22 at each side edge. The tabs 22 may extend along all or part of the length of the side edges. The tabs 22 are perpendicular to the plane of the sheet 20 and are arranged so as to come into abutment with one another when the sheet is formed into a tube by bending as shown by the arrows in Figure 3.

Figure 4 shows the position of the tabs 22 when the sheet 20 is formed into a tube. Figure 4 also shows how this embodiment may be readily attached to a stake 14 by means of a nail, bolt or screw 24 passing through the tabs 22 and into the stake. If desired, holes could be provided in the tabs to receive the nail, bolt or screw 24.

The arrangement shown in Figure 5 is similar to that shown in Figure 2, with the exception that the ties 16 are replaced by a nail 24 or the like passing through two layers of the sheet adjacent the side edges thereof.

Figure 6 shows how two flexible sheets 26, 28 may be used to make up a tubular barrier, each sheet making up one half of the barrier. Two stakes 14 are employed, and the sheets 26, 28 are situated between the stakes.

Each sheet 26, 28 is attached to two stakes 14; one side edge of each sheet is attached to one stake, and the other side edge is attached to the other stake.

Nails 24 or the like are employed in the illustrated embodiment, although it will be clear that other fixing means could be used if desired.

Where two stakes are employed, the barrier may be fixed to one stake by means of nails or the like and may be fixed to the other stake by different fixing means such as ties.

The embodiment shown in Figure 7 also employs two flexible sheets, but in this case the sheets 30, 32 have tabs 22 which facilitate fixing of the barrier to the stakes 14 with nails, bolts or screws 24.

Many variations of the invention are envisaged. For instance, the barrier may comprise one or more preshaped sheets. Suitably, the sheets are given a cylindrical or part-cylindrical shape so as to produce a tubular barrier when erected. The sheets may be preshaped by thermoforming, which is particularly suitable if the sheet is of polycarbonate, or may be extruded with the desired shape. If extrusion is employed, the sheets are preferably made of highdensity polythene.

Figure 8 shows how a barrier 34 may be made of a plurality of pre-shaped sheets 36. The sheets are essentially half-cylindrical and fit together in pairs to make up an annular barrier portion 38. A plurality of barrier portions 38 may be supported one on top of another by stakes 14 as shown to form the barrier 34.

Alternatively, the barrier 34 may consist of only two half-cylindrical sheets 36 brought together to form a cylindrical pair.

As shown in Figure 9, each sheet 36 comprises a half-cylindrical wall portion 40 and two integral fixing tabs 42, one tab extending perpendicularly from each of the two straight edges of wall portion 40. The tabs 42 are arranged to abut against corresponding tabs on another sheet 36, when two sheets are brought together to form a cylindrical pair As before, nails 24 or the like pass through the tabs 40 to hold two sheets 36 together and to secure the sheets to stakes 14.

When assembled, the plant protector of this invention has a barrier which preferably has a diameter of at least six to eight inches (approximately 150 to 200 mm) and a height of three to ten feet (approximately 1 to 30 meters). These dimensions allow a sapling to grow to a size at which its timber is marketable, or at which protection is no longer deemed necessary. If, however, it is desired to keep the barrier in place while the tree grows to a larger diameter or height, the barrier may be periodically enlarged by the addition of further sheets, either flat or pre-formed.

The embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5 have a degree of overlap between the side edges of the sheet, and this overlap could be used to allow diametric enlargement of the barrier without adding further sheets. It is envisaged that the barrier could be enlarged by reducing the overlap in the manner of unwinding a scroll. A row of holes could be provided in the sheet to facilitate fixing after adjustment.

This is similar to the way in which a belt is provided with holes to allow adjustment of diameter, and fastening, by means of a buckle.

The plant protector of the present invention provides protection, stimulus and support to plants, especially trees of various ages and sizes. The protector protects against pest damage because it provides a substantially permanent barrier extending from the ground to any suitable height. The protector also protects against damage caused by heavy livestock because its robust, flexible and resilient construction allows it to withstand both sustained pressure and shock loadings without damage to the tree. Protection is provided against spray drift from nearby agricultural operations, and the shelter acts as a support for the tree during initial growth.

The present invention also provides means for promoting the growth of a plant because a microclimate develops within the barrier due at least in part to a reduction of air flow around the plant. This leads to a reduction in water losses caused by transpiration and evaporation.

It is envisaged that the shelter of the present invention will support a tree until the tree is big enough to support the shelter, in case the stakes should rot at ground level after a number of years.

Thus even after many years when the tree has passed its most vulnerable stage, protection is retained against threats such as spray drift or vermin.

This invention provides a means by which tree establishment can be integrated with farming practice.

Importantly, the cattle farmer, for instance, can develop forestry while keeping the cost benefits of grazing pasture. The plant protector of this invention is also very suitable for use in built-up areas, protecting a plant against the ravages of an urban environment.

Claims (16)

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1. A plant protector comprising an upright barrier which in use at least partially surrounds a plant, wherein the barrier includes at least one section of transparent or translucent material which is adapted such that the barrier can be constructed about the plant.

2. A plant protector according to claim 1, wherein the section comprises a flexible sheet which in use is given a tubular or part-tubular shape.

3. A plant protector according to claim 2, wherein the or each sheet has a side edge which in use is held by fixing means in overlapping relation with another side edge.

4. A plant protector according to claim 3, wherein the fixing means is releasable whereby the degree of overlap between the side edges may be adjusted.

5. A plant protector according to any preceding claim, wherein an edge of the section carries a fixing tab.

6. A plant protector according to any preceding claim, wherein the size of the barrier may be changed by adding or removing sections.

7. A plant protector according to any preceding claim, comprising a plurality of pre-formed sections, each section having a portion shaped to form part of the barrier when assembled in use.

8. A plant protector according to claim 7, wherein the portion has a part-cylindrical shape.

9. A plant protector according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the sections are substantially identical to one another.

10. A plant protector according to any preceding claim, comprising at least one upright stake to which the or each section is attached.

11. A plant protector according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each section is perforated.

12. A plant protector according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each section is made of tinted material.

13. A plant protector according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each section is of plastics material.

14. A plant protector according to claim 13, wherein the plastics material is polycarbonate.

15. A plant protector according to any preceding claim, having a barrier whose diameter is at least 0.15 metres and whose height is at least 1.0 metres.

16. A plant protector, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.