SE542414C2

SE542414C2 - Pot for cultivating a plant with aerial roots

Info

Publication number: SE542414C2
Application number: SE1750422A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Jonas Gylling
Original assignee: Aktiebolaget Silkflower Imp In Askersund
Priority date: 2017-04-07
Filing date: 2017-04-07
Publication date: 2020-04-28
Also published as: WO2018185117A1; SE1750422A1

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a pot (10) for cultivating a plant with aerial roots. The pot (10) comprising an outer container (100) and an inner wire cage (200). The inner wire cage (200) comprising a connection portion (230) and a support portion (205) adapted to receive and support the plant. The outer container (100) being translucent and having an aperture (130) for insertion of the inner wire cage (200) into the outer container (100), said outer container (100) also having a connection portion (120) adapted to interact with the connection portion (230) of the inserted inner wire cage (200) to support the inner wire cage (200) inside the outer container (100).

Description

POT FOR CULTIVATING A PLANT WITH AERIAL ROOTS Field of inventionThe invention relates to a pot for cultivating a plant with aerial roots.

Technical BackgroundWithin the field of cultivating plants, especially by amateurs and enthusiasts, it has long been known to use pots or vases which house asingle plant. These vases may be made from glassware, ceramics, porcelain,etc. Certain plants, such as orchids, hyacinths, amaryllis and monstera toname a few, have aerial roots in lieu of regular roots which run through thesoil. These aerial roots absorb moisture directly from the surroundatmosphere, as the name implies. Common pots are not suitable for suchplants, as the plant does not benefit from soil and thus does not have asuitable support to grow while allowing the aerial roots to spread out. For thisreason, pots and vases which are formed with a smaller neck are employed.The bulb from which the plant is to spring is placed in the pot on top of theneck, which supports the plant while the aerial roots spread downward intothe pot which may be otherwise empty. This design has severaldisadvantages, however. The plant may be difficult or impossible to movewithout damaging it once the aerial roots have filled the pot. The roots growuninhibited and may grow upwardly, out of the pot, instead of down into it.This may cause tangling of the roots with other objects, for example adjacentplants. Furthermore, if the size of the neck is unsuitable for a certain plantspecies, the entire pot is unusable. Therefore, there exists a need for acontainer for plants with aerial roots which improves on these conditions.

Summary of inventionlt is an object of the invention to at least mitigate some of the problems described in the above section. This object has been achieved by a pot forcultivating a plant with aerial roots, the pot comprising an outer container andan inner wire cage, the inner wire cage comprising a connection portion and asupport portion adapted to receive and support the plant, the outer containerbeing translucent and having an aperture for insertion of the inner wire cageinto the outer container, said outer container also having a connection portionadapted to interact with the connection portion of the inserted inner wire cageto support the inner wire cage inside the outer container. This is advantageous because the wire cage construction allows aerial roots of aplant placed in the wire cage to grow outvvardly while being guided by the wirecage and at the same time supported by it. The outer container part protectsthe plant. The connection portions allow for a wire cage which can beremoved from the outer container for cleaning or transportation of a grownplant into a different outer container. This may for example have theadvantage of allowing transfer to a container which may be larger or smaller,better suited for the plant or otherwise desirable. lt also has the advantage ofproviding a wire cage adapted to a certain type of plant without modifying theentire pot. By being translucent, the outer container protects the plant whilestill being translucent to allow sunlight to reach the plant and its aerial roots.Further, by being translucent the outer container may act as a greenhouse forthe aerial roots. Moreover, a translucent outer container allows for easy checkif the amount of water in the pot is sufficient.

The pot aperture may further comprise a rim having an outwardextension as seen from the bottom of the outer container. This has theadvantage of giving structural support to the edges.

The support portion of the inner wire cage may further compriselongitudinal rods having an extension from the aperture toward the bottom ofthe outer container when the inner wire cage is mounted in the outercontainer. The longitudinal rods of the support portion of the inner wire cagemay also comprise a hooking portion adapted to engage the rim of theaperture, thereby allowing the inner wire cage to connectingly engage theouter container. This has the advantage of creating a simple and easilymanufactured wire cage, where the longitudinal rods give the wire cage asupport structure while simultaneously allowing for a connection mechanismwhich is easy to manufacture as well as easy to understand and use by theuser of the pot.

The support portion of the inner wire cage may further comprisecircumferential rods, the circumferential rods being mounted concentricallyaround a common geometrical axis extending from the bottom of the outercontainer towards the aperture. This allows for a wire cage which is easy tomanufacture at low cost. lt is also stable.

The connection portion of the inner wire cage may comprise a bracket,the bracket having a circumferential extension greater than the circumferenceof the aperture. The bracket has the advantage of giving stability to the wire cage in the area where it is most likely to be handled by the user. Thisprovides a wire cage which is more resistant to wear.

The bracket may further extend below the hooking portions of thelongitudinal rods of the inner wire cage. This allows the bracket to shield thehooking portions of the longitudinal rods so that they are not unintentionallyunhooked from the pot or damaged.

The circumferential rods of the inner wire cage may have a distancebetween each other as seen along the longitudinal rods of the inner wirecage, said distance being at least as great as the diameter of thecircumferential rods. This gives space to the aerial roots to grow undisturbed,and is thus advantageous for the dispersion of the aerial roots.

The inner wire cage has an envelope surface, of which at least 50%,preferably at least 60% and more preferably at least 80% may consist ofthrough-going holes.

The inner wire cage may have a tapering cross-section as seen in aplane normal to the aperture of the outer container, the tapering cross-sectionbeing tapered away from the aperture of the outer container. This may allowfor a bulb to be placed directly into the inner wire cage without any aerialroots first having been formed.

The distance between the bottom of the outer container and the bottomof the support portion may be greater than the distance from the top of theinner wire cage and the bottom of the inner wire cage, thereby securing aminimum distance between the bottom of the outer container and the plant.This minimum distance allows for the aerial roots to grow to an advantageouslength before being hindered by the outer container.

The outer container may be watertight. This allows for the container tobe at least partially filled with water, soil, or other substances which areadvantageous to plant survival.

The support portion of the inner wire cage may be made of metal.Metal is easily formed into the described shapes and functions. Further, metalcages have the advantage of being very robust for the intended purpose whilestill retaining the possibility to flex somewhat, which may be advantageouswhen inserting a metal cage into an aperture.

A further scope of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description given below. However, it should beunderstood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope ofthe invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detaileddescription.

Hence, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to theparticular component parts of the device described or steps of the methodsdescribed as such device and method may vary. lt is also to be understoodthat the terminology used herein is for purpose of describing particularembodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. lt must be noted that, asused in the specification and the appended claim, the articles "a," "an," "the,"and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elementsunless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to"a unit" or "the unit" may include several devices, and the like. Furthermore,the words "comprising", “including”, "containing" and similar wordings doesnot exclude other elements or steps.

Brief description of the drawinqs The invention will by way of example be described in more detail withreference to the appended schematic drawings, which shows a presentlypreferred embodiment of the invention.

The figures should not be considered limiting the invention to thespecific embodiment; instead they are used for explaining and understandingthe invention.

As illustrated in the figures, the sizes of layers and regions areexaggerated for illustrative purposes and, thus, are provided to illustrate thegeneral structures of embodiments of the present invention. Like referencenumerals refer to like elements throughout.

Fig. 1 illustrates an outer container and an inner wire of a pot, the potbeing illustrated in a disassembled state.

Fig. 2 illustrates insertion of the inner wire cage into the outercontainer.

Fig. 3 illustrates the pot in an assembled state.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to thedrawings. lt is contemplated that there are numerous modifications of theembodiments described herein, which are still within the scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims. ln Figs 1-3 a pot 10 according to an embodiment of the presentinvention is illustrated. The pot 10 comprises an outer container 100 and aninner wire cage 200. ln Fig. 1 the pot 10 is illustrated in a disassembled state,wherein the inner wire cage 200 is separated from the outer container 100. lnFig. 2 assembly of pot 10 is illustrated. The inner wire cage 200 is insertedinto the outer container 100 along an assembly direction A. ln Fig. 3 thepot 10 is illustrated in an assembled state. Hence, the inner wire cage 200and the outer container 100 are in assembly forming the pot 10.

The outer container 100 may be translucent, to allow for light to reachits interior. The outer container 100 is preferably made from glass, but may ofcourse also be made from a suitable plastic or other translucent material. Theouter container 100 comprises a connection portion 120. The outer container100 also comprises an aperture 130 with a rim 122 having an outvvardextension as seen from the inside of the outer container 100. The outercontainer 100 further comprises a bottom 110. The outer container 100 mayof course also be bottomless. The connection portion 120 could alsoconceivably be manufactured such that no rim 122 is formed, or having aninwardly extending rim 122. The outer container 100 ma, just as in the in Figs1-3 illustrated embodiment, have cylindrical in shape. However, other shapesare of course also possible. Examples of such shapes would be cuboid,pyramidal, or more irregular shapes.

The outer container 100 may be watertight. This allows for water, sand,pebbles, nutrient solutions etc. which may be beneficial to the plant to be putinto the outer container 100.

The inner wire cage 200 may be made of metal. Metal is advantageousbecause it provides for an easily shapeable material which is still sturdy andlight enough for the application of cultivation of plants. The inner wire cage200 may of course be made from other suitable materials as well. Some non-limiting examples are molded plastic, wood, glass and casted plaster.Common for the materials suitable for making the inner wire cage 200 is thatit shall provide enough structural stability to guide and support the aerialroots.

The inner wire cage 200 may, just as in the in Figs 1-3 illustratedembodiment, be formed of a number of longitudinal rods 210 withcircumferential rods 220 spaced along the extension of the longitudinal rods210. The circumferential rods 220 are formed around the longitudinal rods210 as concentric geometrical shapes, in the in Figs 1-3 illustrated embodiment case as circles. The circumferential rods 220 may of course alsobe shaped in a rectangular or elliptic manner, or in any other shape whichsuits the function and aesthetics of the pot. The inner wire cage 200 may beshaped in a variety of ways, such as including longitudinal and circumferentialbands instead of the longitudinal and circumferential rods 210, 220 or as aone-cast cage.

The longitudinal rods 210 and the circumferential rods 220 constitutesa support portion 205 adapted to receive and support the plant. The spacebetween the longitudinal and circumferential rods 210, 220 should besufficient to guide and support aerial roots of a plant. ln the depictedembodiment, the space between the circumferential rods 220 has a distanceof more than twice the diameter of the circumferential rods 220.

The inner wire cage 200 may be constructed such that it comprisesthrough-going holes which cover more than 50% of the envelope surfacedefined by the inner wire cage 200. This gives the roots room to growbetween the longitudinal and circumferential rods 210, 220 while stillproviding means to secure a plant bulb. lt is preferred to have more than 60%and more preferred to have more than 80% of the envelope area of the innerwire cage 200 covered by through-going holes.

To give the aerial roots space to grow, a minimum distance betweenthe bottom 110 of the outer container 100 and a bottom of the inner wire cage200 is preferred. ln Figs 1-3 a pot 10 is shown where the distance betweenthe bottom 110 of the outer container 100 and the bottom of the inner wirecage 200 is greater than the distance from top to bottom of the inner wirecage 200 itself.

The inner wire cage 200 may be constructed by making the shapedefined by the circumferential rods 220 be concentric with a cross-sectionalarea which increases farther away from the bottom 110 of the outer container100. This provides the inner wire cage 200 with a tapered cross-section asseen in a plane normal to the bottom 100 of the outer container 100.

The inner wire cage 200 further comprise a connection portion 230.The connection portion 230 may be of any kind which allows the inner wirecage 200 to connectingly interact with the outer container 100. This may forexample be a snap-locking action, a threaded portion to interact with athreaded portion of the outer container or any other means of securing aconnection between the inner wire cage 200 and the outer container 100. lnthe in Figs 1-3 depicted embodiment, the connection portion 230 comprises hooking portions 212 located at the ends of the Iongitudinal rods 210. Thehooking portions 212 may be formed by simply bending the ends of theIongitudinal rods 210. The hooking portions 212 may also be formed byproviding a separate hooking part. The hooking portions 212 may be madefrom a different material than the rest of the Iongitudinal rods 210. Thehooking portions 212 may be coated in a soft material such as rubber or clothto avoid scratching of the outer container.

The inner wire cage 200 may further comprise a bracket 240. Thebracket is adapted to encase the rim 122 of the outer container 100 when theinner wire cage 200 is mounted to the outer container 100. The bracket 240also constitutes part of the connection portion 230. The bracket 240 extendsbelow the hooking portions 212 of the Iongitudinal rods 210. This protects thehooking portions 212 from wear and accidental manipulation as well asprotecting the rim 122 of the connection portion 130 of the outer container100 from being damaged.

The person skilled in the art realizes that the present invention by nomeans is limited to the preferred embodiments described above. On thecontrary, many modifications and variations are possible within the scope ofthe appended claims.

For example, the support portion may be made up by different partsthan the Iongitudinal rods and circumferential rods 210, 220. This is forexample the case if the inner wire cage 200 is made by casting.

Additionally, variations to the disclosed embodiments can beunderstood and effected by the skilled person in practicing the claimedinvention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appendedclaims.

Claims

CLAlMS

1. A pot for cultivating a plant with aerial roots, the pot comprising an outercontainer (100) and an inner wire cage (200), the inner wire cage (200) comprising a connection portion (230) and asupport portion (205) adapted to receive and support the plant, the outer container (100) being translucent and having anaperture (130) for insertion of the inner wire cage (200) into the outercontainer (100), said outer container (100) also having a connectionportion (120) adapted to interact with the connection portion (230) of theinserted inner wire cage (200) to support the inner wire cage (200) inside theouter container (100), wherein the inner wire cage (200) is suspended in the outer container (100) byway of its connection portion (230) such that the inner wire cage (200) is notin contact with the bottom (110) of the outer container (100), and the inner wire cage (200) has an envelope surface, of which at least80% consists of through-going holes, wherein the distance bettfifeeit a bottom it titt of the outercontainer (t 00) and a bottom of the support portion iâtšfšt oi the irmei* wirecage (200) is greater than the distance 'frorn a too oi the inner' Wire Cane (200)and the bettent ot the supeort portion (205) ot the inner ifvire Carrie (200).

2. The pot according to claim 1, wherein the support portion (205) of the innerwire cage (200) further comprises longitudinal rods (210) having an extensionfrom the aperture (130) toward a bottom (110) of the outer container (100)when the inner wire cage (200) is mounted in the outer container (100).

3. The pot according to claim 2, wherein outer container (100) comprises arim (122) located at the aperture (130) thereof, the rim (122) having an outward extension as seen from the bottom (110) of the outer container (100).

4. The pot according to claim 3, wherein the longitudinal rods (210) of thesupport portion (205) of the inner wire cage (200) comprise a hookingportion (212) adapted to engage the rim (122) of the outer container (100),thereby allowing the inner wire (200) cage to connectingly engage the outercontainer (100).

5. The pot according to any one of the c|aims 1-4, wherein the supportportion (205) of the inner wire cage (200) comprises circumferential rods (220), the circumferential rods (220) being mounted concentricallyaround a common geometrical axis extending from the bottom (110) of theouter container (100) towards the aperture (130) of the outer container (100).

6. The pot according to any one of the c|aims 1-5, wherein the connectionportion (230) of the inner wire cage (200) comprises a bracket (240), thebracket (240) having a circumferential extension greater than thecircumference of the aperture (130) of the outer container (100).

7. The pot according to c|aims 4 and 6, wherein the bracket (240) extendsbeneath the hooking portions (212) of the |ongitudina| rods (210) of the innerwire cage (200).

8. The pot according to any one of c|aims 5-7, wherein the circumferentialrods (220) of the inner wire cage (200) have a distance between each otheras seen along the |ongitudina| rods (210) of the inner wire cage (200), saiddistance being at least as great as twice a diameter of the circumferentialrods (220).

9. The pot according to any one of c|aims 1-8, wherein the inner wire cage (200) has a tapering cross-section as seen in a plane normal to theaperture (130) of the outer container (100), the tapering cross-section beingtapered away from the aperture (130). Mig. The pot according to any one of c|aims 14103, wherein the outercontainer (100) is watertight. 11-12-11. The pot according to any one of c|aims f-i-"â--f-jng, wherein the supportportion (205) of the inner wire cage (200) is made of metal.