GB2441732A - Method for enhancing plant growth - Google Patents
Method for enhancing plant growth Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2441732A GB2441732A GB0618298A GB0618298A GB2441732A GB 2441732 A GB2441732 A GB 2441732A GB 0618298 A GB0618298 A GB 0618298A GB 0618298 A GB0618298 A GB 0618298A GB 2441732 A GB2441732 A GB 2441732A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- plant growth
- sides
- accordance
- pot
- base
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 15
- 230000008635 plant growth Effects 0.000 title claims description 11
- 230000002708 enhancing effect Effects 0.000 title claims description 3
- 239000002689 soil Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 238000007689 inspection Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 230000009194 climbing Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 241000607479 Yersinia pestis Species 0.000 claims abstract 3
- 238000013138 pruning Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 229910000831 Steel Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 2
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000010959 steel Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 230000001737 promoting effect Effects 0.000 claims 5
- 238000011065 in-situ storage Methods 0.000 abstract 1
- 241000196324 Embryophyta Species 0.000 description 24
- 241000237858 Gastropoda Species 0.000 description 7
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 5
- RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N Copper Chemical compound [Cu] RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 229910052802 copper Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- 239000010949 copper Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000012010 growth Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000000919 ceramic Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 description 2
- 235000015097 nutrients Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 229910001369 Brass Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000005955 Ferric phosphate Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910001335 Galvanized steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000004873 anchoring Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000010951 brass Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005266 casting Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000012141 concentrate Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005868 electrolysis reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004049 embossing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003623 enhancer Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000605 extraction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229940032958 ferric phosphate Drugs 0.000 description 1
- 239000008397 galvanized steel Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000002706 hydrostatic effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- WBJZTOZJJYAKHQ-UHFFFAOYSA-K iron(3+) phosphate Chemical compound [Fe+3].[O-]P([O-])([O-])=O WBJZTOZJJYAKHQ-UHFFFAOYSA-K 0.000 description 1
- 229910000399 iron(III) phosphate Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000737 periodic effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000003825 pressing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003014 reinforcing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 125000006850 spacer group Chemical group 0.000 description 1
- 241000894007 species Species 0.000 description 1
- 230000003019 stabilising effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000087 stabilizing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000010935 stainless steel Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910001220 stainless steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000011282 treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000002023 wood Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
- A01G9/00—Cultivation in receptacles, forcing-frames or greenhouses; Edging for beds, lawn or the like
- A01G9/02—Receptacles, e.g. flower-pots or boxes; Glasses for cultivating flowers
- A01G9/026—Foldable pots
Landscapes
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Environmental Sciences (AREA)
- Cultivation Receptacles Or Flower-Pots, Or Pots For Seedlings (AREA)
Abstract
The method provides a plant pot with a multiplicity of base 1 and side units 5 arranged to permit one or more sides to be temporarily released for in-situ root and soil inspection by removal of pin 3 from hinge 2. The method also provides means for deterring climbing pest attack located on the side walls.
Description
Plant growth enhancer
2441732
Plant pots have traditionally been made in a host of materials - wood, ceramics, metal, etc. The most desirable features of a plant pot from a horticultural point of view are 5 that the material of which it is made should be durable, robust, allow free drainage, and be visually attractive and recyclable/reusable. There is often the need for it to tolerate frost. Some plant pots are made of biodegradable materials and are regarded as sacrificial. The reason for this is that the mechanical action of extracting a plant from a pot often damages delicate rootlets and plant fibres, thus harming plant growth. 10 This has occasioned pot manufacturers to design pots with a narrower, often semi-rounded base, partly to ease mature plant extraction and partly as a result of the casting or moulding process. The downside of this is that such pots tend to be less stable when housing tall plants and trees. They may also suffer from being extremely heavy to be transport and move around the garden, especially for larger plants and 15 trees.
Because pots tend to be large volume products, the economics of transport have occasioned manufacturers to cut costs by nesting different sized pots for transport inside each other but because ceramics are brittle, they often get damaged in transit. 20 Manufacturers of galvanized pots often resort to folding the top edge to gain strength but this reduces the ability to nest.
The present invention seeks to address the difficulties noted above in that it comprises a method for enhancing pot plant growth characterised in that it comprises forming a 25 plant pot with sides flexibly attached to a base wherein withdrawal of a pin allows for soil and rootlet inspection and expansion. The invention provides for a multiplicity of pots to be made up from a variety of pre-formed parts arranged to be conjoined using elongated rods inserted in piano hinges, preferably of galvanized steel. Depending on the purpose and local soil types, other materials may be judged suitable. Use aboard 30 marine vessels might indicate the use of stainless steel, for example. Further, a whole range of pre-coated materials is available for special purposes, such as providing suitably decorative sides for specific markets.
1
Each pre-cut part is furnished with arrangements for inserting piano hinges along one or more edges and may have pre-stamped apertures to allow for insertion of lifting 35 hooks and attachment of stabilising hooks, anti-slug strips, etc.
In use, a suitable base considering the likely size of the tree or plant to be grown therein is laid on the ground and suitable sides attached using hinge wires. The base may be supplied with hinge attachments located in rows inwardly displaced from the 40 outer edges to allow for subsequent relocation of the upright sides to cater for growth.
Sides may be perforated to allow ingress and egress of water and nutrients. Slots may be pre-stamped to allow for carrying handles. This is particularly apposite when wishing to transport heavy pots around the garden. Where pots may contain high 45 value plants, security considerations may dictate the removal of carrying handles. One feature of the present invention is that the invention provides for removable carrying handles and the side units are pre-stamped with apertures suitably arranged to accommodate said handles. These may be removed when the pot is in place. When erecting the pot in areas where there is the risk of unauthorised removal, it is a simple 50 matter to fix the pot to the ground using the pre-stamped holes in the base which may be reinforced and a suitable ground anchoring arrangement. Without the sides attached, access is easy, unlike tall narrow rigid pots. When the pot has been in place for some time, it is still a simple matter to let down a side to provide access to the interior of the base without unnecessarily disturbing delicate rootlets. Clearly it is 55 damaging for a plant to have rootlets damaged in the repotting exercise required at regular intervals if plant growth is to be maximised.
One of the main obstacles to successful propagation of plants is attack by slugs. It has been observed in tests that the galvanized sides of pots arranged in accordance with 60 the present invention deter slugs from climbing. The upper edge may be outwardly folded to present even more of an obstacle to slugs and snails. It is clearly better for the environment not to have to use chemical means for deterring such attacks. In particularly prone areas, the sides of the pot may be provided with decorative trim suitably adapted to provide an obstacle to climbing slugs.
65
2
The efficacy of copper bands in deterring slugs is well-documented and a wide variety of suitable copper bands and strips is commercially available. It is a simple matter in the pressing process to allow for their optional attachment to the sides. Obviously electrolysis may occur but bands of copper may be outwardly spaced using the non-70 conducting spacers provided.
Some slug treatments depend on ferric phosphate and this mechanism may account for the observed reluctance of slugs to climb the sides of the galvanised pots according to the present invention.
75
Bonsai trees, etc., are well known in the art and constitute a major industry. One significant problem with Bonsai trees is that it is required for the roots to be pruned to stress the plant and prevent excessive growth. Traditional Bonsai plants have to be removed from their pots every few months for root pruning. This is itself a risky 80 process and with heavy plants, also dangerous from a health and safety aspect. With the present invention, one or more sides can be easily let down to provide access to the roots for inspection and pruning, without disturbing what may be a highly valuable tree. The sides can then be easily reaffixed.
85 The present invention will now be described for illustration purposes only with reference to the attached annotated drawings. In use and in its simplest form (Fig 1), a base plate (1) is provided with a piano hinge arrangement (2) along each side, so designed as to allow sides (5) to be attached thereto using an elongated pin (3). It has been found that it is best if the diameter of such brass, galvanised steel rod or plastics 90 pins should be substantially less that the diameter of the hinge slots in the base (1) or sides (5) to allow for ease of assembly or reassembly when some slight deformation may have occurred; approx. half has been found to be ideal. The kit may include shaped pieces (Fig 2) such as half or triangular sections (8) which may be used to cater for special applications, as in Fig (3).
95
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the base plate (1) is provided with hinge attachments located in rows (4) inwardly displaced from the outer edges to allow for subsequent relocation of the upright sides to cater for growth or for re-use when a different size of pot may be required. Similarly, an arrangement such as Fig 3
3
100 allows for the exigencies of individual taste and to allow the centre of gravity to be reduced, for example when growing tall plants or trees, especially in a windy environment. This also concentrates soil and nutrients at the base where they are most needed by plants. The upper narrow aperture (9) so afforded may be provided with slots (10) for accommodating stabilizing straps to prevent the plant from moving too
105 much and thus causing damage. Since the rods for connecting through the piano hinges are flexible, the kit allows for round pots as in Fig.4 which may be more aesthetically pleasing for certain purposes. Embossing designs on the sides in the stamping process also serves to provide reinforcing.
110 The sides (5) may be provided ab initio with pre-stamped holes or other apertures to accommodate insertion of a removable carrying handle (7) which may also be used to provide anchorage if it is desired to restrict movement of the pot. The base (1) further may have stamped holes to accommodate ground anchors for security.
115 Some plants prefer to grow in very freely draining soil and gravel is often used. This is heavy and may places extra strain on the sides of the pot, which may accordingly for example have pressed into them a cross shape (6) to provide greater rigidity, or be so arranged that internal transverse stays (11) may be attached into pre-stamped slots (12) if required (Fig 5).
120
When growing, the roots of trees for example can exert tremendous hydrostatic pressure which could deform the pot. Rootlets tend to seek areas of least resistance and the sides (5) may include pre-scored sacrificial panels (12) (Fig 3) to allow egress of roots. It has been found most expedient to arrange these so that when withdrawing
125 the hinge pin, the sacrificed panel can then fall free.
A key feature of plant pots according to the present invention is that they can be flat packed to allow for ease of transport and storage and to avoid the potential for damage resident in nesting.
130
There are many species of plant where plant roots require periodic separation. Many plants need to brought inside during the winter for protection against frost. Pots
4
according to the present invention are ideal for this since they are so easy to carry, disassemble and reassemble, possibly in a different configuration.
135
5
Claims (1)
- Claims1A method for enhancing pot plant growth characterised in that it comprises forming a plant pot with sides flexibly attached to a base and sides wherein withdrawal of a pin 140 allows for soil and rootlet inspection and expansion.2A method in accordance with Claim 2 providing for a multiplicity of plant pots consisting of a variety of pre-formed base and side sections arranged to be conjoined 145 using elongated rods inserted in piano hinges, together with associated fittings for providing stability and lifting purposes and pest control.3A method for promoting plant growth in accordance with Claims 1 or 2 characterised 150 in that it includes one or more base plates so arranged as to allow for side panels to be affixed in a multiplicity of positions.4A method for promoting plant growth in accordance with claims 1-3 characterised in 155 that the preformed parts are made of galvanised steel.5A method for promoting plant growth in accordance with any preceding claims in which the sides are shaped to provide physical obstacles to ingress by climbing pests.1606A method for promoting plant growth in accordance with any preceding claim characterised in that it allows for the centre of gravity of the pot to be reduced by reducing the upper aperture.1657A method for promoting plant growth in accordance with any preceding claim characterised in that it allows for the sides to be let down while still attached at the base, top or adjacent side for root or soil inspection or pruning.6
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB0618298A GB2441732A (en) | 2006-09-16 | 2006-09-16 | Method for enhancing plant growth |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB0618298A GB2441732A (en) | 2006-09-16 | 2006-09-16 | Method for enhancing plant growth |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
GB0618298D0 GB0618298D0 (en) | 2006-10-25 |
GB2441732A true GB2441732A (en) | 2008-03-19 |
Family
ID=37310081
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
GB0618298A Withdrawn GB2441732A (en) | 2006-09-16 | 2006-09-16 | Method for enhancing plant growth |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
GB (1) | GB2441732A (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN108182927A (en) * | 2017-12-29 | 2018-06-19 | 深圳市翠园科技有限公司 | System and its implementation with the remote interaction of plant is realized based on mobile terminal |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1031713A (en) * | 1911-08-05 | 1912-07-09 | Charles Kreiling | Transplanting-pot. |
GB671683A (en) * | 1949-08-03 | 1952-05-07 | Arthur William Dare | Improvements in or relating to plant pots and the like |
GB2230928A (en) * | 1989-04-27 | 1990-11-07 | Newmark Keith Ltd | Boundary structure; plant containers |
WO2001035722A1 (en) * | 1999-11-12 | 2001-05-25 | Trentcom Australia Pty Ltd | Fabricated from cuspated sheet plant growth container |
-
2006
- 2006-09-16 GB GB0618298A patent/GB2441732A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1031713A (en) * | 1911-08-05 | 1912-07-09 | Charles Kreiling | Transplanting-pot. |
GB671683A (en) * | 1949-08-03 | 1952-05-07 | Arthur William Dare | Improvements in or relating to plant pots and the like |
GB2230928A (en) * | 1989-04-27 | 1990-11-07 | Newmark Keith Ltd | Boundary structure; plant containers |
WO2001035722A1 (en) * | 1999-11-12 | 2001-05-25 | Trentcom Australia Pty Ltd | Fabricated from cuspated sheet plant growth container |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
GB0618298D0 (en) | 2006-10-25 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |