JPH0740830B2 - Water retaining material for planting - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Object of the Invention <Industrial field of application> The present invention is applied to soil for greening or horticulture to maintain a good planting environment or to improve the planting environment. What you plan to do.
The present invention also relates to a water retaining material for planting, which can be effectively used as a ground improvement material when applied to planting soil in urban areas, mountainous areas, and the like.

<Prior Art> Recently, highly water-absorbing polymers or highly water-containing polymers such as starch graft polymerization system, carboxymethylated polysaccharide system, polyacrylic acid salt system, nonionic polymer system, etc. have been developed.
The water absorption is slightly different depending on the composition of the polymer and the production method, but is several tens to several hundreds times the weight of the polymer. It differs from physical water absorption in which water is drawn into the gap between substances due to the capillary phenomenon of paper, sponge, etc. is there. Therefore, it has been attempted to apply the properties of the highly water-absorbing or highly hydrous polymer to the fields of horticulture, agriculture or forestry.

That is, it has been found that by juxtaposing the polymer with the required soil, it does not become overhumid while supplying appropriate water to the plant and does not lose water retention for a long period of time. .

For example, super absorbent polymer powder is attached to the roots of seedlings to prevent them from being dried by transplanting them, or to prevent the rooting of grass and the death of potted plants or the prevention of dryness when planting roadside trees. Alternatively, the field of application is expanding, such as mixing powders and pellets of highly hydrous polymer into the soil.

By the way, conventionally, a soil environment improving method using a superabsorbent polymer that has been studied is that a few% (weight ratio) of the polymer powder or pellets is added to and mixed with the soil, and the absorbed water is gradually added to the soil. It is intended to discharge into the inside of the plant and thereby reduce the number of times of irrigation for the cultivated plant, which has the following problems.

(1) The amount of the polymer added is required according to the type of soil and plant, but it is necessary to improve the soil environment for existing plants, that is, to mix the required amount of polymer into the soil without disturbing the current situation. Very difficult.

(2) It is extremely difficult to adjust the addition amount again after mixing.

(3) It is difficult to restore the characteristics of the soil to the old one after mixing it once.

(4) Because it is powder, granular or fibrous, weigh it during construction,
Lack of care for home gardening, such as troublesome handling.

(5) Use in a large-scale stirring / mixing operation using a tractor or the like or use for a large depth consumes a large amount of polymer and is not economical.

It is difficult to avoid such inconvenience.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> The present invention has been developed with sufficient consideration to solve the problems inherent in the above-mentioned conventional techniques, and particularly to be used for home gardening such as pot planting. It is extremely easy to handle and can be used optimally according to the characteristics of the soil and plants without disturbing the soil even when it is used for existing plantings. In addition to long-term water retention, it can be used appropriately. , Replenishment and fertilization of nutrients (fertilizer) can be performed, and it is relatively inexpensive and can restore the soil characteristics to the old state at any time when necessary. Especially, soil for home gardening, street green areas, tree planting, etc. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a water retaining material for planting, which is applied to improve the environment and has a remarkable effect.

(B) Structure of the Invention <Means for Solving Problems> The superabsorbent polymer is insoluble in a solvent and is usually in the form of powder (including pellets), fiber or sheet.
In order to improve the soil environment for vegetation and gardening, it is difficult to construct the plant as it is afterwards by mixing and stirring powdery or pelletized polymer in the soil in advance, or There are problems that the work becomes large and uneconomical and that the polymer cannot be separated from the soil even if the soil is to be restored to the old state later. In the water retaining material for planting of the present invention, in order to improve these problems, the powder or fiber bundles of the above polymer are put together, the water permeability is large, and the protective sheet having a tentative shape retaining property is used to By providing a water-retaining material which is partially or entirely coated, the inconvenience in handling of conventional polymers is eliminated and the use effect thereof is improved.

The outer shape of the water retaining material for planting is preferably stick-shaped, and since the polymer is allowed to intervene in the soil in a solid state or in a solid state, it is necessary to make a hole in the ground surface near the plant for use. It is also possible to insert it, so that no visible property appears on the surface of the earth, the required amount can be added later, and the polymer can be easily recovered from the soil if necessary. is there. As for the time of use, it can be optionally applied before or after sowing as well as transplantation or any other time when necessary. The point is that it is possible to insert the superabsorbent polymer into the soil in a unit shape such as a lump or a stick that is easy to handle.

The diameter and length of the water retaining material for planting according to the present invention can be variously formed according to the type and characteristics of soil and plants, but the length can be cut to suit the site if necessary. Also,
This material can not only reduce the number of times of irrigation, but can also maintain the action of fertilization for a long time by premixing fertilizer or irrigation with liquid fertilizer. Therefore, the effect is remarkable when applied to the greening work of dunes.

Naturally, improvement of soil environment in large-scale gardening, orchards,
If it is used for tree planting in forestry, greening of landforms, construction to prevent desertification, etc., a considerable effect will be recognized as ground improvement. Furthermore, when the protection sheet has strength and is applied to slopes, etc. to prevent ground collapse and when planting and greening work is proceeding, it absorbs water before the soil saturates water to prevent collapse and protect it. Due to the strength of the seat, the effect of ground improvement also occurs, and it is possible to exhibit a combined effect that it is also useful for civil engineering work.

The outer peripheral protection sheet of the water retention material for planting of the present invention is a highly water-permeable paper or plastic, rubber, metal material sheet or the like having a plurality of water permeation holes formed therein, and a net or the like made of the above material in a bottomed tubular shape. It is composed of the formed one, and is filled with powdery or fibrous polymer inside, sponge, moss or other packing material or granular fertilizer is mixed, and the shape of the protective material is given to the shape-retaining property, Facilitates storage, handling, transportation, use, etc., or does not require shape retention as a protective material, wraps a fibrous or sheet polymer to give shape retention to itself, and its outer circumference is highly water-absorbent Of paper, cloth, plastic mesh, rubber, etc., or in a broader case, cloth or fine plastic mesh bag-like container filled with powder, fibrous polymer, etc. Each usage according to Erareru.

<Working> The water retaining material for planting according to the present invention is used in flowerpots, horticulture, garden trees, orchards,
It can be used for the purpose of improving the soil environment in the greening of roads or greening of deserts (hills), and a hole with a diameter that allows the diameter of the water retaining material for planting to be inserted from the surface of the specified soil is vertical. Or incline it to the required depth and insert a water retaining material for planting into the hole, or press-fit using the shape retaining property of the protective material if the soil is soft. Also, if the soil is mobile, a unit water retention material can be embedded in the soil. The upper edge of this material is usually lower than the surface of the earth, and it is embedded in the soil. However, if it is not embedded, the effect cannot be obtained.

Since the water retaining material for planting is usually retained in the shape of a stick or a lump, it is extremely easy to insert the water retaining material into the hole or embed it in the soil at that time. Since the amount is known in advance, it is possible to arbitrarily adjust the depth of the holes, the pitch to be used, etc. according to the characteristics of the soil or the plant at the time of use.

The above-mentioned polymer absorbs several hundred times its own weight of water and gradually releases the retained water at room temperature into the soil, but the extent of the release is generally slower than that of the soil alone. FIG. 1 shows an example of water divergence characteristics in the polymer and soil, where saturation is taken on the x-axis and the time-y axis, the P curve is the superabsorbent polymer only, the G curve is the soil alone, and the S curve is Represents the water saturation characteristic with respect to time of the soil when an appropriate amount of the water retaining material for planting was applied to the soil. In the case of soil only as shown in the figure, even after the time point t ₁ when the saturation level becomes zero and the water supplied to the plant is exhausted, if the super absorbent polymer is juxtaposed, the water content of the polymer will increase as shown in the S curve. It is known that, since the generated water is gradually supplied to the soil side, the drying time of the soil is extended to t _2, and the interval of irrigation can be extended during that time.

In addition, even when water is temporarily over-irrigated, the saturated water in the soil is absorbed by the superabsorbent polymer to reduce the water in the soil to an appropriate amount.

This means that when a water retaining material for planting is applied to the soil for the purpose of planting and greening as a measure against landslides, by using a strong material for the protective material, it also works as a drain pile for ground improvement. This shows that a combined effect with soil environment improvement for the purpose of planting trees can be expected.

As described above, since it can be easily used without modifying existing plantings, it is possible not only to improve the soil later, but also to add the required amount in layers, There is also an advantage that the water retaining material used for planting can be removed later to restore the soil condition to the old state. For that purpose, it is preferable that the protective material of the super absorbent polymer does not disappear even if it is embedded in the soil for a long period of time, but even if it is not, the polymer is embedded in a specific position in a lump or rod shape. So its removal is relatively easy.

Since the super absorbent polymer swells due to the water content, the protective material has a large internal volume. For example, a fibrous polymer has a large void ratio, so there is room for swelling if it is loosely packed, but if it is powdery or granular, mix it with moss or a packing material such as sponge and coat it with a protective material. When the polymer absorbs water, it can give room for swelling. In addition, if powdered and granular fertilizer is mixed with the packing material, it can also be used for long-term fertilization.

If the protective material is a coarse perforated sheet or mesh, powder,
In order to prevent the granular polymer and the like from leaking out from the eyes, it is desirable to cover each with a required amount in advance using thin paper and then coat with a protective material.

When the protective material is formed of hard metal, plastic, etc., the tip can be sharpened and directly pushed into the soil. Further, even when the protective material is relatively soft, a locking portion is provided at the tip of the water retaining material for planting of the present invention, and the water retaining material is housed in a pipe having an inner diameter of approximately the same as that of the water retaining material. If the locking portion is engaged, the pipe is inserted into the soil as it is, and then the pipe is pulled out, a usage method in which only the water retaining material remains in the soil can also be adopted.

<Example I> FIG. 2 shows a side sectional view of an example of the water retaining material for planting of the present invention, in which 1 is powder or pellets of 2-3 .mu.mm superabsorbent polymer, fibrous material or sheet. Examples of the superabsorbent polymer in the form of a roll include, for example, a graft polymer of starch / acrylic acid salt, a carboxymethyl cellulose frame structure, a vinyl alcohol / acrylic acid salt copolymer, a polyacrylonitrile hydrolyzate, and a crosslinked polyacrylic acid. Substances such as acid salts and modified polyvinyl alcohol are known.

Reference numeral 2 is a protective material for the polymer 1, which is paper, mesh metal or plastic sheet, rubber sheet, or mesh material having high water permeability and shape retention in a normal state, and has strength as required. 3 may be a highly water-permeable paper or a meltable paper of a weak material, and sometimes a cloth-like material may be used, which is formed with a gap between the protective material 2 and the super-absorbent polymer powder. For the time being, the particles are wrapped in a stick shape or a lump shape, but they break when the polymer swells due to the absorption of water.

In the present embodiment, the outer shape of the protective material is a stick shape, and each is preformed into a unit length, and is formed in a convenient shape for storage, handling, and sliding into a hole formed in the soil. Depending on the purpose of use, it may be in the form of a bag or a lump, and in short, each is characterized by being able to be handled and used as a unit.

<Example II> The water retaining material for planting of Example I is characterized in that a packing material such as sponge or moss is filled in a gap between the protective material 2 and the highly water-permeable paper / cloth 3, In the embodiment, the packing material has a cushioning function even when the polymer 1 is swollen by water absorption, and has all the functions and effects described in the embodiment I.

<Example III> FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of another example of the water-retaining material of the present invention, in which the members designated by the same reference numerals as those in FIG.
As explained in. 4 is a packing material such as moss or sponge mixed with powder, pellet-like polymer, which has an even distribution of the polymer in the protective material voids and an escape action when the polymer swells when absorbing water. If a part or all of the packing material is replaced with a fast-acting or slow-acting granular fertilizer, the fertilizer will be gradually applied at the same time as irrigation, and if necessary, the effect of the fertilizer will be maintained for a long period of time.

<Embodiment IV> FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of another embodiment of the water retaining material of the present invention, in which 1 is a fibrous polymer, which is gently filled in the voids of the protective material 2. . The void volume corresponds to the volume when the polymer swells with water, and of course, it is free to mix the granular fertilizer therein.

<Example V> FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of another example of the water retaining material of the present invention, in which 2 is a plastic mesh tube or hemp net, and the like.
Is a locking cap provided at the tip of the water retaining material, 6 is a construction pipe, and the end surface of the construction pipe 6 is locked to the edge of the locking cap 5, and the pipe 6 is pushed into the soil as it is, to retain water for planting. Since the material is also loaded into the ground together, the water retaining material can be left in the soil by pulling out the pipe 6 after that, so the construction is very simple. Further, the protective material 2 does not necessarily need to use a material having a shape-retaining property.

<Example VI> Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing a usage state of the water retaining material for planting according to the present invention. The material is a plurality of holes perforated vertically around the root of the plant 3 around the root. After being buried through the holes, the holes on the ground surface are backfilled with soil so that water absorbed by the water retaining material for planting does not unnecessarily diffuse into the air.

<Example VII> FIG. 7 is an experiment example of application of the water retention material of the present invention to a plant pot, in which (a) is a pot with a diameter of 10 cm and a depth of 10 cm, which is filled with soil and seedlings of the evening glory are planted. In the untreated condition, (b) is the same condition as (a) except that 3 water retention materials for planting with a diameter of 1 cm were installed at a depth of 6 cm.
The same amount of water was applied to (a) and (b) on the same day to saturate, and they were placed in the same environment, and thereafter no water was supplied. After 10 days (a), the evening face was withered,
The person (b) was fine. After 14 days, the evening glory of (a) died, but that of (b) was fine. However, two of the nine leaves are yellow.

The experiment is continuing after this, demonstrating that the water retention material for planting of the present invention has water retention characteristics equivalent to or better than the case of powder mixture or sheet embedding conventionally used. did.

<Example VIII> Fig. 8 shows a case where the water retention material for planting of the present invention is added to a flower pot, in which case the protective material for the superabsorbent polymer 1 may be a bag-like material.

The usage and operation of each of the above-described embodiments are described in the <Operation> above.
Since it is explained in detail in the section, it will not be explained again.

<Example IX> The example shown in Figs. 9 (a) and 9 (b) is intended to hydrate plants by utilizing groundwater in the ground. The inside of the hole (water permeable) pipe is filled with a water-absorbing substance containing at least a super-absorbent polymer without any gaps, and as shown in Figure (a), its lower end reaches the groundwater in the ground or the depth reaching the groundwater level. Embed up to. The upper end of the pipe occupies a position close to the surface of the plant or near the roots of plants, and even when it is difficult to irrigate from the environment, ground water is constantly pumped to supply water near the roots of plants to support the growth of plants. You can If the upper end of the pipe is open to the surface of the earth, the opening is closed with a lid or padding to prevent water from evaporating into the air from the opening.

In this embodiment, only the middle of the water permeable pipe may have the water blocking structure.

In addition, in the inside of the perforated pipe, other water-permeable materials (capillary phenomenon are used to increase plant water depth from the groundwater depth in the longitudinal direction) along with the polymer so that the water-absorbent polymer in the depth near the root of the plant tends to be in a water-absorbing state. It is also effective to fill it with a material that easily absorbs water up to the depth near the root.

<Example X> In Example IX described above, an example as shown in the tenth example is obtained when the water supply means is connected to one end of the pipe in place of groundwater. This embodiment is intended to replenish water to each plant by the communication pipe system.In order to effectively use a small amount of water, the pipe is basically made of a water-impervious material, and a plurality of water-retaining materials of the present invention are used at the terminal. Communicate with each other. When it is carried out for revegetation in the desert, it helps prevent salt damage, and since intensive irrigation is possible and water retention can be improved, manual maintenance work can be saved.

Needless to say, in the present example, the rising portion of the pipe near the root of the plant is water-permeable, and the water-retaining material containing the water-absorbing polymer is filled in the interior of the pipe without gaps.

This embodiment can be used in various ways other than desert greening.

<Example XI> FIG. 11 shows an example in which drainage from the road surface is used to replenish water to the roadside trees, etc., and rainwater, etc. that has fallen on the road surface is concentrated in the water storage box of the gutter, and A water conduit is used to communicate with the perforated pipe that is embedded near the root of the roadside tree, and water from the water conduit is pumped up by a water retention material containing a water-absorbing polymer packed in the water-permeable pipe, Always replenish the roots of plants. When the end of the perforated pipe is exposed to the surface of the earth, it is desirable to cover or pad the opening so that water does not unnecessarily evaporate in the air from the opening.

(C) Effect of the invention As described above, since the water retention material for planting of the present invention is applied to the soil, the number of times of irrigation can be reduced, and the labor of irrigation can be saved. Even when growing, without expensive automatic irrigation equipment,
It will also be possible to travel longer than before.

Once used, it can be used semipermanently and can be applied in layers without changing the existing planting aspect, so it can be used for horticulture, garden trees, transplantation of roadside trees, greening of sand dunes or collapsed surfaces. Optimum use is possible according to the characteristics of soil and plants during work.

The water retention material can be used for long-term retention of nutrients (liquid fertilizer, etc.) as well as water. Since it is easy to use and can easily be returned to the old state if necessary, it does not cause the inconvenience that once readjusted, it is extremely difficult to readjust it as in the prior art.

Since it can be used only locally, it can be implemented relatively inexpensively. And so on, it has a special action and effect that could not be expected with the conventional soil environment improvement technology.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a water-releasing property in a super absorbent polymer and soil, FIGS. 2 to 5 are side sectional views of an embodiment of the water retaining material of the present invention, and FIG. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the construction state of the invention water retaining material, Fig. 7 is an experimental example similarly applied to a flower pot, (a) is untreated, (b) uses three water retaining materials for planting. Fig. 8 shows
A cross-sectional view of a case where a water retaining material for planting is added to another flower pot, FIG. 9 shows a case where the water retaining material for planting of the present invention is applied to a standing tree, and (a) is a construction state including the standing tree. Cross section of
(B) is an example cross-sectional view of the water retaining material used at that time,
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the case of the concentrated irrigation system using the water retaining material of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of the case of using the water retaining material of the present invention for collecting drainage and supplying water to street trees and the like. It is a thing. 1 ... Super absorbent polymer 2 ... Protective material

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A powder, filament, film or the like made of a superabsorbent polymer is put together, and the outside is partially or entirely covered with a sheet having good water permeability.
A water retaining material for planting, wherein a space or a spacer such as sponge or moss is interposed between the molded core member and the water-permeable outer cover. 2. The water retaining material for planting according to claim 1, wherein the superabsorbent polymer contains a mixture of powdered and granular fertilizer. 3. The plant according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a part or all of the outer cover is covered with a perforated plate or net made of metal, plastic, rubber or the like, and molded. Water retaining material for planting. 4. An outwardly pointed locking cap is connected to one end of the water retaining material for planting, and the other end of the water retaining material for planting is inserted from one end opening of the construction pipe, and the locking is performed. The water retaining material for planting according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an edge of the cap is detachably engaged with an opening edge of one end of the construction pipe.