SE2050436A1 - Plant protector - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a plant protector (1) to be arranged on a seedhead of a plant, the plant protector (1) comprises a hat (2) arranged for receiving a seedhead of a plant, and a plurality of legs (3) each comprising a first end (3a) and an opposite second end (3b), wherein the first end (3a) of the leg (3) is attached to the hat (2) and the leg (3) has a length (I) between the first end (3a) and the second end (3b). Such a plant protector (1) follows the growth of a plant and stays in position on the seedhead of a plant, whereby the plant is protected over time and doesn’t need any further efforts after installation.

Description

PLANT PROTECTOR Technical field 1. 1. id="p-1" id="p-1" id="p-1" id="p-1"

[0001] The invention considers a plant protector to be arranged on a seedhead of a plant, to protect the plant from grazing damage from grazing animals.

Background art 2. 2. id="p-2" id="p-2" id="p-2" id="p-2"

[0002] Grazing damage by animals may affect growth rate of a plant and mayalso affect the form of seedlings or the whole plant and by that impact theeconomic value of for example a forest or a plantation. lf the growth rate of the tree or plant is reduced, the time to yield or the yield itself normally is reduced. 3. 3. id="p-3" id="p-3" id="p-3" id="p-3"

[0003] Traditionally, there are two common methods to protect young trees andother plants from grazing animals. One method is spraying some form of repellanton the plants one or several times a year during the first years after planting. Theother method is fencing, where the planting area is surrounded by some kind offence to keep grazing animals like moose and deer outside the plantation. Boththese types protect tree seedlings quite well but are expensive and time consuming. 4. 4. id="p-4" id="p-4" id="p-4" id="p-4"

[0004] Recently, different kinds of mechanical protectors have reached themarket. One example is presented in SE 538 999 C2, and discloses a mechanicalprotector intended for mounting on tree plants and which mechanical plantprotector is applied to the plant from the side, at the trunk of the tree near the top(seedhead), and which protector is moved up annually until the plant reaches aheight where the risk of grazing ceases. This type is produced from metal andhave a number of drawbacks, such as high production cost, the functionalitydepends on moving the plant protector on every plant repeatedly, at least once ayear which is time consuming and drives the total cost. Further, the plant protectormay injure grazing animals if they accidentally eat it or chews on it and finally, ifthe plant protector falls off the plant it might injure an animal or human if stepping on it when lying on the ground. . . id="p-5" id="p-5" id="p-5" id="p-5"

[0005] Other types of plant protectors provide protection from small vermin likepine weevil and the like and may be in the form of an open paper cone or tube,which is positioned around the plant. This type provides no protection from grazinganimals when the plant is growing and the top/the seedhead of the plant rises above the tube. 6. 6. id="p-6" id="p-6" id="p-6" id="p-6"

[0006] Plant protection aimed for preventing damages to plants caused bygrazing animals is essential to avoid partial or complete loss of planting stock, andeconomic failure of a plantation of for example trees. Thus, there is a need of aplant protector which is cheap, and which lasts over the first important years after planting a tree or another plant.

Summary of the invention 7. 7. id="p-7" id="p-7" id="p-7" id="p-7"

[0007] lt is an object of the invention to address at least some of the problemsand issues outlined above. lt is possible to achieve these objects and others by aplant protector as defined in the attached independent claims, which by its designfollows the seedhead growth and remains on the seedhead over time. 8. 8. id="p-8" id="p-8" id="p-8" id="p-8"

[0008] According to an aspect of the invention, a plant protector to be arrangedon a seedhead of a plant is disclosed. The plant protector comprises a hat which isarranged for receiving a seedhead of a plant, and a plurality of legs, where eachleg comprises a first end and an opposite second end. The first end of the leg isattached to the hat and the leg has a length between the first end and the second end. 9. 9. id="p-9" id="p-9" id="p-9" id="p-9"

[0009] By that the hat is arranged for receiving a seedhead of a plant, forexample the seedhead of a young tree plant, the plant protector may be attachedto the plant by positioning the hat over the seedhead of the plant such as the hat ison top of the seedhead and at least partly encloses the top. The hat is in anuppermost position and the legs protrudes downwards in the mounted position onthe seedhead. The legs are supporting the plant protector in its position on theseedhead and at least partly encloses the tree trunk, such as the plant protector iskept in place over time. The plant protector follows the growth of the plant andstays in position on the seedhead whereby the plant is protected over time and doesn't need any further efforts like repositioning after installation, which is not athand in prior art solutions. Prior art solutions like known mechanical solutions, forexample like the solution presented in SE 538 999 C2, must be repositioned everyyear to protect the plant from grazing animals over time, which is time consumingand cost driving. Other solutions like spraying some form of repellant on the plantsmust be repeated one or several times a year during the first years after planting,to protect the plant from grazing animals over time. By the inventive plantprotector, a simple and cost efficient solution for protecting a plant from grazing animals over time is thereby achieved. . . id="p-10" id="p-10" id="p-10" id="p-10"

[00010] According to an embodiment, the plant protector comprises abiodegradable material. The plant protector may preferably be produced in amaterial which is biodegradable, which means that the plant protector will slowlydegrade over a predetermined number of years with no or less impact on thenature. One example of material could be Fibrolon® S 7530, which is abiodegradable fiber reinforced compound with a high content of natural material, which more or less comprise a mixture of natural fibers and corn starch ina compound suitable for different production methods like injection moulding orprofile extrusion. The degradation time is tested to achieve a lasting protection ofthe plant as long as it is necessary, at least during the first 3-10 years, and thematerial may differ depending on the time needed for different type of plants/trees.Another positive aspect is that if the plant protector accidentally is eaten by ananimal, the material is not dangerous for the animal and further, the plant protectorhas no sharp edges or the like which could cause injuries to the animals or humanbeings in contact with the plant protector. Prior art solutions like the one in SE 538 999 C2 do not have the same advantages as the present invention. Thebiodegradable material is as mentioned above also well-suited for production innormal plastic production facilities which is positive for the production cost of theplant protector. 11. 11. id="p-11" id="p-11" id="p-11" id="p-11"

[00011] According to an embodiment, the second end of the leg is a free end.Since the legs are attached to the hat with the first end and the second end is a free end, the legs are flexible, and the plant protector is easy to install on the seedhead of the plant. lf the plant has one or several branches near the seedheadit is not a problem since the branches may be positioned in the slits between the legs. 12. 12. id="p-12" id="p-12" id="p-12" id="p-12"

[00012] According to an embodiment, the hat comprises perforations. Dependingon the plant, perforation of the hat may be needed to not inhibit the growth of theplant. The seedhead may need perforations to allow sunlight and moisture to reach the seedhead. 13. 13. id="p-13" id="p-13" id="p-13" id="p-13"

[00013] According to an embodiment, a width of the leg is between 1 - 20 % ofthe length of the leg. The relation between the width and the length of the legsmay be crucial to achieve a good positioning and fixation over time and duringinstallation of the plant protector on the seedhead. Tests proves that it is positivethat the legs are quite slender to achieve this. 14. 14. id="p-14" id="p-14" id="p-14" id="p-14"

[00014] According to an embodiment, a width of the leg is between 5 - 12 % ofthe length of the leg. . . id="p-15" id="p-15" id="p-15" id="p-15"

[00015] According to an embodiment, the hat has the shape of a hollow half-globe and the legs extends tangential from an edge of the half-globe-shaped hat.By that, the hat is well-suited to receive the seedhead of the plant into the hatduring installation and remaining it there over time. Since the legs extendstangential from the edge of the hat they protrude downwards and by that at leastpartly encloses the tree trunk when installed on the plant. The size of the plantprotector may of course differ depending of the type of plant and of course other shapes of the hat is incorporated into the inventive concept. 16. 16. id="p-16" id="p-16" id="p-16" id="p-16"

[00016] According to an embodiment, the plurality of legs are positioned spacedapart and circumferentially around the edge of the hat. This is preferred to ensurethat the legs are distributed evenly around the edge of the hat and with slitsbetween them. By that, the legs are provided with individual flexibility and theseedhead may be “ventilated” by the long slits between which air may stream. 17. 17. id="p-17" id="p-17" id="p-17" id="p-17"

[00017] According to an embodiment, the plant protector comprises a scent. Thescent, which may be any scent suitable for the purpose -to make the plant less attractive for the grazing animals -like a repellant or the like, may be applied ontothe plant protector surface or may be applied into the material of the plantprotector, for long lasting effect and for further protection against grazing animalsover a longer time. Since the plant protector may be biodegradable, the scentapplied into the material (as a part of the material or a material with a scent) isreleased over time in a better way. One example of a suitable scent or materialwith a scent which is effective to protect the plant, and which may be applied onthe plant protector or into the material, is mutton fat. 18. 18. id="p-18" id="p-18" id="p-18" id="p-18"

[00018] According to an embodiment, the plant protector comprises a transparentmaterial. By transparent material is meant transparent to a certain optional degreewhich may vary depending on the need for a specific type of plant. Thetransparency is chosen to ensure a sufficient amount of sunlight to the seedhead,and the option may be that the material is transparent or semi-transparent. Thechoice of material may also be combined with perforations or no perforations ofthe hat and/or legs and may vary with the demands for different type of plants. 19. 19. id="p-19" id="p-19" id="p-19" id="p-19"

[00019] According to an embodiment, the plant protector is produced by injectionmoulding. By that the plant protector design is adapted to be produced by injectionmoulding, the plant protector is produced in a cost effective and rapid way and bythat is cheaper than most prior art solutions. lt is also possible to produce a plantprotector with no sharp edges for example compared to protectors made by metal.One possible material to use for producing the plant protector by injectionmoulding is Fibrolon® S 7530, which is a biodegradable compound with a highcontent of natural material. This material may also be used for processingproducts by profile extrusion. . . id="p-20" id="p-20" id="p-20" id="p-20"

[00020] Further possible features and benefits of this solution will become apparent from the detailed description below.

Brief description of drawinqs 21. 21. id="p-21" id="p-21" id="p-21" id="p-21"

[00021] The solution will now be described in more detail by means of exemplaryembodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 22. 22. id="p-22" id="p-22" id="p-22" id="p-22"

[00022] Fig. 1a is a side view of a plant protector according to the invention. 23. 23. id="p-23" id="p-23" id="p-23" id="p-23"

[00023] Fig. 1b is a view of the inventive plant protector of Fig. 1a, obliquely from above. 24. 24. id="p-24" id="p-24" id="p-24" id="p-24"

[00024] Fig. 1c is a view of the inventive plant protector of Fig. 1a, obliquely from below.[00025] Fig. 2a is a view of the inventive plant protector of Fig. 1a from below.[00026] Fig. 2b is a view of the inventive plant protector of Fig. 1a from above. 27. 27. id="p-27" id="p-27" id="p-27" id="p-27"

[00027] Fig. 3 is a view of an alternative plant protector, obliquely from above.

Detailed description[00028] Briefly described, a plant protector which protects the seedhead of aplant over time, is provided. The inventive design makes sure that the plant protector continues to protect the seedhead while the plant is growing. 29. 29. id="p-29" id="p-29" id="p-29" id="p-29"

[00029] Fig. 1a-c shows a plant protector 1 according to the invention in viewsfrom the side, obliquely from above and obliquely from below. The plant protector1 is to be arranged on a seedhead of a plant (not visible) by that the plantprotector 1 firstly comprises a hat 2. The hat 2 is arranged for receiving aseedhead of a plant, by that the hat 2 is designed with a shape of a hollow halfglobe, which form is well-suited to receive the seedhead of the plant into the hat 2,both during installation and also to remain it in position at the seedhead over time.The hat 2 is when positioned on a seedhead of a plant in an uppermost position,as seen in Fig. 1a. Further, the plant protector 1 comprises a plurality of legs 3,positioned spaced apart and circumferentially around an edge 2b of the hat 2,wherein each leg 3 comprises a first end 3a, which is attached to the hat 2 at theedge 2b of the half-globe-shaped hat 2. Each leg 3 further comprises an oppositesecond end 3b, which is a free end, and each leg 3 has a length l between the firstend 3a and the second end 3b of the leg 3. ln the preferred embodiment shown inthe figures, all legs 3 are of equal length, but the legs 3 may of course have different lengths, for example, every other leg 3 may be a bit shorter and every other leg 3 longer, or other combinations. The legs 3 extend tangential from theedge 2b of the half-globe shaped hat 2, wherein they protrude downwardsreferring to the position of the plant protector 1 on a plant, and by that the legs 3 atleast partly encloses the tree trunk when installed on the plant. The legs 3 supportthe plant protector 1 in its position on the seedhead by that they enclose the treetrunk and by that the legs 3 may enclose tree branches below the seedhead, suchas the plant protector 1 is kept in place over time. . . id="p-30" id="p-30" id="p-30" id="p-30"

[00030] Further, a width w of the leg 3 is between 1 - 20 % of the length I of theleg 3, and more preferred the width w of the leg 3 is between 5 - 12 % of thelength l of the leg 3. This, to ensure a slender design of the legs which is crucial toachieve a good positioning and fixation over time and to ensure an easyinstallation of the plant protector 1 on the seedhead. 31. 31. id="p-31" id="p-31" id="p-31" id="p-31"

[00031] Due to that the legs 3 are spaced apart, a good ventilation is supplied tothe seedhead of the plant, and the number of legs 3, the distance between themas well as the length or different lengths may be elaborated within the inventivescope, to ensure good functionality both due to ventilation, protection functionalityand the keeping the plant protector 1 in position over time etc. 32. 32. id="p-32" id="p-32" id="p-32" id="p-32"

[00032] The plant protector 1 further comprises a biodegradable material which issuitable for injection moulding, like Fibrolon® S 7530, which is a biodegradablecompound with a high content of natural material. The plant protector 1 producedby injection moulding for example in Fibrolon® S 7530 or the like, is very soft andhas no sharp edges and by that is gentle both to humans which handles andinstalls the plant protector 1 as well to animals which for example may step on theplant protector 1 if it by some reason is dropped at the ground or which accidentlymay be chewed at, or swallowed by, an animal. Further, the material will degradeand will therefore not leave litter all over the countryside. Further, the plantprotector 1 may comprise a scent (repellant) to provide a second protection to theplant, to supplement the mechanical protection. The scent may be applied ontosurfaces of the plant protector or may be incorporated into the material. 33. 33. id="p-33" id="p-33" id="p-33" id="p-33"

[00033] The size of the plant protector 1 may of course differ depending of thetype of plant and of course other shapes of the hat is incorporated into the inventive concept. The design of the plant protector 1 makes sure it follows thegrowth of the plant and stays in position on the seedhead, whereby the plant isprotected over time and doesn't need any further efforts like repositioning after installation. 34. 34. id="p-34" id="p-34" id="p-34" id="p-34"

[00034] Fig. 2a and 2b shows the plant protector 1 from below and from above.As can be seen, the plant protector 1 has a circular shape (in this view) and thelegs 3 may have a slightly outwardly extension along their length l, such as theedge 2b of the hat 2, to which the first end 3a of the legs 3 are attached, has a firstdiameter, and a second diameter, between the second ends 3b of the legs 3, hasa slightly larger diameter compared to the first diameter. This, to enable an easyinstallation of the plant protector 1 on the seedhead of the plant. . . id="p-35" id="p-35" id="p-35" id="p-35"

[00035] Fig. 3 shows an alternative plant protector 1 in which the hat 2 comprisesperforations 2a. Depending on which type of plant, perforations of the hat 2 maybe needed to not inhibit the growth of the plant. The seedhead, at least of someplants, is sensitive and it might be crucial that sunlight and moisture reaches theseedhead of the plant. To ensure sufficient amount of sunlight to the seedhead,one further option could be that the material may be transparent or semi-transparent. The perforations 2a of the hat 2 may be used alone or in combinationwith a transparent or semi-transparent material and the perforations may vary in number and size depending on the plant or due to other functions. 36. 36. id="p-36" id="p-36" id="p-36" id="p-36"

[00036] Although the description above contains a plurality of specificities, theseshould not be construed as limiting the scope of the concept described herein butas merely providing illustrations of some exemplifying embodiments of thedescribed concept. lt will be appreciated that the scope of the presently describedconcept fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious tothose skilled in the art, and that the scope of the presently described concept isaccordingly not to be limited. Reference to an element in the singular is notintended to mean "one and only one" unless explicitly so stated, but rather "one ormore." All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the above- described embodiments that are known to those of ordinary skill in the art areexpressly incorporated herein and are intended to be encompassed hereby.

Claims (11)

1. A plant protector (1) to be arranged on a seedhead of a plant, the plantprotector (1) comprising: a hat (2) arranged for receiving a seedhead of a plant, a plurality of legs (3) each comprising a first end (3a) and an oppositesecond end (3b), wherein the first end (3a) of the leg (3) is attached to the hat (2)and the leg (3) has a length (l) between the first end (3a) and the second end (3b).

2. Plant protector (1) according to claim 1, wherein the plant protector (1)comprises a biodegradable material.

3. Plant protector (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second end(3b) of the leg (3) is a free end.

4. Plant protector (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein thehat (2) comprises perforations (2a).

5. Plant protector (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein awidth (w) of the leg (3) is between 1 - 20 % of the length (l) of the leg (3).

6. Plant protector (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein awidth (w) of the leg (3) is between 5 - 12 % of the length (l) of the leg (3).

7. Plant protector (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein thehat (2) has the shape of a hollow half-globe and the legs (2) extends tangentialfrom an edge (2b) of the half-globe-shaped hat (2).

8. Plant protector (1) according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of legs (3)are positioned spaced apart and circumferentially around the edge (2b) of the hat (2)-

9. Plant protector (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein theplant protector (1) comprises a scent.

10. Plant protector (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein theplant protector (1) comprises a transparent material.

11. Plant protector (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein theplant protector (1) is produced by injection moulding.