IE44484B1 - A package of planting pods and a process of growing seedlings using such a package - Google Patents

Abstract

1536796 Plant substrate bodies KEYES FIBRE CO 25 Feb 1977 [15 March 1976] 08005/77 Heading A1E A planting substrate assembly comprises a strip 51 of ridge-shaped planting "pods" interdigitated with the "pods" of a strip 52 to form a nested pair of strips, a plurality of such pairs of strips being assembled into a block 10 having its sides encircled by a wrapper 88. The strips are separated by growth barrier films 71, 72. Each strip is integrally moulded, chiefly of peat, and each "pod" thereof may be formed at one end with a seed or plant well 40 to receive a single seed or plantlet. The seeds are germinated, and initial growth takes place, in the assembled block. For planting out an entire strip may be inserted into a groove in the ground, or each "pod" can be detached and individually planted.

Description

The present invention relates to planting, and more particularly to temporary growing device and techniques for planting trees or the like.

Among the objects of the present invention is the 5 provision of novel planting devices which are highly suited for inexpensive and effective planting, especially large scale planting.

Additional objects of the present invention include the provision of improved planting techniques that use the foregoing devices.

According to the present invention there is provided a package of planting pods constituting temporary growing devices for planting seeds to start the growth of tree seedlings and the like, characterised in comprising a plurality of pod strips, each strip being a horizontally extending row of generallyvertically extending pods connected to adjacent pods by readily tearable connector portions having a thickness only a fraction of the pod thickness, the strips being shaped so that the spacing between adja20 cent pods in a strip is capable of receiving a pod of another strip, and the strips are nested together in the stack, to provide a block-shaped assembly having generally flat top and bottom surfaces as well as two opposed side surfaces that are also generally flat, a plastics wrapper sheet encircling essentially only the four sides of the block to hold the stacked strips together, and the strips being separated from each other by a growth barrier film. - 3 The pods in a strip can be connected together and shaped so that the spacing between adjacent pods in a strip receives a pod of another strip, and the strips can be nested together in the stack. One strip can contain from about 5 to about 20 ridges.

A feature of the present invention is that the bottom and top surfaces of the block can be left uncovered. Entire block assemblies can thus be manufactured and shipped to a reforestation location where seeds can be directly inserted in the individual pods of the assembled strips, either by hand or with automatic equipment. When the block tops are uncovered, there is no need to prepare those tops for receiving the seeds. If the tops are covered for any reason, the covers can be transparent and readily pierced so that seed insertion can be effected without removing such cover. A wrapped layer of very thin, about 1 mil thickness, plasticized stretchy polyvinyl chloride is suitable for this purpose, although polyethylene film can also be used as can other more readily bio-degradable films or sheets.

Best seed germination and growth in the individual pods is generally initiated when the pods or the entire block are thoroughly saturated with water. This is readily effected as by directing a hosed spray of water on the block for about a minute or by immersing the block in a sufficiently deep body of water. Cold water takes longer than warm water to thoroughly penetrate. Incomplete penetration can slow the germination as wall as the growth.

Thorough wetting makes the pods relatively soft to finger pressure and the like so that insertion of the seeds can then be performed very easily even if no opening £4 4 8 4 - Λ has been provided in the pod for receiving the seed. However the block of pods should be carefully handled while in such soft condition inasmuch as it is easily damaged when soft. The retention of at least one wrapper around the block during such seeding is accordingly a very important help in avoiding damage.

The seeding can be accomplished before,during or after the thorough wetting, and the wetting need not be thorough, but during germination and growth the seeded and wet block should be kept moipt, as by standing it in a very shallow body of water, about 1/2 to about 1 inch deep for example. This promotes good germination and growth of roots downwardly in each pod toward the water layer. As a result, very few roots tend to grow laterally toward the adjoining pods. The growth barrier film between adjacent strips effectively confine the roots to one strip.

When the growth has reached the stage that calls for planting, the strip assemblies can be disassembled and the strips planted. To this end the individual pods are readily broken away from their strips by hand, and inserted in holes punched in the ground. The breaking off of a pod is seldom found to be accompanied by the tearing of roots that have grown into the pod-connection zones. Where such root damage does take place it is usually because the rooth growth for that particular seedling has been highly proliferated, and in such circumstances the damage is to an inconsequential proportion of the entire root structure.

The invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:Figure 1 is an isometric view of a strip of planting Ή484 - 5 pods constructed according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the package of the strips of Figure 1, further exemplifying the present invention, and Figures 3 and 4 are views similar to that of Figure 1, showing modified strip constructions typical of the present invention.

Turning now to the particular construction illustrated in the drawings. Figure 1 shows a strip 10 of pods 20, etc, that are ridges of generally triangular crosssection. In one desirable exemplification these triangular ridges project about 1 1/4 inches from the opposing flat face 30 of the strip, their triangular cross-section is generally equilateral, the thickness of the strip sheet between the ridges 3/16 inch, the ridges 5 inches long, and each strip had ten ridges giving it an overal size of 5 by 12 1/2 inches. Those strips were molded from a fibrous mixture of, by weight: parts wood pulp 75 parts peat 10 parts Vermiculite .25 parts fertilizer, such dried manure, and .025 parts wetting agent dispersed in forty times it weight of water. Other compositions can also be used, such as those described in U.S. Patent 3,524,279 and the patent it refers to, as well as in U.S. Patents 3,534,497, 2,785,969, 1,988,307 and 1,446,113,and Canadian Patent 760,162. These compositions are readily molded to the desired configuration from an aqueous slurry using automatic molding equipment such as 4448 4 — 6 — that described in U.S. Patent 3,567,575. During the molding operation they can be pierced to provide aeed wells 40 which need only be about 1/2 inch deep and about 1/4 inch wide, although these are not essential. When the seeds are to be introduced by automatic equipment, such equipment can punch the seed into the seed pod even when there is no previously prepared seed well. On the other hand when the pod strips of the present invention are to be used for receiving seedlings, it is desirable to have receiving walls, and to have them generally deeper and wider than indicated above.

It is also helpful to sterilize the strips during their molding, as for example by drying them at temperatures of 200°F or higher. Thorough drying, i.e. to 5% of less moisture based on the total weight after 4 to 8 hours at 190° to 25O°F is another desirable aspect, particularly if the strips are not to be put to immediate use, inasmuch as it reduces the development of undesired growths such as mold and weeds.

Promptly after molding, the strips can be stacked into packages such as illustrated in Figure 2. In the interest of improved compactness the ridges are shaped so that those on one strip internest with those of another and pairs of strips are readily fitted together in ridge-to-ridge engagement.

Figure 2 shows a package in the form of a block of stacked strips 51 through 60. Between adjacent strips there are inserted growth barrier films 71 through 79 which can be inexpensive polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride or polystyrene or sheets of the more bio-degradable composi30 tions including lightly waxed paper. Those films or sheets inserted between internested ridges can be precorrugated to 4448 4 - 7 simplify the stacking operation. The even number of strips in the block leaves the long sides 81, 82 of the block with flat surfaces. The block is then wrapped in a retaining sheet wrapper 88 which only encircles sides 81, 32 and the remaining sides 83, 84. A wrapper 88 whose outer end can be heat-sealed in place, or which can be slipped on and shrunk in place, is particularly desirable inasmuch as it dispenses with the need for an adhesive securing tape or encircling twine. The retaining wrapper need not be very sturdy inasmuch as the strips are not heavy and ten of them can weigh a total of less than two pounds. A 1 mil thick sheet of stretchy plasticized polyvinyl chloride such as used for wrapping meats is quite suitable. It is preferred to wrap the strips together tightly so that they are not free to rub against adjacent strips and abrade their generally friable surfaces.

The sides 83, 84 of the wrapped block are shaped by the projecting ends of alternate strips and it is undesirable to pile up the blocks so that those sides face down unless the wrapper ξ8 is sufficiently strong to prevent damage to the strip ends that would then support the piled blocks. However, there is no problem piling them up in any other orientation, all other surfaces being generally flat.

No covering is needed for the tops or bottoms of the strips in a block, and no wrapping is needed around the tops or bottoms of the blocks where wrapper 88 is adequate to securely hold the block together. An additional wrapper can be used to cover the top and bottom of a block, but in such event it is best to have such additional wrapper independent of wrapper 88 so that the additional or outer wrapper can be removed without undoing wrapper 88. The 4448 4 - 8 seed introduction and germination can then be conducted after the outer wrapper is removed, although seed insertion can, if desired, be accomplished through a wrapping film that is readily punched through.

Where the final plantings are to have the individual plants relatively closely spaced in a row, an entire strip can be inserted into a groove in the ground without breaking its individual pods apart. For this type of planting, the strips can be manufactured with their individual pods spaced the distance desired between the final plantings.

A particularly desirable aspect of the present invention is that it sharply reduces the amounts of handling as Well as the space requirements for the use of temporary grow ing devices. A block of 100 pods can be seeded in one auto15 mated sweep of a 100-head seed planting machine such as the adjustable 96-head seeder shown on page 36 of catalog 10 by A1 Saffer Co., Inc. New York, N.Y. 10001. After seeding the block is easily stored in very little space where it can be readily subjected to automatic watering. At painting time the strips can be manually unbundled by simply removing wrapper 88, and, if desired, can have their pods automatically planted by feeding them endwise into a planting machine that severs the individual pods, digs holes in the ground for them, and inserts each pod into a hole.

Figures 3 and 4 show alternative shapes for the pod strips of the present invention. Strip 110 has its pod ridges, 120, 121 etc. shaped with rounded contours so that in cross-section the row of ridge outlines form a sinuous curve. No seed wells are shown in this embodiment, and there are twelve pods per strip. The general dimension of strip 110 can be similar to those of strip 10, with the - 9 ridges standing about 1 to about 3 inches high measured from the flat face of the strip, the ridge peaks about the same distance apart, and the strip thickness between ridges about 1/4 to about 1/10 the total ridge height.

Strip 210 of Figure 4 has ridges 220, 221 etc. that have generally flat tops and are spaced from each other by mating channels 237. This arrangement keeps adjacent ridges somewhat further apart and is particularly suited for plantings that are to be that far apart and are planted by inserting an entire strip in the ground. The construction of Figure 4 is also more suited for starting seedlings, to which end its ridges can have relatively large wells 240.

Additionally a block of stacked strips 210 has its edge 230 shaped to better resist damage when stood on that edge, as for example after stacking in blocks.

The embodiments of Figures 1 and 3 are highly desirable for germinating tree seeds in a mechanized reforestation program. For this purpose the pods can be relatively small in overall bulk, the seeds generally don't occupy much space and their growth is predominantly in the vertical direction. Thus a 5 inch depth for a pod works out very nicely. The pod depth can, however, be shortened to 4 inches or even less, except where deep root penetration takes place on sprouting and it is desired to avoid the growth of the roots laterally into adjoining pods.

It is not absolutely necessary to have one surface of the strips absolutely flat like surface 30 of Figure 1. That surface can, if desired, be provided with protuberances opposite the ridges, and indeed such protuberances can be shaped much like the ridges themselves. It is preferred, however, that such protuberances have flat peaks as at 235 4448 4 ίο so they provide a generally flat engagement face even though there are interruptions in the flatness. Both the protuberances and the ridges can then have flat peaks and strips of this kind can be stacked without internesting.

Odd or even numbers of such strips can be stacked to form an assembly and there is no need to stack them in nested pairs nor is there any need to have the growth-blocking films corrugated for such an arrangement.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the aboveteachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims (9)

1. CLAIMS: 1. A package of planting pods constituting temporary growing devices for planting seeds to start the growth of tree seedlings and the like, characterized in comprising a plurality of pod strips, each strip being a horizontally extending row of generally vertically extending pods connected to adjacent pods by readily tearable connector portions having a thickness only a fraction of the pod thickness, the strips being shaped so that the spacing between adjacent pods in a strip is capable of receiving a pod or another strip, and the strips are nested together in the stack, to provide a block-shaped assembly having generally flat top and bottom surfaces as well as two opposed side surfaces that are also generally flat, a plastics wrapper sheet encircling essentially only the four surfaces of the block to hold the stacked strips together, and the strips being separated from each other by a growth barrier film.

2. A package as claimed in Claim 1, characterized in that the plastics wrapper sheet is a thin stretchy plasticized polyvinyl chloride.

3. A package as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each strip is a one-piece molding that has a generally flat surface extending the length of one of its long faces and about 12 1/2 inches long, and the pods are a series of about ten ridges defining the opposing long face.

4. A package as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the pods are ridges between about 1 inch and about 3 inches high, and between adjacent pods the strip is no thicker than about one-fourth the ridge height. 12 5. A package as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the strip is about 3 inches to about 6 inches wide in the direction of the ridge axes, and has about 5 to about 20 ridges.

5

6. A package as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which each pod has a cross-section generally in the form of an equilateral triangle.

7. A process of growing seedlings using the package as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized 10 in comprising the steps of, inserting seeds in one end of each planting pod and watering the pods all without removing the wrapper from the sides of the package, standing the pack age on its bottom in a body of water then after the seeds have germinated and the pods are ready for planting, remov15 ing said wrapper and separating and planting the resulting Wet pods.

8. A process as claimed in Claim 7, characterized in that the strips are separated from each other and broken into individual pods, prior to planting the wet pods. 20

9. A package of planting pods substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.