GB2426206A - Turf Tiles - Google Patents

Abstract

A turf tile (10) comprises a rectangular plastics pallet (12) having vertical sides, an apertured surface (14) and edge lips (28). A plastics porous bat (30) covers the surface of the pallet, and a growing medium (60) is supported on the bat. Growing turf (70) is provided on the growing medium. The bat is constructed from shredded plastics material melded together into a porous structure that both allows unimpeded flow of water through the bat and retains water within its pores. Several pallets may be structurally interconnected, whereby said same plurality of tiles may be lifted and transported together as a single, larger turf tile. A method of constructing the turf tiles comprises laying the pallets with bats on the ground, and spreading growing medium over the whole area, driving vehicles over the pallets/bats, as may be desirable to facilitate the spreading and levelling of the growing medium. Turf or seed is then lain on growing medium and left for sufficient time to allow the turf to mature.

Description

I

Turf Tiles This invention relates to turf tiles employed, primarily, for laying a natural grass-turf playing surface in stadia and the like. However, modular grass surfaces are also used in other applications.

BACKGROUND

Turf tiles are known, with perhaps GB-A-21 38690 being the earliest disclosure of the idea of covering a sports arena with tiles made of containers of earth with turf on their surface. This enables several benefits to be realised. The first is that roofed or otherwise shaded stadia are not excluded from having natural turf pitches/playing surfaces. The turf tiles can be cultivated outside of the stadium and laid in the stadium only when required. Secondly, worn patches of turf are easily replaced.

A problem with turf tiles is that the edges of the containers cannot reach up to the ground surface, otherwise they may interfere with people playing on the surface. This means that the root zone soil around the edges of the tile are unsupported, which may cause losses during transportation, and subsequently result in gaps between tiles when laid. I...

* *** WO-A-02/0I 3596 and EP-A-0788396 both provide a container forming the base of a turf * ** tile that has top edges pivoted to the base of the container, whereby, for cultivation and * : transportation, the edges are "up", so that the soil at the ground surface of tile is S..

supported, but, when "down" and the tiles are laid together, there is no interference with players on the pitch. The container is shaped to facilitate transportation by forklift truck. S...

This also provides spaces under the turf through which heating, cooling, ventilating air * : may be driven. The container has holes for drainage, but is also filled with gravel under the growing medium so that the holes do not become blocked.

WO-A-94/0961 3 takes a different approach by providing a removable ring forming a normal top edge of the tile. WO-A-00/59291 takes a further different approach by placing growing media on a tray provided with drainage holes and the whole tray is received within a container having sides that retain the soil on the tray. Then, when it is desired to lay the tiles, the tray with soil and turf supported on it is removed from the container.

A problem with some of the forgoing arrangements is that they are time consuming to form. What is required is that the containers are individually filled with gravel and/or growing medium and the surface of each prepared for turfing. Furthermore, where gravel is employed this necessarily makes for a heavy tile, so that stacking of tiles for transportation is ruled out. Specially made containers are expensive to produce.

It is an object of the present to provide an arrangement which addresses the problems seen in prior art arrangements, or at least mitigating their effects.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In accordance with the invention there is provided a turf tile comprising: a rectangular plastics pallet having an apertured surface; a plastics porous bat covering the surface of the pallet; a growing medium supported on the bat; and turf growing on the growing medium; wherein the bat is constructed from shredded plastics material melded together into a porous structure that both allows unimpeded flow of water through the bat and retains water within its pores. S...

Preferably, the pallet has upstanding lips around its edges, whereby the bats are * : retained on the pallet.

* 25 Preferably, the pallet has vertical sides, so that a plurality of them completely cover a base surface when lain side-by-side. Preferably, a plurality of said pallets are S..

structurally interconnected whereby said same plurality of tiles may be lifted and * .: transported together as a single, larger turf tile.

Preferably, said pallet comprises a top surface having spaced apertures occupying at least 10%, preferably at least 20%, of the surface area of the top surface, a depending corner leg at each corner of the top surface, and a depending side leg between each corner, and a depending middle leg from the middle of said top surface, at least three lines of three legs being interconnected at their bases to form two orthogonal pairs of channels under said surface, for the insertion of forklift truck arms.

A suitable pallet is supplied by Craemer Plastics Materials Handling Limited under the code CR3-5, which is a 1200x1 000 mm pallet of 160mm height and 27 kg weight. It is reinforced with metal and is capable of accepting a static load of 7500 kg.

Preferably, said tiles are stacked at least two-deep one upon the other for transportation.

Preferably, the bat is constructed by agglomerating shredded thermoplastics material in a process forming noodles thereof and pressing the noodles loosely together in a mould to form a bat in which contacting noodles meld together securing the bat as an integral unit having a porous structure.

Preferably, said bat is constructed as described in GB-A-2399532 (WO-A2004/08291 2), the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Bats of this description are presently manufactured and sold by the present applicants under the trade mark Aquadyne.

Preferably, said growing medium comprises sand and polymer fibres binding the sand together. A suitable growing medium is supplied by Fibresand UK Limited under the trade mark Fibresand.

: . A tile constructed according to the invention is therefore relatively inexpensive, since it employs currently available products, in particular a standard plastics pallet, porous bats * ** of recycled waste plastics, and structured growing medium. Secondly, because the porous bat serves the function of gravel in permitting drainage of the growing medium, S..

that heavy material can be omitted so that the tile is relatively light and, therefore, * S. * inexpensive to transport. Thirdly, because the porous bat retains water, as well as S...

allowing it free passage, the tile requires less watering during dry weather periods * *.: because the bat gives up retained water by wicking when the growing medium dries.

In accordance with a different aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of constructing a turfed playing area comprising the steps of: a) laying a plurality of plastics pallets, each having an apertured surface, in side-by- side relation; b) laying plastics porous bats on the pallets to cover their surface; c) spreading growing medium on the bats; and d) providing turf on the growing medium; wherein the bats are constructed from shredded plastics material melded together into a porous structure that both allows unimpeded flow of water through the bat and retains water within its pores.

Preferably, said playing area is in a different location to where the pallets are laid in step a) above, whereupon said method comprises the further steps of: e) cutting said turf and growing medium above gaps between adjacent pallets to separate turf tiles from one another, a turf tile comprising one or more said pallet, said porous bat or bats supported by said pallet or pallets, said growing medium on said bats, and said turf on said growing medium; f) lifting a separated turf tile; g) transporting said tile to said different location and h) laying said tile in side-by-side relation with other tiles to create said playing surface.

Preferably, after said lifting step f), impervious sheet is wrapped around the tile to seal the turf and growing medium, which sheet is removed before step h).

Preferably, the method further comprises, either before or immediately after step a) * 20 above: :.: * i) connecting structurally a plurality of tiles together. I... * * S...

* : : "Structural" connection means that said same plurality of tiles can be lifted together as a single integral tile using a forklift truck. Preferably, said plurality is four in a rectangular S..

formation. For example, where each pallet is 1200x1 000 mm in dimension, said integral tile is preferably 2400x2000 mm in dimension. In this event, where the pallets are as S...

defined above, forklift arms enter adjacent ones of said channels of a first adjacent pair *.: of pallets, and extend through said first pair into the corresponding channels of a second adjacent pair of pallets, the structural connection being sufficient to retain the integrity of the integral tile.

Said structural connection preferably comprises bolts passing through adjoining legs of adjacent pallets between said top surface and said base interconnections.

Preferably, said turf is grown on said growing medium from seed.

Thus the area required to turf a playing pitch can be prepared in a unified manner. That is to say, all the pallets can be laid and the bats placed thereon. Then the soil/growing media can be spread over the entire surface as if spreading the soil on prepared ground.

The palletlbat combination is quite strong enough to permit vehicles to be driven on them to assist in the spreading and levelling of the growing medium. Likewise the turf can be laid over the entire area. Indeed, even if there was no intention of subsequently moving the playing area, the provision of the pallets and porous bat combination as a base for the playing area has substantial benefits. The pallets provide a ready-made network of channels under the pitch by means of which hot or cold air, depending on the weather conditions, can be circulated. Indeed, vacuum can be applied to suck air through the soil for the purpose of better drainage and aeration. Alternatively, the channels may be pressurised and blow air up through the growing medium. In these two configurations, the channels of the pallets around the periphery of the playing area must be sealed.

Where it is necessary to move the playing area from a cultivation zone to a stadium, the first step is to separate individual tiles, or integral multi-tiles, from the rest of the pitch.

This is easily achieved with a long knife cutting the turf and soil underneath and following the lines of adjacent pallets. Then, each tile has a vertical side which, when lifted, is protected against loss of growing medium by the simple expedient of wrapping a strip of * *1 cling-film or the like around the growing medium and turf. This also serves to retain S...

moisture at the edge of the growing medium where it otherwise might dry out. * S.

Because of the structure of the tile, each is relatively light and so can easily support the weight of another tile stacked upon It. Consequently, for transportation by lorry, for S. example, at least two tiles can be stacked one on top of the other, and possibly three or more, depending on the distance to be travelled from cultivation zone to final destination.

Indeed, in its broadest application, the present invention provides a plant growing tile comprising: a rectangular plastics pallet having an apertured surface; a plastics porous bat covering the surface of the pallet; and a growing medium supported on the bat; wherein the bat is constructed from shredded plastics material melded together into a porous structure that both allows unimpeded flow of water through the bat and retains water within its pores.

Such a tile not only has particular application for growing turf to provide lawned area, but also has potential for providing modular garden area for use at exhibitions and displays, or on roof gardens, where the growing medium may support not just grass, as defined above, but other plants as well.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the invention is further described hereinafter, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 a,b and c are a plan view, end view and side view of a pallet employed in the present invention; Figures 2 a,b and c are a plan view, end view and side view of the pallet of Figure 1, on which is disposed a layer of drainage bats; Figures 3 a, b and c are a plan view, end view and side view of the pallet and bats of Figure 2, on which is disposed a layer of growing medium and turf; Figure 4 is a schematic side view in enlarged detail of the arrangement of Figure 3; Figures 5 a and b is a perspective view of the drainage bat, and an enlarged detail thereof; and * 20 Figure 6 is a perspective view of an arrangement similar to that shown in Figure :.: * 2;and *.i a Figure 7 is a perspective view of an arrangement similar to that shown in Figure 3. ***

* 25 DETAILED DESCRIPTION * a S...

. : In the drawings, a turf tile 10 is shown complete in Figures 3 a, b and c. It comprises a standard plastics pallet such as pallet CR3-5 made by Craemer as referenced above. A suitable pallet 12 is shown in Figures 1 a, b and c and comprises a plastics material, optionally reinforced with metal inserts (not shown). An upper, flat surface 14 is provided with a number of slots 16 whereby the upper surface 14 is open for at least 10% of its area. The pallet shown is open for about 25% of its area, but the degree of opening must be sufficient to drain the area of the pallet for the expected volume of water drainage needed to avoid prolonged saturation of the turf tile in heavy rain. The position and location of the slots is not material, for reasons explained below, and this permits standard pallets, as presently available commercially, to be exploited without modification.

The upper surface 14 is supported on nine legs: four corner legs 18; four side legs 20 between each pair of corner legs 18; and a central leg 22. In at least one direction, three sets of legs (18,20,18; 20,22,20; 18,20, 18) are interconnected at their bases by connections 24. Ideally, such connections are provided in both directions so that a square base 26, with a central cross, is provided on which the pallet sits on a flat supporting surface.

The upper surface 14 is delimited by upstanding lips 28. These are employed in the present invention to retain bats 30 of porous plastics material. Each bat is arranged to be of a width being some fraction of the width of the pallet so that a number of bats disposed side by side fit snugly together between the lips 28. Thus, one convenient pallet size is 1200x1 000 mm so that six bats of 200 mm width and 1000 mm length fit precisely over the whole area of the pallets 10 without gaps between (see also, however, Figure 7). The pallet is most conveniently a four-way entry pallet.

It is also to be noted that sides 27 of the legs 18,20 are vertical, or near vertical, so that * 20 pallets placed side-by-side in a grid leave no gaps between their top surfaces 14.

:.: * Consequently, when the bats 30 cover adjacent pallets, there is little gap between them. I.,. * ,

* ,, The bats 30 are made by agglomerating shredded waste plastics material. A suitable S SS I bat is that made by the process disclosed in WO-A-2004/08291 2. Most waste plastics *** material for recycling is thermoplastic, and this is what is required here. However, far "s * from shunning inclusions of foreign material, thermoset contamination is a positive . : advantage. As described in WO-A-00/73593, thermoset material helps maintain an open porous structure in the final product. In the agglomeration process, a significant proportion of thermoplastic elements of the feedstock is melted and extruded as loose "noodles" 50 (see Figure 5b) of about 5 mm diameter (varying from zero to about 10 mm), and varying length. The noodles are permitted to break as they exit the agglomerator and they do so where there are inclusions of contamination or where the length is too long to be supported by the strength of the melted thermoplastics. Thus the noodles range from about 5 mm to 100 mm in length. The noodles are then wetted with cold water spray so that their surface is cooled and they do not, at first, stick together.

However, they are fed to a compacting funnel where they are amassed together into a rectangular section. Where adjacent noodles touch and are pressed together, the adjoining surfaces get re-heated by the hot interior of the noodles, re-melt and weld the noodles together. However, the compaction is not such that there are no gaps remaining between the noodles. On the contrary, an open, porous, sponge-like structure results. Once the bats are fully cooled, they are essentially rigid and strong, at least in compression. The thermoset inclusions help to keep the structure of the bats open and porous, and enable the temperature of the agglomeration process to be well above the melting point of the average thermoplastic components of the waste material. The present applicants prepare such a material and sell it under the brand Aquadyne.

The structure of the bats is such that it has sponge-like porosity, which both allows relatively unimpeded through flow of water, but at the same time, once saturated, retains water within its pores. Moreover, if placed on an impervious surface, water can flow horizontally, as well as vertically, through the bat. Furthermore, the bats are quite strong, particularly in compression. They are also resilient, so that, even when crushed under a substantial load, the structure can rebound into its open, porous arrangement.

Turning to Figure 3 a, b and c, the bats are then covered with a layer about 100 mm thick of growing medium 60. This depth is obviously variable. On golf greens for .: .20 example, a depth of about 300 mm might be desirable to accommodate golf holes.

* Equally, the growing medium might be omitted almost entirely for temporary installations. * ...

The growing medium is any suitable medium to form the root zone of grass turf.

* : * Importantly, however, the material is preferably of the type that retains its integrity such * as fibre-reinforced sand/growing medium. Persons skilled in the art are aware of such suitable systems: they are well documented. However, one such system is as described above; namely, Fibresand product made and sold by Fibresand (UK) Limited and described in WO-A-96/05374.

Finally, turf 70 is laid (or grass seeds sown) on the growing medium 60 and time allowed for the turf to mesh into the root zone formed by the growing medium 60.

A great advantage of the present invention is the ease and simplicity of the system in total. The process of preparing the tiles is straightforward. Thus, over an area of ground equal to the area desired to be turfed with turf tiles, pallets are placed in a close grid. Preferably, each pallet is already prepared as shown in Figure 6 (or in Figures 2 a, b and c) with bats of the porous material. Provided a suitable ramp is provided, vehicles can be driven over the pallets/bats. Consequently, lorry loads of the requisite growing medium 60 can be driven onto the grid and deposited onto the surface of the bats.

The average pore size of bats is difficult to generalise because it comprises a random labyrinth of passages which are wide in places, and narrow or closed in others.

However, a growing medium material only penetrates briefly into its surface before being halted. Certainly, there is little or no penetration through to the surface 14 of the pallet, even at the edges of the pallet. Having said that, such penetration, where it occurs, is not problematic since the growing medium is, of course, itself porous. On the whole, the pallet/bat surface of the grid area is impermeable to the growing medium. Nevertheless, water passing through the growing medium is not inhibited in the least by the bats 30, since the water penetrates the myriad pores therethrough. Once through the bats, the water passes along the surface 14 until it finds a slot 16 to fall through onto the ground below. Suitable drainage may be provided in the ground to drain water under the pallets 12. Indeed, on an impermeable base, water may be collected and recycled.

Other suitable vehicles are used to spread the growing medium to form an evenly thick layer over the grid of pallets. Finally turf is laid, or seeds spread, and the area is left (after suitable watering/feeding) for a sufficient length of time, either for the turf to take : .20 hold and stitch itself firmly to the root zone, or for the seed to grow and mature. In any * * event, after placing of the pallets/bats, the area is treated as any other area that is to be * S. S .: :* provided with a growing medium and grass-turf surface.

* . Once matured, the turf is ready to receive passengers. If laid where a playing area is required, the surface can be commissioned immediately. More likely, however, the * ** :: desired location is elsewhere, perhaps in a stadium presently employed for other : purposes. Consequently, the turf tiles 10 are finally formed by slicing, as with a knife, through the turf 70 and growing medium 60 along the line of the gaps between adjacent pallets 12. This is easily achieved simply by beginning at one corner and cutting out the remaining two corners of a first corner tile. Thereafter the same lines are followed, with each tile, as it is isolated, being removed.

The legs 18,20, connections 24 and top surface 12 define between them channels 72 designed to receive the forks 74 of fork lift trucks, as shown in Figure 7. Each tile is then wrapped with cling film or similar air- and water-proof stretchy, self-adhering material around the area A in Figure 4, so that moisture loss from the exposed side of the growing medium 60 and turf 70 is minimised. This is particularly desirable if the tile will be exposed for some time before it is re-laid where it is required.

A feature of the present invention is that no gravel or other heavy drainage material is required. Consequently the tile 10 is light, which reduces the cost of transportation.

More importantly, such lightness permits a number of tiles to be permanently connected together, for example in groups of four-square, so that a composite tile of four pallets in a rectangular configuration can be lifted and transported together. Bolts (not shown) pass through adjacent corner and side legs 18,20 of adjoining pallets. Such jointing of pallets is, of course, effected prior to laying of the bats 30 thereon. Other jointing mechanisms may be devised, such as plastics welding of adjacent legs and top surface edges, for example, or plastics ties tying adjacent legs together.

Finally, when laid on the ground in their final destination, the channels form a network of passageways throughout the turfed area and through which ventilation air can be circulated. The air can be heated, for cold weather locations, or may be cooled for hot weather locations. The air can be pressurised (or evacuated) to increase water removal from the growing medium should heavy rain fall. Evacuation assists the normal drainage, whereas pressurisation assists evaporation. Which is the most appropriate is a matter of choice depending on circumstances. In warm, dry climates, the air may be both cool and moist so as both to cool and irrigate the turf. The water moisture could * a. * include plant nutrients. This mechanism is particularly efficient in avoiding loss of water through evaporation. S..

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of any foregoing embodiments. The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the words "comprise" and "contain" and variations of the words, for example "comprising" and "comprises", means "including but not limited to", and is not intended to (and does not) exclude other moieties, additives, components, integers or steps.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the singular encompasses the plural unless the context otherwise requires. In particular, where the indefinite article is used, the specification is to be understood as contemplating plurality as well as singularity, unless the context requires otherwise.

* *. 20 * I I :::I:1 Features, integers, characteristics, compounds, chemical moieties or groups described * * in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment or example of the invention are to be * * understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described I.. I * : * herein unless incompatible therewith. *.I * * I... I. S

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Claims (26)

1. A turf tile comprising: a rectangular plastics pallet having an apertured surface; a plastics porous bat covering the surface of the pallet; a growing medium supported on the bat; and turf growing on the growing medium; wherein the bat is constructed from shredded plastics material melded together into a porous structure that both allows unimpeded flow of water through the bat and retains water within its pores.

2. A turf tile as claimed in claim 1, in which the pallet has upstanding lips around its edges, whereby the bats are retained on the pallet.

3. A turf tile as claimed in claim I or 2, in which the pallet has vertical sides, so that a plurality of them completely cover a base surface when lain side-by-side.

4. A turf tile as claimed in claim 3, in which a plurality of said pallets are structurally interconnected whereby said same plurality of tiles may be lifted and : : *20 transported together as a single, larger turf tile.

*

5. A turf tile as claimed in any preceding claim, in which said pallet comprises a .: top surface having spaced apertures occupying at least 10%, preferably at least 20%, of *:. the surface area of the top surface. S..

6. A turf tile as claimed in claim 5, in which a depending corner leg is provided at * . each corner of the top surface, a depending side leg between each corner, and a depending middle leg from the middle of said top surface, at least three lines of three legs being interconnected at their bases to form two orthogonal pairs of channels under said surface, for the insertion of forklift truck arms.

7. A turf tile as claimed in claim 6, in which said pallet is has a top surface of dimensions 1200x1 000 mm

8. A turf tile as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the pallet is reinforced with metal and is capable of accepting a static load of more than 5000 kg.

9. A turf tile as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the bat is constructed by agglomerating shredded thermoplastics material in a process forming noodles thereof and pressing the noodles loosely together in a mould to form a bat in which contacting noodles meld together securing the bat as an integral unit having a porous structure.

10. A turf tile as claimed in any preceding claim, in which said growing medium comprises sand and polymer fibres binding the sand together.

11. A method of constructing a turfed playing area comprising the steps of: a) laying a plurality of plastics pallets, each having an apertured surface, in side-by- side relation; b) laying plastics porous bats on the pallets to cover their surface; c) spreading growing medium on the bats; and d) providing turf on the growing medium; wherein the bats are constructed from shredded plastics material melded together into a porous structure that both allows unimpeded flow of water through the bat and retains water within its pores.

: * . . *20

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, in which said playing area is in a different * : location to where the pallets are laid in step a) above, whereupon said method comprises the further steps of: e) cutting said turf and growing medium above gaps between adjacent pallets to :. separate turf tiles from one another, a turf tile comprising one or more said pallet, said porous bat or bats supported by said pallet or pallets, said growing medium *.* on said bats, and said turf on said growing medium; * * f) lifting a separated turf tile; g) transporting said tile to said different location; and h) laying said tile in side-by-side relation with other tiles to create said playing surface.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, in which, after lifting a separated turf tile in step, impervious sheet is disposed around the tile to seal the exposed sides of the turf and growing medium, and is removed before step h)

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, in which said sheet comprises cling film wrapped around the tile.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13, in which said sheet comprises corrugated plastics sheet retained as a collar around the tile.

16. A method as claimed in any of claims 12 or 15, in which said tiles are stacked at least two-deep, one upon the other, for transportation in step g).

17. A method as claimed in any of claims 11 to 16, in which the method further comprises, either before or immediately after step a) above: i) connecting structurally a plurality of tiles together.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, in which said plurality is four in a rectangular formation.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, in which each pallet is 1200x1000 mm in dimension, and said integral tile is 2400x2000 mm in dimension.

* : :

20 20. A method as claimed in claim 19, in which forklift arms enter adjacent ones of * said channels of a first adjacent pair of pallets during step f) above, and extend through said first pair into the corresponding channels of a second adjacent pair of pallets, the : *. structural connection being sufficient to retain the integrity of the integral tile. *** * **.

21. A method as claimed in any of claims 17 to 20, in which said structural * : ::. connection comprises bolts passing through adjoining legs of adjacent pallets between said top surface and said base interconnections.

22. A method as claimed in any of claims 17 to 20, in which said structural connection comprises welding adjoining legs and top surfaces of adjacent pallets.

23. A method as claimed in any of claims 11 to 22, in which said turf is grown on said growing medium from seed.

24. A method as claimed in any of claims 11 to 23, in which the turf tile is as claimed in any of claims I to 10.

25. A plant growing tile comprising: a rectangular plastics pallet having an apertured surface; a plastics porous bat covering the surface of the pallet; and a growing medium supported on the bat; wherein the bat is constructed from shredded plastics material melded together into a porous structure that both allows unimpeded flow of water through the bat and retains water within its pores.

26. A turf tile, and a lawned area employing such tiles, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. * ** *. * S.. * *S.. * I *S.a * S. * * I S.. I I.. I.. * S

IS S. S I S *

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