WO1990001254A1

WO1990001254A1 - Laying lawns and the like

Info

Publication number: WO1990001254A1
Application number: PCT/GB1989/000876
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Alan Gale
Original assignee: Macewan, Robert, Smillie
Priority date: 1988-07-30
Filing date: 1989-07-31
Publication date: 1990-02-22
Also published as: AU4057489A; GB8818198D0; GB2221134A; GB2221134B

Abstract

A lawn tile comprises compressed coconut waste impregnated with grass seed. The tile is compressed and due to the natural moisture content of the coconut waste, the tile is substantially rigidly held together and does not disintegrate to any great extent.

Description

LAYING LAWNS AND THE LIKE

The invention relates to laying lawns and the like.

While it may remain best to provide lawns by preparing the ground thoroughly and evenly scattering seeds in the conventional manner there is a need to be able to lay lawns using less skill and certainly less time which is especially although not exclusively suitable for the do-it-yourself market. It is already known to lay lawns by roughly preparing an area to be covered and using pre-grown and evenly cut turfs of grass which are usually harvested from farmland and transferred to the point of use. This leads to substantial transport costs, is labour-intensive and the quality of the turfs is difficult to control or certainly difficult to determine at the moment of purchase. Further, the turfs are generally available only for a limited period of each year and have little or virtually no "shelf-life".

Proposals have been made and a product is available in which the seeds are suspended in a tissue mesh for laying out on the area to be grassed. Such a product still requires most careful preparation of the area to be grassed and it is often found that patchy seed germination occurs and as weeds germinate at the same time they can dominate the grass plants before they can grow properly.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a lawn tile comprising compressed coconut waste impregnated with grass seed.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a tile comprising compressed coconut waste impregnated with selected vegetable, flower or other seeds. The coconut waste preferably comprises 60 to 80% lignin and remainder is at least predominently cellulose.

The tile may consist of 10 to 20% water by weight, approximately 21 to 3% by weight of lawn feed fertiliser and 1|% by weight of water absorbing gel.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of making a seed tile comprising mixing together seed and coconut waste and compressing the mixture and forming it into tile shapes.

Fertiliser and water absorbing gel may be added to the mixture before compressing it.

Lawn tiles and a method of producing the tiles according to the invention will now be described by way of example.

The tiles comprise ungraded coconut waste, which comprises a mixture of lignin and cellulose, impregnated with grass seed. Each tile comprises 200 to 300 grams of coconut waste material, including eight grams of quality lawn or sports turf grass seed, 5.6 grams of minigranular lawn feed (15-5-0) fertilizer having a slow release agent over 6 weeks, 2 grams of water absorbing gel, such as Broadleaf P4 (trade mark), and 15-201- moisture content by weight. The coconut waste includes about 80/- lignin granules and 20% cellulose fibres.

The coconut fibre gives the tile integral strength when dry. The use of the water absorbing gel lowers the frequency of watering required when the tile is laid.

A method of forming the tile comprises mixing the seed, fertilizer, and water absorbing gel into the coconut waste. The coconut waste is at a moisture content of about 15-205=. The mixture is compressed into a tile mould. The tile moulds measure 40 x 40cm and produce tiles approximately 3mm thick. It is possible to provide a large mould and to cut the tiles when removed therefrom into desired sizes.

Such tiles, generally and especially when handled carefully, do not disintegrate and can be packed and stored ready to use. Though the tile is at a moisture content of 15-20%, this amount of water is absorbed at least predo inently into the lignin granules which, having a honeycomb structure does not allow any water to be held interstitially and induce seed germination. Thus, no untoward germination takes place and the tiles have a considerable and satisfactory shelf-life of at least several months.

By using somewhat moist coconut waste it is believed this has the effect of rendering the lignin granules, which hold the water, into a somewhat malleable state. During compression of the mixture in the moulds, the lignin granules then being somewhat spongy can take up spaces in the mixture and remove the need for adhesive to hold the mixture into shape. Further, if a dried or much drier mixture is used which could be anticipated in other circumstances to prevent seed germination or other deterioration of the tile when stored, the tile is much more difficult to "wet-out". The tile must be "wet-out" in order to start seed germination after being laid. The moisture of the mixture is also partially absorbed by the absorbant gel and as such tends to form that gel into a binding agent during storage of the tile before use. Thus, the spongyness of the lignin and the limited absorption of water by the gel and binding of the mixture, impart important structural strength to the dry tiles during storage and handling before use.

It is envisaged that the described tiles with or without additives to help germination of the seeds, to hold water (after the first wetting) and, to fertilize the young plants, can be produced and stored satisfactorily in portable packs of multiples of tiles at do-it-yourself outlets. Customers may then simply use the tiles to produce a lawn by laying out the tiles from the packs in their garden in a similar manner to laying a floor covering using carpet tiles for example, and then wetting the tiles from time to time as required to start and encourage germination and growth of the seeds.

The coconut waste is biodegradable, low cost, and natural material and safe to use. Colouring agents can be used where desired to render the tiles more attractive for storage and initial use.

The described method and tile relates to lawns but the same arrangements, and according to the invention, may be applied to production of crops of selected vegetables or any other plants which are grown from seeds which generally germinate when wetted or moistened. As explained in relation to lawns, the seeds can be suitably spaced within the tile and closely surrounded by a balanced feed and such selected trace elements as may be required for different geographical regions. The ground also as explained above, requires virtually no, or no especial, preparation. This leads to a method and product for crop growing or other cultivation requiring no skill or special knowledge and use of minimum quantities of seeds and fertilisers.

Normally, the selected seeds of vegetable, flower and other plants are selected on their basis of being sufficiently small compared to the thickness of the tile so as to be then or otherwise capable of withstanding the compression generated when the tile is formed. In this way most flower seed and say cabbage seeds are quite suitable selected seeds.

The absorbent gel is used in the described method as a binding agent. Alternatively or additionally, other binders can be used such as natural gums, and cellulose adhesives.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A tile comprising compressed coconut waste impregnated with seed.

2. A lawn tile comprising compressed coconut waste impregnated with grass seed.

3. A tile according to Claim 1 or 2 in which the coconut waste comprises 60 to 80% lignin and remainder is at least predominently cellulose.

4. A tile according to any of Claims 1 to 3 in which the tile consists of 10 to 20% water by weight.

5. A tile according to any of Claims 1 to 4, including approximately 2_ to 3% by weight of lawn feed fertiliser.

6. A tile according to any of Claims 1 to 5 including 1 to 1| by weight of water absorbing gel.

7. A method of making a tile comprising mixing together seed and coconut waste and compressing the mixture and forming it into tile shapes.

8. A method of making a lawn tile comprising mixing together grass seed and coconut waste and compressing the mixture and forming it into tile shapes.

9. A method according to Claim 7 or 8, including adding fertiliser and water absorbing gel to the mixture before compressing it.