GB2591986A

GB2591986A - Plant pot

Info

Publication number: GB2591986A
Application number: GB1918770.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Williams Adrian; Clutterbuck Allan
Original assignee: Equigrow Ltd
Current assignee: Equigrow Ltd
Priority date: 2019-12-18
Filing date: 2019-12-18
Publication date: 2021-08-18
Also published as: GB201918770D0

Abstract

A container for plants 1, wherein the container material includes horse manure formed into a container shape and a biodegradable binder to maintain the shape of the container. The binder may be organic and may be casein based. Also disclosed is a method for making a biodegradable plant container comprising mixing horse manure with a binder and shaping it into a container. Air may be removed during mixing. The horse manure and binder may be mixed together in a pugmill mixer having a vacuum pump for removing air from the mixture and further comprising forming the mixture into one or more segments and shaping each segment into a container. When planting a plant contained within the pot, the plant and pot do not need to be separated and can be planted together.

Description

PLANT POT

This invention relates to plant pots and in particular organic pots.

Background of the Invention

Plants are typically held in a container, such as a pot, to contain both the plant and soil in which the roots of the plant are embedded. This allows for convenient transportation, as well as a convenient short-term and long-term storage device.

These pots are typically made from non-biodegradable materials, such as plastic, and must be removed from the plant when planting or repotting the plant.

The pot helps to protect the plant from damage, from physical means and/or a lack of nourishment due to a lack of soil, while the plant is transported and/or stored.

Pots are also used to grow and cultivate certain types of plant from seedlings.

The planting process usually involves removing a plant from a pot, along with the soil embedded by the roots of the plant, and planting the plant in the ground or other suitable container. Essentially, the pot is a means to allow a relatively safe and convenient way of growing, storing and transporting a plant before it is planted. However, there are disadvantages using the above pots.

The empty pots removed from the plant, due to their inherent non-biodegradability, must be disposed of. This often results in wasted time, effort and money to dispose of the empty pots. Some pots may be made of materials that are also non-recyclable and disposing of said pots will contribute to environmental damage. Further, removing a plant from a pot during the re-planting process may inadvertently cause damage to and disturb the plant or its roots.

One attempt at remedying the above problems has been to shape peat into a container for receiving plants, which is biodegradable. However, peat is a limited resource and is therefore not a sustainable alternative to the non-biodegradable material of conventional pots. Extraction of peat is not generally considered to be environmentally desirable.

Another alternative has been to use recycled paper and/or newspaper etc mixed with cow slurry moulded into the shape of a container for receiving plants. However, these materials are not ideal as they disintegrate prematurely from moisture in the soil and environment, resulting in a short shelf-life of the container and/or the container structurally failing. Further, toxic printing inks in the recycled paper and/or newspaper can leach into the soil and ground water, which is harmful to organisms using the tainted ground water, such as neighbouring plants and animals etc. The present invention aims to overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the problems set out above.

Summary of the Invention

In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a container for plants, wherein the container material includes: horse manure formed into a container shape; and a biodegradable binder to maintain the shape of the container.

The organic pot can be used to contain plant(s), and/or seedlings which ultimately grow into plants, for storage and/or transportation purposes before ultimately planting the plant(s) contained within the pot. When planting a plant contained within the organic pot, the plant and pot do not need to be separated and can be planted together, i.e. directly in the earth, in a soil filled container etc. To avoid using non-biodegradable materials, the embodiment provides a pot produced using horse manure which is both biodegradable and a fertiliser. The entire pot can then be buried in the ground with the plant remaining in situ.

In a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for making a biodegradable plant container, the method comprising at least the steps of: mixing horse manure with a binder to form a mixture; and shaping the mixture into a container.

Favourably, the binder is soluble, and the solubility of the binder is selected to control disintegration of the container when exposed to water to unbind the horse manure. Alternatively, the binder may simply soften in the presence of water so that the structure of the pot is undermined allowing it to disintegrate.

Preferably, the solubility of the binder is also selected to limit disintegration of the container in ambient moisture, including moisture from watering a plant for cultivation. In this way, a good shelf-fife of the pot can be achieved.

Advantageously, the ratio of binder to horse manure is selected to control disintegration of the container when exposed to water to unbind the horse manure. In this way, the ratio of binder to horse manure can be varied during manufacture to vary the shelf-life.

Favourably, the solubility of the binder and/or the ratio of manure to binder is selected to limit disintegration of the container for a period of time of at least 8 weeks. 8 weeks is a suitable amount of time for certain types of seedlings to grow into plants when using the pot for storage to contain seedlings. It also represents a typical shelf-life for potted plants in garden centres and other horticultural distributors.

Preferably, the solubility of the binder is also selected to ensure disintegration of the container when exposed to water levels higher than that of the ambient moisture, including moisture from watering a plant for cultivation. In this way, disintegration of the pot when planted in the ground can be assured.

Advantageously, the ratio of binder to horse manure is at least 1:10 and more preferably at least 1:20. The ratio is also advantageously not more than 1:100 and preferably no more than 1:60. The ratio is preferably around 1:30.

Favourably, the binder is organic. In this way, the binder the pot does not need to be separated from a plant contained within the pot when planting the plant and leaves no non-organic residue in the soil.

Preferably, the binder is casein based Casein is particularly preferable as the production of casein is environmentally sustainable, as a product of milk production.

Favourably, at least some of the horse manure is composted. In this way, the properties and the nourishing potential of the pot can be increased.

The horse manure may comprise stable bedding such as straw and/or wood shavings which adds to the structural stability and rigidity of the pot.

Preferably, air is removed from the mixture during mixing increasing the density of the mixture and improving the strength of the pot.

Favourably, the method includes a drying step for at least partially removing water from the mixture. In this way, the binder is dehydrated such that it solidifies and provides the binding function to the pot and maintains the pot's shape.

Advantageously, the horse manure and binder are mixed together using a pugmill mixer, the pugmill mixer having a vacuum pump for removing air from the mixture during mixing, and further comprising forming the mixture into one or more segments; and wherein said shaping includes shaping each segment into a container.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawing in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a pot according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

The material of the pot 1 includes horse manure and a biodegradable binder. The manure and binder are mixed together and formed into the shape of the pot 1. The horse manure provides structural stability and rigidity to the pot 1, while the binder maintains the shape of the horse manure, and thus the pot 1.

The horse manure provides structure to the pot 1, as it is an inherently fibrous material often with residual undigested grass or hay fragments 2. Horses do not tend to digest food they have consumed as completely as ruminants. This tends to mean that their waste products are more fibrous than ruminants. The fibrous properties of horse manure mean it is a suitable material to use to provide structural stability and rigidity to the pot 1. In contrast, ruminants tend to digest food they have consumed more thoroughly than horses. Their manure tends to be much more fluid and less fibrous than horse manure which mean they are unsuitable material for providing a structural material for use as a pot 1 in the same way as horse manure.

In order to consolidate the fibrous manure material, a binder is mixed with the manure. The binder acts as a binding agent, holding the components of the horse manure in a pre-determined shape. The binder is organic, i.e. made from organic compounds, and is biodegradable such that the pot 1 does not need to be removed from a plant contained within the pot 1 when planting the plant. The binder is casein based, but may be based on other suitable organic compounds. Casein is particularly preferable as the production of casein is environmentally sustainable, as a product of milk production.

The binder is also at least partially water soluble to allow the binder to be dissolved or at least softened by water to release the bound horse manure from its predetermined shape. In this way, with a plant contained within the pot 1, both the pot 1 and corresponding plant can be planted together, and the pot 1 will ultimately disintegrate. The binder is selected so that when it is exposed to moisture in the ground, the moisture permeates into the pot material, slowly dissolving or softening the binder material. This allows the structure of the port to slowly break down, and the pot 1 will ultimately disintegrate. As the binder is organic and biodegradable, no pollutants will be introduced into the environment as the binder dissolves.

Further, no time, effort and/or money is required to dispose of the planted pot 1.

In this document, the word 'organic' means matter composed of organic compounds that have come from the remains of organisms such as plants and animals and their waste products in the environment. The word 'biodegradable' means a substance that is capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms without leaving any toxic or undesirable residue and thereby avoids pollution.

As the plant contained within the pot 1 does not need to be removed from the pot 1 before planting, any inadvertent damage and/or disruption to the plant, for example tearing the roots of the plant as the plant is removed from the pot 1, is mitigated.

As explained above, disintegration of the pot 1 occurs in the presence of water due to the solubility of the binder. The solubility of the binder is selected such that disintegration of the pot 1 in ambient moisture, including watering for the cultivation of a plant, is limited. This means a plant can be cultivated in a pot 1 for an extended period of time without the pot 1 disintegrating. Only once the pot 1 is buried the moisture in the ground will mean that the binder begins to dissolve and soften to an extent that the structure of the pot 1 begins to break down. This provides the pot 1 with a good shelf-life and prevents premature disintegration of the pot 1 prior to planting, i.e. during transportation and/or storage of a plant contained within the pot 1.

The solubility of the binder is selected to give the pot 1 a shelf-life of between 8 and 10 weeks, i.e. the pot 1 will not prematurely disintegrate from ambient moisture before 8 to 10 weeks has passed. 8 to 10 weeks is a suitable amount of time for certain types of seedlings to grow into plants when using the pot 1 for storage to contain seedlings. It also represents a typical shelf-life for potted plants in garden centres and other horticultural distributors.

The solubility of the binder is selected such that disintegration of the pot 1 when exposed to water occurs at a water saturation level higher than that of the ambient moisture, including moisture added to the pot from watering for the cultivation of a plant. In other words, the pot 1 will begin to disintegrate when planted from moisture in the ground dissolving the binder to release the horse manure. In this way, disintegration of the pot 1 can be controlled by selecting the degree of solubility and/or concentration of the binder, to ensure good shelf-life of the pot 1 and that the horse manure is released when the pot 1 is planted in the ground.

Once a pot 1 and corresponding plant is planted in the ground, the horse manure contributes to the fertility of the soil by adding organic matter to the soil as the manure biodegrades, providing nutrients to both the soil and plant. The horse manure may be supplemented with compost before it is mixed with the binder to reinforce the nourishing potential of the horse manure. In other cases, the horse manure may be supplemented with green waste, such as cut grass, before it is mixed with the binder to attenuate the nourishing potential of the horse manure.

The horse manure used to form the pot 1 is a mixture of fresh horse manure and stable bedding that is shredded and mixed. This mixture is preferably left to compost for a period of a few months, preferably two to three months. The mixture is preferably stirred or mixed up (perhaps three of 4 times) during this time to ensure the composting process occurs. The stable bedding comprises straw

B

and/or wood chips/shavings, adding to the structural stability and rigidity of the pot 1.

In this embodiment, the mixture used to form the pot 1 is 50m1 of binder with 1500m1 of horse manure, i.e. a ratio of 1 part binder to 30 parts horse manure. In other embodiments, different ratios of binder to horse manure may be used to achieve different shelf-lives of the pot 1. Different sizes of pot may use different ratios of binder to horse manure to achieve the same shelf-life. Some sizes and/or shapes of the pot may require relatively low amounts of binder, i.e. a low binder to horse manure ratio, to achieve the preferable 8 to 10 week shelf-life. Where a shorter shelf-life is desired, the binder can be reduced, possibly to zero, to provide a pot 1 which a shelf-life significantly less than 8 to 10 weeks.

The pot 1 has a shape and dimensions that are suitable for containing a plant and/or seedling (s). The pot 1 therefore preferably has a base and sidewalls, which contains the plant in the pot 1 and an open end for receiving the plant. The specific size and shape of the pot 1 is not essential to the invention and is selected during the manufacturing stage based on user preference and what types of plants the pot 1 will contain. In other words, the size of the pot 1 may correspond to the size of the plant that is to be grown in the pot 1. In one example, the pot 1 may have a circular or square cross-section for containing a single plant and/or seedlings. In another example, the pot 1 may be have an elongated shape for containing a plurality of plants. In the embodiment illustrated by Figure 1, the pot has a base of lOmm, a height and a width (at the opening) of 140mm and a thickness of 12mm.

This is a typical size for a plant but other sizes and shapes can be used.

In another embodiment, the pot 1 may be shaped to form a plurality of smaller pots that are attached together and can be detached from one another using mechanical force.

A method of making the pot 1 will now be described. Horse manure is mixed with the binder and then shaped into a pot 1 of a particular desired shape. Preferably, this mixing step is carried out in a pugmill mixer and the shaping step is carried out using a press. Air from the mixture is removed with the help of a vacuum pump. Removing air from the mixture may increase the density of the mixture and improves the structural properties of the mixture when formed into a pot.

The mixture is taken from the mixer and then extruded or otherwise shaped into an elongate form before being divided into individual segments. Each segment is then shaped in a mould with a press to the desired shape such that a plurality of pots may be produced from the mixture.

Once the pot 1 has been shaped, it is dried to at least partially remove water from the mixture, and thus the pot 1. Similar to the process of kiln drying, the pots are stored in an enclosed space, such as a shed or warehouse, that is thermally controlled and ventilated to dry the pots and remove moisture being released by the pots into the enclosed space. In some cases, other drying methods may be used.

The drying step dehydrates the binder such that it solidifies and provides the binding function to the pot 1 and maintains the pot's shape. Pressing of the pot 1 may also help to remove water from the pot 1. The extent to which the pot 1 is dried may affect the shelf-life of the pot 1. For example, it may be possible to produce pots with a relatively short shelf-life by reducing the extent to which the pot 1 is dried.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A container for plants, wherein the container material includes: horse manure formed into a container shape; and a biodegradable binder to maintain the shape of the container.
2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the binder is soluble, and the solubility of the binder is selected to control disintegration of the container when exposed to water to unbind the horse manure.
3. A container according to claim 2, wherein the solubility of the binder is also selected to limit disintegration of the container in ambient moisture, including moisture from watering a plant for cultivation.
4. A container according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the ratio of binder to horse manure is selected to control disintegration of the container when exposed to water to unbind the horse manure.
5. A container according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the solubility of the binder and/or the ratio of manure to binder is selected to limit disintegration of the container for a period of time of at least 8 weeks.
6. A container according to any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the solubility of the binder is also selected to ensure disintegration of the container when exposed to water levels higher than that of the ambient moisture, including moisture from watering a plant for cultivation.
7. A container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the ratio of binder to is horse manure 1:30.
8. A container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the binder is organic.
9. A container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the binder is casein based.
10. A container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least some of the horse manure is composted.
11. A container according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the horse manure comprises stable bedding.
12. A method for making a biodegradable plant container, the method comprising at least the steps of: mixing horse manure with a binder to form a mixture; and shaping the mixture into a container.
13. A method according to claim 12, wherein air is removed from the mixture during mixing.
14. A method according to claim 12 or 13, including a drying step for at least partially removing water from the mixture.
15. A method according to any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the horse manure and binder are mixed together using a pugmill mixer, the pugmill mixer having a vacuum pump for removing air from the mixture during mixing, and further comprising forming the mixture into one or more segments; and wherein said shaping includes shaping each segment into a container.