Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
  • A01G9/00—Cultivation in receptacles, forcing-frames or greenhouses; Edging for beds, lawn or the like
  • A01G9/02—Receptacles, e.g. flower-pots or boxes; Glasses for cultivating flowers
  • A01G9/026—Foldable pots

Definitions

• the present invention relates to plant pots that are especially suitable for cultivating container-grown plants.
• Many types of plants are initially grown in small containers, such as, for example, plastics pots, until their root systems have developed sufficiently for them to be transplanted to open soil or larger containers.
• the roots of such "container- grown” plants often suffer damage and, after transplantation, there is a tendency for the root systems, the growth of which is now unhindered, to spread rapidly, often at the expense of the top of the plant, where growth slows down.
• the containers themselves must be disposed of or stored for re-use.
• the present invention aims to provide an improved plant pot which is especially suitable for the cultivation of container-grown plants.
• the present invention provides a plant pot for cultivating container-grown plants constructed from a cardboard of a high wet strength.
• high wet strength is used through ⁇ out the specification, in relation to the cardboard from which the plant pot is made, to mean a wet strength that is such that, if the plant pot is filled with soil and the soil is watered with such an amount of water and such a frequency that the soil in contact with the cardboard is permanently moist, the plant pot should be capable of remaining intact for at least 14 days.
• the expres ⁇ sion is intended to exclude those cardboards that quickly lose nearly all their strength upon being exposed to moisture.
• the pot may be used to grow most types of plants, for example, from the time when a plant is first pricked out until it has matured sufficiently to be transferred to open soil, during which period the plant will, of course, require frequent watering.
• the cardboard should be strong enough to remain intact under the above conditions for at least four weeks, and more preferably, six weeks, by which time most plants will usually have matured in the pot to a size suitable for planting out.
• cardboard is used generally to refer to all types of wood pulp board, such as, for example, carton board, corrugated board, or solid board, etc. , although the use of carton board is particularly preferred.
• the use of a high wet strength cardboard provides a number of advantages.
• the pot may easily be disposed of, and there is the advantage that cardboard can be folded, before or after use, to reduce its volume.
• the cardboard will eventually break up in the soil, thus enabling the pot to be placed in the soil with the plant, with the cardboard being pre-weakened, if desired, to allow some parts of the pot to be removed.
• the plant pot is preferably capable of being supplied in a collapsed configuration from which it can readily be erected. It is important that a pot can be assembled very quickly, for example, in a few seconds, because pots are often supplied in bulk to garden centres where they need to be erected in large numbers.
• any parts needing to be connected together should already be fixedly attached to each other when the pot is in the collapsed configuration so that the pot should be capable of being erected rapidly, merely by moving or folding parts into position; parts that are fixedly, as opposed to removably, attached to each other will, in any case, be less susceptible to failure during use.
• the plant pot has a body portion and at least one base portion that is hingedly attached to the body portion and is capable of being raised and lowered within the pot, means being provided to limit the downward movement of the base portion, so that it can only move through a desired angle.
• Such means may comprise a second base portion hingedly attached to the opposite side of the pot, but fixedly attached to the exterior face of the first base portion so as to limit its pivoting movement.
• the pot comprises two rectangular or square panels that, in the erected pot, are curved to define the interior of the pot, and that are foldable along two lines of weakening so as to be superimposed when the pot is in the collapsed configuration, and a substantially circular base portion hingedly attached to a lower edge of one of the panels, preferably in the middle of that edge, which base portion may be pivoted downwards to cause the panels to form a pot of corres- ponding cross-section.
• the base portion is so configured that an edge portion of the said base portion may, in the erected pot, be so arranged that it curves upwardly against the interior surface(s) of the pot. That arrangement limits the downward movement of the base and increases the rigidity of the pot.
• the pot is made from a cardboard that is capable of decom ⁇ posing relatively quickly in the soil; that is to say, if the pot is placed in the soil with the plant, once the plant has developed sufficiently for planting out, the cardboard will decompose sufficiently quickly that it does not unduly restrict the growth of the roots.
• the rate of degradation of the pot will, of course, depend on the composition, design and the age and condition of the pot, as well as the soil conditions, and different plants will grow and rupture the pot at different rates; preferably, however, the pot should be capable of breaking up more or less completely within about three months, and, more preferably, within about six to eight weeks.
• Transplanting the plant together with the pot prevents or reduces the risk of root damage and ensures that the plant is subjected to only a gradual change in its environment.
• the short-term presence of the pot in the soil has the important advantage that it prevents very rapid root growth at the expense of the remainder of the plant; it also protects the plant from attack by pests and "feeds" the plant while it is establishing itself, that is to say, the cardboard retains moisture which can then be drawn off by the plant.
• the cardboard In order for the pot to be capable of decomposing relatively quickly in the soil, the cardboard should not be provided with any protective linings or coatings. Furthermore, the cardboard should not have been subjected to any chemical treatments or have been given any additives for increasing wet strength, since such cardboards have the disadvantage that they are resistant to degradation and will usually break up only very slowly. More importantly, such cardboards will not usually be biodegradable (i.e. capable of being broken down by bacterial action) so that their chemical constituents will remain indefinitely in the soil.
• a pot of a suitable wet strength may be obtained, without the need for chemical treatments or additives, if a natural kraft board is used, i.e. a board formed substantially or totally from virgin wood fibres (as opposed to recycled fibres) , and such a board, where untreated, will be biodegradable.
• the pot should be made from a carton board consisting of chemically recovered virgin wood fibres. It has been found that, because such fibres have been extracted from the wood pulp by chemical as opposed to mechanical means, they retain their inherent strength and length and intermesh with one another sufficiently to provide a board of a very high wet strength, without the need for any additional wet strength treatments. Thus, such fibres may be used to form a cardboard pot that, although of a high wet strength, is capable of decomposing quickly and of eventually biodegrading.
• the outer surface of the board may contain some hardwood fibres, in addition to softwood fibres, because the hardwood fibres increase the smoothness of the outer surface and thus ensure that it has good printability; as a result, the exterior of the plant pot may be printed with text or other printed matter.
• the bottom of the plant pot comprising the base and optionally a lowermost section of the body, to be readily removable. This will facilitate the removal of the remainder of the pot from the plant, if it is desired to place only the plant in the soil. If the pot is to accompany the plant into the soil, the bottom of the pot may nevertheless be removed in order to permit unhindered root growth in the vicinity of the removed part.
• At least one pair of lines of perforations may be provided that extend around at least a part of the circumference of the pot to define one or more tear strips for facilitating the removal of the bottom.
• a single tear strip terminating in a tear tab is provided extending around the entire circumference of the pot.
• lines of weakening may be provided defining one or more sections in the pot wall that can be removed, prior to transplantation, in order to encourage some root growth sideways.
• the pot comprises means for enabling it to split open, once in the soil, in response to pressure exerted by the growing roots. This enables the plant to be protected by the pot for an initial period following its introduction into the soil, but ensures that the root growth is never unduly restricted, thereby preventing root-binding.
• Such controlled rupturing may be achieved by providing one or more lines of perforations in the pot extending downwardly from the top edge of the pot that split in response to the radially outward root growth.
• Lines of perforations may also be present wherever the base portion is attached to the body portion, and gaps may also be provided between the two portions, to facilitate the breaking off of the base portion in response to pressure from the roots.
• the lines of perforations may also provide lines of weakening which serve to allow the pot to be collapsed and re-erected.
• the lines of perforations may terminate before reaching the bottom edge of the pot, so as to leave an unweakened tubular section at the bottom of the pot. When the top of the pot splits open, that section will remain intact as a protective ring, which will "feed" the plant for longer, and, if the bottom of the pot has not been removed, will advantageously force the roots above to grow radially outwards before they can spread downwardly.
• the present invention also includes a one-piece blank capable of being formed into a plant pot of the type described above.
• the present invention further provides a plant pot that need not necessarily be of a high wet strength and that is constructed from cardboard and capable of being transformed from a configuration in which the pot is collapsed to one in which it is erect.
• a pot could be erected and used temporarily, for example, to transport a plant from one location to another, and could be conveniently stored before use in the collapsed configuration.
• the pot has a body portion and at least one base portion that is hingedly attached to the body portion and is capable of being raised and lowered within the pot, means being provided to limit the downward movement of the base portion.
• the present invention also provides a plant pot constructed from cardboard that again need not necessarily be of a high wet strength and that is capable of decomposing relatively quickly when placed in the soil, the pot being provided with means designed to enable it to split open at least partially, once in the soil, in response to pressure from the roots of a plant growing within the pot.
• a pot could, for example, be placed around the root ball of a plant immediately before it is planted out in the soil, so as to protect the plant in the soil.
• Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of the erected plant pot
• Fig. 2 is a front view of the plant pot, in its folded state
• Figs. 3a and 3b are top and bottom views, respectively, of the erected plant pot
• Fig. 4 is a plan view, to a smaller scale than the other figures, of the blank from which the plant pot is constructed; and, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the erected plant pot, showing details of the base of the pot.
• the plant pot 1 illustrated in Fig. 1 is suitable for the cultivation of a young plant, prior to its being planted out in the soil.
• the pot l is constructed from a single blank 2, as shown in Fig. 4, made from a carton board of a high wet strength.
• the pot 1 consists of a tubular body portion 3 and two base portions 4,5 that are glued to each other.
• the body portion 3 is formed from two rectangular portions 3a,3b (see Fig. 4) of equal size that are integral with one another and separated by a line of weakness 8a, and a smaller end portion 3c separated from portion 3b by a further line of weakness 8b and provided at the end of portion 3b that is remote from body portion 3a.
• the portions 3a, 3b are folded together along line 8a and the end portion 3c is folded over the end of portion 3a and glued to the outside of that portion (see Fig. 1).
• the two lines of weakening 8a, 8b extend from the top to the bottom of the pot 1, separating the two body portions 3a,3b.
• One of the base portions 5 is roughly circular in shape and forms the base of the pot 1.
• the portion 5 is integrally attached by a line of perforations to the body portion 3b at the lower edge thereof. It consists of two curved portions 9 divided by lines of weakening from a central strip 10, in which two drainage holes 11 are provided.
• the curved portions 9 are arranged to be slightly larger in size than the corresponding holes 12 defined by the lower edge of the pot 1 and the central strip 10, which holes they are intended to cover, so that, rather than lying horizontally in the erected pot l, those portions 9 curve upwards to rest against the interior of the plant pot 1 (as illustrated by means of the dotted lines in Fig. 5), resulting in a small gap 13 on each side of the base of the pot (see Figs.
• the base portions 4,5 are each integrally attached to body portion 3, by a line of perforations, and that root growth assists in weakening the base portions and causing them to break off along the said lines of perforations.
• the lines of perforations also allow the base portions 4,5 to pivot freely.
• the other base portion 4 is T-shaped, the stem being attached to the front wall 3a of the pot and the cross-bar being folded back over the ste and glued to the outside of the circular base portion 5, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3b, so as to provide a hinge action along the line A-A.
• That hinge action enables both of the base portions 4,5 to be folded up quickly and easily into the interior of the plant pot 1 so that it may be folded flat, as shown in Fig. 2, for example, to facilitate transport or storage.
• the pot 1 may be easily erected merely by squeezing the two sides of the pot at the perforated lines 8, that action causing the base portions 4,5 to be drawn automatically downwards.
• the T-shaped base portion 4 is glued to the circular base portion 5 in such a position that the latter is prevented from moving through more than 90°, i.e. beyond the bottom of the rest of the pot, so that, in use, the central strip 10 remains perpendicular to its walls.
• the overlapping of the two base portions 4, 5 results in part of the base being of double thickness, which assists considerably in strengthening the pot.
• the pot l can be used for cultivating young plants.
• the carton board should have a wet strength that is sufficiently high for the pot to remain rigid and intact in use, despite frequent watering, for up to nine weeks, which is longer than most plants require to grow to a size suitable for planting out. As a carton board pot will retain water more effectively than a plastics pot, the plants will actually require watering less frequently than usual. The plants may be watered from above. In view of the high wet strength of the carton board, watering may instead be accomplished by temporarily standing the pots in water.
• the bottom 7 of the pot 1 may first be removed by means of the tear strip 6, in order to facilitate removal of the plant from the pot.
• the plant will be placed in the soil together with the pot 1.
• the carton board will gradually decompose with time, and should, for example, decompose fully within about 12 weeks.
• the presence of the pot surrounding the plant has a number of advantages.
• the carton board restricts the root growth for a transitional period following placement in the ground, whereas usually the roots of a plant removed from a pot will develop very rapidly in the soil to the detriment of the top of the plant; thus, any slowing down in the growth of the top of the plant is reduced or avoided.
• the carton board retains moisture and in fact "feeds" the plant for a transitional period. The presence of the pot also prevents the roots from being attacked by pests in the soil.
• the pot 1 may be placed in the soil intact, or, alternatively, with the bottom 7 of the pot removed in order to permit some downward root growth.
• the pot is so designed that, after a transitional period, it will split open in response to pressure from the growing roots, along the perforations 8a,8b disposed on either side of the pot.
• the ability of the pot to rupture in this manner, before it decomposes, ensures that the root growth is never unduly restricted, thus preventing the plant from ever becoming root-bound.
• the rupturing of the pot also enables it to degrade more quickly.
• the cylindrical section of the bottom 7 of the pot if not already removed, will not rupture because it does not have any perforations; it will therefore remain intact in the soil for longer, feeding and protecting the roots.
• the exterior of the plant pot may, if desired, be coated to improve its appearance, for example, with a white clay coating, and may have text or other printed matter on it.
• a white clay coating Preferably, only environmentally friendly varnishes and inks, e.g. emulsion inks, should be applied.
• the plant pot may be of, for example, the following dimensions:
• a pot for cultivating a single container-grown plant from when it is first "pricked out” until it is ready for "setting out”, would not normally need to have a volumetric capacity of more than 400 ml. Furthermore, the pot could be used to grow seedlings in, in which case a smaller pot having a height and diameter of about 60 mm could be used. A seedling in such a pot could then be placed, after a period of time, into soil in a larger pot, the smaller pot degrading with time to allow the plant to grow into the larger pot.
• the pot may be made from (coated) natural kraft board.
• An example of one suitable carton board from which the blank could be formed is Mead Kote (406 ⁇ m) - Mead Coated Natural KraftTM.
• That board is a clay coated, virgin, unbleached kraft substrate (also known as "SUS" (Solid Unbleached Sulphate) board) made from chemically recovered, 100% virgin wood fibres comprising a blend of softwood and hardwood fibres.
• SUS Solid Unbleached Sulphate
• Thickness 406 microns
• CD cross-machine direction
• This board is sufficiently strong to be made up into a single-thickness pot of the above dimensions.
• a stronger thicker board than that specified above may be required, although in order to be capable of decomposing relatively quickly, the board should not have a thickness of more than about 700 microns.
• the board consists of two plies, held together by starch, each ply containing softwood and hardwood fibres, with the hardwood content typically comprising about 40% by weight, as an average based on the weight of the total sheet, although a much higher proportion of hardwood fibres are present in one ply as compared with the other ply.
• the board is so arranged that the ply having the higher proportion of hardwood fibres forms the outer surface of the pot.
• the presence of a higher proportion of hardwood fibres in that ply has the advantage of ensuring that the outer surface is smoother than if only softwood fibres were present, ensuring good printability.
• the lines of perforations may be produced quickly and effectively, and, it will be appreciated that the effective formation of regular perforations is important in ensuring that the plant pot breaks open in the desired manner, once in the soil.
• the board's strength is sufficient to ensure that the plant pot maintains its integrity, despite renewed wetting, for up to about nine weeks. That strength is mostly due to the softwood fibres in the board, which have been separated initially from the wood pulp by a chemical recovery process (involving the use of sodium sulphate/hydroxide) , which process enables those fibres to retain their length and strength. Furthermore, there is the benefit that virgin, high softwood, chemically recovered board actually increases in tear strength when slightly damp. In contrast, boards made from virgin fibres that have been recovered using mechanical means (e.g. grinding), or boards made from recycled pulp, are much weaker and do not increase in tear strength when damp.
• the board in contrast to carton boards that are chemically treated to increase their wet strength, the board is capable of decomposing quickly in the soil and is also fully biodegradable. For those reasons, the use of a board consisting of chemically recovered, virgin wood fibres and which (subsequent to the formation of the board) has not been chemically treated so that it does not contain any environmentally unfriendly chemicals, is highly preferred.
• Dahlia seeds were placed individually in plant pots containing compost and were watered daily for a period of eight weeks. At the end of that period, the plant pots, although in a weakened state, were still intact. The plants were then transferred in their pots to a large display trough containing soil, without prior removal of any of the pot bases. Within two weeks, it could be seen that the sides of the pots above the tear strip had split open, and within four or five weeks of transplantation the pots had more or less completely decomposed. The plants were found to be healthy with the root systems of a satisfactory size (i.e. neither root-bound nor too advanced) .

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• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Cultivation Receptacles Or Flower-Pots, Or Pots For Seedlings (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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ID=10720030

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Cited By (4)

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Citations (7)

• 1992
  • 1992-08-07 GB GB929216847A patent/GB9216847D0/en active Pending
• 1993
  • 1993-08-05 WO PCT/GB1993/001665 patent/WO1994003044A1/en active Application Filing
  • 1993-08-05 GB GB9502077A patent/GB2283895A/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1993-08-05 AU AU47222/93A patent/AU4722293A/en not_active Abandoned
• 1995
  • 1995-02-07 FI FI950534A patent/FI950534A/fi unknown

Patent Citations (7)

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