GB2261581A

GB2261581A - Plant pot draining

Info

Publication number: GB2261581A
Application number: GB9124763A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Lawrence Deeley; Harry Joseph Roper
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-11-21
Filing date: 1991-11-21
Publication date: 1993-05-26
Also published as: GB9124763D0

Abstract

A plant pot drainage device 14 having a crowned upper surface and a circular peripheral surface interrupted by notches 26, or grooves 21 to permit water to seep peripherally of the device to a drainage passage below the device when the device is located in the bottom portion of a plant pot 10. <IMAGE>

Description

PLANT POT DRAINING This invention concerns improvements in or relating to the drainage of plant pots.

It is well known to place pebbles, gravel, bits of broken pottery and like materials into the bottom of a plant pot, before adding the soil or other fine particulate material in which the plants are to be grown, in order to form a drainage bed at the bottom of the plant pot through which water can percolate easily, so that the soil or other growing medium does not become waterlogged.

However, problems arise when the soil or other growing medium has dried out excessively, in that, when the pot is watered from above, the water tends to flow straight through, and in part around, the soil without thoroughly wetting the soil. It is therefore commonplace to immerse such plant pots to considerable depth in water in order to give time for the water to soak into the soil when it has dried out, but such processes necessitate the use of relatively large volumes of water which, quite frequently, cause leeching of the nutrient materials from the soil.

Additionally, the gravel, pebbles or broken pot fragments used to provide the drainage bed can in some instances be a source of contamination if such materials are themselves contaminated or contain toxins or microorganisms, and furthermore such materials can be difficult to clean for reuse.

An object of the invention is to enable the problems which arise with the use of such fragmentary drainage beds to be reduced.

According to the present invention there is provided a plant pot having a peripheral wall, a base and at least one drainage aperture or outlet, in combination with a drainage device located in the bottom portion of the plant pot, wherein the drainage device is generally of disc form and has a crowned upper surface and a peripheral portion which is arranged to permit water to seep peripherally of the drainage device to a drainage passage below the device.

In the instance wherein the drainage outlet is disposed centrally in said base, the drainage device preferably has an undersurface which is relieved so that, when standing on the base of the plant pot, several drainage passages lead from the periphery of the device to the central drainage outlet in the base of the plant pot.

The periphery of the drainage device may be provided with slots or notches at intervals to provide radially open drainage channels, or, alternatively, the peripheral edge may be shaped to cooperate with the internal surface of the peripheral wall of the plant pot to leave gaps or crevices therebetween, which alternative is particularly suitable where the plant pot has several drainage outlets arranged in the lower extremity of the peripheral wall.

The invention includes a drainage device constructed and arranged to form part of the apparatus of the invention.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein FIGURES 1 and 2 show a drainage device of the invention in side elevation and from below; FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of plant pot apparatus of the invention including the first embodiment of drainage device; FIGURE 4 shows an enlarge detail from FIGURE 3; FIGURE 5 shows a sectional view of a second embodiment of plant pot apparatus of the invention including a second embodiment of drainage device; FIGURE 6 shows the second embodiment of drainage device from below; FIGURE 7 shows a sectional view of a third embodiment of plant pot apparatus of the invention with a third embodiment of drainage device;; FIGURE 8 shows an enlarged detail in section of the third embodiment of drainage device, and FIGURE 9 shows an enlarged detail in side elevation of the drainage device.

The plant pot comprises a peripheral wall 10, a base 11 and at least one drainage aperture 12. In the embodiments shown in FIGURES 3, 5 and 6 only a single drainage aperture 12 is provided centrally in the base, but it will be readily appreciated that the pot can have several drainage apertures 12A in the lower extremities of the wall 10, as indicated in FIGURES 4 and 8, or in the base. The drainage devices 20, 30 and 40 all have an upper surface 13 which is slightly domed and a peripheral portion 14 which together cause water flowing down within the plant pot to be shed towards the periphery and to drain down between the periphery and the adjacent part of the side wall of the pot to a drainage space below the drainage device.

In the first embodiment the peripheral portion includes four indentations or slots 21 which open radially outwards at the periphery, and in the undersurface four channels are provided to form drainage spaces between the underside 23 of the device and the base 11 of the pot.

The channels 22 are each radially directed to convey water to the centre above the outlet 12. In this embodiment it is intended that the peripheral edge of the device should abut the wall 10 of the pot so that water is constrained to flow through the slots 21 before entering the channels 22. However, as indicated in broken lines in FIGURE 2 it is possible to replace the grooves 21 with cordially set back flats 24 on the periphery of the device so that narrow but circumferentially elongate thin spaces are left between the periphery 14 and the wall 10 of the pot through which water may seep gradually to enter the channels 22.

A further variation is also indicated in FIGURE 1, in which variation the channels 22 are replaced by downwardly projecting walls which extend from adjacent the periphery to adjacent a central zone 25 (indicated in broken lines) and rest on the base or bottom of the pot, and instead of the grooves 21 the periphery is interrupted by a number of very small indentations 26 to allow water to percolate at a large number of points around the periphery into substantially quadrant shaped spaces below the undersurface 23 so that the water can drain to below the central portion and out the outlet 12 or outlets 12A.

Referring to FIGURES 5 and 6, a second embodiment of the device is intended to be placed on the bottom 11 of a plant pot so that the periphery thereof is spaced apart from the wall 10, and downwardly open channels 31 are provided in the undersurface 32 of the device 30 which surface 32 rests on the bottom 11 of the plant pot. The channels 31 extend to the periphery of the device so as to admit water peripherally into the channels for drainage radially towards the outlet 12. Between their radially outermost ends and a central junction, at least some of the channels may widen so as to reduce the risk of the channels becoming blocked.

Referring to FIGURES 7 to 9 in the third embodiment the device is again intended to abut the wall 10 of the pot but may instead merely rest on the base 11. In this embodiment the periphery is interrupted by a series of slots which interrupt the periphery and a dependent skirt or wall 42 of the device which skirt or wall 42 supports the device so that the undersurface 43 is held clear of the bottom 11 to provide a drainage space 44 therebetween for water to flow to the outlet 12 or outlets 12A.

In use of all embodiments, soil or other particulate growing medium such as peat or compost is placed in the pot to a suitable level and the seeds, bulbs or plants are bedded into the medium 15. Thereafter the pot is watered from above so that a required amount of water is added to the medium. If the medium is dry, the water will tend to drain quickly therethrough until it reaches the drainage device at which point the passage of the water will be impeded substantially for a considerable period of time as the water is constrained to flow through the drainage paths provided by the slots 21, spaces at the outer edge of the flats 24, grooves or indentations 26, the openings to the channels 31 or the slots 41 according to the particular embodiment, during which time the water will tend to be absorbed by the medium 15 until the latter is thoroughly moistened.If the medium is already slightly moist and in an absorbent condition, the water may be absorbed rapidly until the medium is thoroughly moist and thereafter any excess water will very slowly seep past the device to the outlet 12 or outlets 12A.

If the apparatus is watered from below e.g. by being stood in a shallow reservoir, the device will serve to restrict the flow of water through the outlet 12 or outlets 12A into the pot so that there is no sudden chilling of the growing plants by a sudden influx of water into the medium 15. The provision of the drainage space 44 between the underside of the device and the base also serves to reduce the risk of the outlet or outlets being blocked by root growth.

The drainage devices are, of course, very easy to stack and store, and can be washed and sterilised quickly and easily after use. To this end the drainage devices are preferably made from an impervious plastics material or, to add weight and stability to the pot, from a fairly dense and preferably glazed ceramic material.

The invention is not confined to details of the foregoing examples and many variations are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, the drainage devices could be pressed from sheet metal. The scale, proportions and thicknesses of the various parts of the device may be varied as required, as may be the formation of the drainage pathways e.g. slots in and around the peripheral portion of the device.

In general, for plant pots of sizes up to 10cm in diameter it is preferred that the total drainage pathway cross-sectional area at the periphery of the device should be less than 1 square centimetre and is preferably only a small fraction of a square centimetre e.g. one third or one quarter of a square centimetre, and indeed the total area may well be less than one tenth of a square centimetre provided that the pathways are formed so as to minimise blocking by particles of the medium 15.

Also, the invention includes within its scope any drainage device or plant pot apparatus incorporating any novel feature, part, component or formation disclosed herein or in the drawings and any mechanical or functional equivalent thereof.

Claims

1. A plant pot having a peripheral wall, a base and at least one drainage aperture or outlet, in combination with a drainage device located in the bottom portion of the plant pot, wherein the drainage device is generally of disc fdrm and has a crowned upper surface and a peripheral portion which is arranged to permit water to seep peripherally of the drainage device to a drainage passage, outlet or outlets below the device.

2. A plant pot as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the drainage outlet is disposed centrally in said base, and wherein the drainage has an undersurface which is relieved so that, when standing on the base of the plant pot, several drainage passages lead from the periphery of the device to the central drainage outlet in the base of the plant pot.

3. A plant pot as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 wherein the periphery of the drainage device is provided with slots or notches at intervals to provide radially open drainage channels.

4. A plant pot as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 wherein the peripheral edge is shaped to cooperate with the internal surface of the peripheral wall of the plant pot to leave gaps or crevices therebetween.

5. A plant pot as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the plant pot has several drainage outlets arranged in the lower extremity of the peripheral wall.

6. A drainage device of disc form having a crowned upper surface and a peripheral portion having a substantially circular peripheral surface which is interrupted by slots, notches or flats.

7. A drainage device as claimed in Claim 6 having an undersurface which is relieved so that, when standing on the base of the plant pot, several drainage passages lead from the periphery of the device to the central drainage outlet in the base of the plant pot.

8. A plant pot in combination with a drainage device or a drainage device, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to FIGURES 1 and 2, FIGURES 3 and 4, FIGURES 5 and 6 or FIGURES 7, 8 and 9 of the accompanying drawings.