GB2270826A - Treating turf. - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of invigorating the growth of grass in existing grassed areas without planting any seed, comprises breaking the roots of the grass. This is achieved by a slitting action which both divides the roots and displaces the soil in the region of the roots. Disc coulters (27, 28) of a seed drill may be used to provide the slitting action, displacement of the soil being achieved by inclining the disc coulters (27, 28) sufficiently to cause soil to be displaced laterally from the disc coulters when they are pulled through the ground. <IMAGE>

Description

INVIGORATING PLANT GROWTH This invention relates to invigorating plant growth, and the growth of grass in particular.

According to my invention the growth of grass in grassed areas is invigorated by breaking the roots of the grass.

I believe that when the roots are broken the plants then grow actively to repair the damage so that the plants can still get their nutrients. Specifically I have found that grass plants treated in this manner grow much more vigorously than untreated grass plants in adjacent areas, they appear to be healthier, and are certainly stronger and deeper rooted.

Breaking the roots of the grass can be achieved by local displacement of the soil in the region of the roots, for example by a slitting action which has the advantage of both dividing the roots and of displacing the surrounding soil. It is felt that these actions are essential to good plant growth.

I have found that when grass is cut very low the leaf on the plant is very small and does not require so much nutrient. The root becomes almost dormant and does not develop nor grow deep roots. By the use of my method I am able to invigorate existing grassed areas.

Any convenient apparatus can be used to carry out my method. For example, an existing seed drill can be adapted for this purpose but with the spacing between adjacent soil cutting discs reduced to a minimum practical figure, say 35-lOOmm, preferably 66mm depending on angle of cut and size of disc coulters, and also size and displacement of seed tube coulters, in order to break the maximum number of roots. Drills suitable for modification form the subject of my G.B.

Patents No's 1 591 607, 2 191 923 and 2 222 756, and details of the constructions of the drills can be obtained by reference to those Patents of which the specifications are deemed to form part of this application as known art.

If desired seeds can be planted in slits formed by the soil cutting discs to promote additional growth.

Specifically the seeds are planted to a depth of substantially 20mm. This gives an excellent rooting structure, which holds the grass sward together better than shallow planted seeds which tend to be more easily scuffed off.

One proposed seed drill is relatively narrow, say 16 rows at 66.7mm row width or 1.067m working width, chosen for use on Golf Courses and greens in particular. The narrow width of the drill allows it to follow the ground contours more evenly.

The slitting and/or seeding units can be individually mounted as two or four units on a drag arm with heavy press wheel rollers following on top of the slits made by the units. These individually mounted drag arm units within the machine will also follow the ground contours, thus giving the machine excellent ground contour following ability.

In use displacement of soil in the region of the roots can be achieved by inclining the cutting discs and/or utilising seed tubes to displace the soil laterally. In either construction the slits or drills so formed are closed and filled by the co-operation of the heavy press wheel rollers with the surrounding soil.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a known seed drill, and Figure 2 is a perspective view of part of a seed drill having inclined cutting discs.

The apparatus illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings is constructed in accordance with the assembly forming the subject of GB 2 222 756 having a frame 1, a draw-bar 6 connected to a front member of the frame 1 via a pivot and also via an hydraulic arm 9, a plurality of drag arm assemblies 12 spaced from each other by distance pieces 15 carried by a transverse shaft journalled to brackets 11 which depend downwardly from side members of the frame 1, each drag arm assembly 12 being constructed to form a pair of arms which provide staggered mountings for a pair of cutting discs 27, 28. The apparatus is thus provided with two rows of discs, these being a front row of discs 28 and a rear row of discs 27, with the discs in each row spaced transversely from each other and journalled for rotation about generally transverse axes.Ground compacting rollers 34 are journalled for rotation rearwardly of the discs and a pair of road wheels 35 are journalled for rotation about a transverse axis located to the rear of the rollers 34.

In the preferred construction illustrated, each front disc 28 is provided with a depth band 30 constructed in accordance with the assembly forming the subject of GB 2 222 756.

Figure 2 illustrates part of a seed drill which comprises one embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment the discs 27, 28 are inclined at an angle d to the vertical. The inclined discs provide a slitting action when the discs are pulled through a grassed area of soil, the slitting action both dividing the grass roots and laterally displacing soil surrounding the roots. The displacement of the soil by the discs has the effect of breaking the roots of the grass.

In this embodiment, the apparatus is also provided with seed tubes which effect further displacement of soil in the region of the roots when the drill is pulled through the grass. A seed tube is mounted adjacent to each disc 27, 28, to one side of the axis of rotation of the disc, so that its lower end lies above the lowest ppint on the peripheral edge of the disc. As shown in Figure 2, the lower end of each seed tube comprises a coulter 43 which is resiliently urged against the disc and is shaped to effect displacement of the soil laterally from the slit formed when the disc is pulled through the soil.

The spacing between the discs in each row is set to a minimum spacing of 133.4mm in order to produce slits, or rows, in the soil which are spaced 66.7mm apart. This is the minimum practical spacing determined by the size of the discs, the angle of inclination 0, and the displacement of the seed tubes. This minimum spacing is used in order to break a maximum number of roots.

In this embodiment the seed drill has a working width of 1.067m and comprises eight front discs 28 and eight rear discs 27. This narrow working width enables the apparatus to follow ground contours more evenly than wider drills. The rear and front discs 27, 28 are individually mounted in units, each unit comprising a pair of discs 27, 28 and a pair of seed tube coulters 43, all mounted on a drag arm assembly 12.

The drag arm assemblies are individually spring mounted to the frame 1, further enabling the apparatus to follow ground contours when in use. Heavy press wheel rollers 34 are mounted to the rear of the drag arm assemblies 12, behind the discs 27, 28 which follow on top of the slits made by the units when the apparatus is in use. The press wheel rollers 34 co-operate with the soil surrounding the slits cut by the discs, in order to close and fill the slits.

In a further embodiment of the invention the seed tube may simply comprise a solid rod having a coulter 43, as described, at its lower end.

In use, the apparatus is pulled through the ground, causing the cutting discs 27, 28 and the seed tube coulters 43 to slit and laterally displace the soil. It is this displacement of the soil which breaks grass roots in the soil, which in turn invigorates growth of the grass. By employing the invention in existing grassed areas, stronger and deeper rooted grass is stimulated to grow without the necessity of planting any seed.

Claims (15)

1. A method of invigorating growth of grass in existing grassed areas without planting any seed, comprising breaking roots of the grass.

2. A method of invigorating growth of grass according to claim 1, in which the roots of the grass are broken by local displacement of soil in a region containing the roots.

3. A method of invigorating growth of grass according to claim 2, in which the local displacement of the soil is achieved by a slitting action which divides the roots and displaces the soil in the region containing the roots.

4. A method of invigorating growth of grass according to claim 3, in which the slitting action is provided by cutting discs of a seed drill.

5. A method of invigorating growth of grass according to claim 4, in which local displacement of soil in the region containing the roots is achieved by inclining the cutting discs such that the soil is displaced laterally when the cutting discs are pulled through the soil.

6. Apparatus for carrying out the method of claim 1 or claim 2, comprising a seed drill having a plurality of cutting discs adapted to cut slits in the soil, in which the cutting discs are further adapted to provide a slitting action which divides the roots and displaces soil in the region containing the roots, when the cutting discs are pulled through the soil.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, in which at least one of the cutting discs is inclined by an amount sufficient to cause lateral displacement of the soil when the discs are pulled through the soil.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein adjacent cutting discs are spaced a minimum practical distance apart in order to break a maximum number of roots.

9. Apparatus according to any of claims 6 to 8, further comprising seed tubes which are adapted to displace the soil laterally when the cutting discs are pulled through the soil.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein adjacent seed tubes are spaced a minimum practical distance apart in order to break a maximum number of roots.

11. Apparatus according to claim 8 or claim 10, wherein the minimum practical distance is substantially 66mm.

12. Apparatus according to any of claims 6 to 11, wherein the seed drill is of sufficiently narrow width to enable it to follow ground contours evenly.

13. Apparatus according to any of claims 6 to 12, wherein the cutting discs are individually mounted in the seed drill in units comprising two or four discs mounted on a drag arm assembly, each unit being adapted to follow ground contours when the seed drill is dragged along the ground.

14. Apparatus according to any of claims 6 to 13, further comprising heavy press wheel rollers adapted to follow on top of the slits made by the cutting discs when the seed drill is dragged along the ground in use, the rollers being adapted to co-operate with soil surrounding the slits in order to close and fill the slits.

15. Apparatus for carrying out the method of claim 1 or claim 2 as illustrated and with reference to the accompanying drawings.