PLANT CONTAINER ASSEMBLY AND METHOD

• US 20090277084A1
• Filed: 05/08/2009
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lars Jensen
• Original Assignee: Brian Kempf
• Inventors: Kempf, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 8,261,488 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 47/66.300
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 23/04 Transplanting trees; Devices for grasping the root ball, e.g. stump forceps; Wrappings or packages for transporting trees
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/029 Receptacles for seedlings growth substrates in block form A01G24/44

Abstract

A transplantable plant container assembly is provided for containing a growing medium for a plant that significantly promotes air root pruning. The container assembly includes a container device that includes a sidewall support and a bottom support collectively defining an interior cavity. The sidewall support is comprised of a lattice framework defining a plurality of spaced apertures that extend from an interior wall to an exterior wall thereof. A relatively thin, moisture absorbent liner material is disposed adjacent to the lattice framework. The liner material is sufficiently penetrable to enable root penetration therethrough, by the plant, at the apertures. However, the liner material must also have sufficient structural integrity, when moist, to bound the growing medium and moisture across the spaced apertures of the lattice framework when contained in the interior cavity.

Claims

1. A bounding apparatus for a transplantable plant for bounding a growing medium in which the transplantable plant is grown comprising:

a sheet-like lattice framework defining a plurality of spaced apertures; and

a relatively thin, moisture absorbent liner material disposed adjacent said lattice framework, said liner material being sufficiently penetrable to enable root penetration therethrough at said apertures, yet having sufficient structural integrity, when moist, to bound the growing medium and moisture across the spaced apertures of said lattice framework.

2. The bounding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said sheet-like lattice framework defining a surface area, and having an interior wall and an opposed exterior wall, each said apertures extending from the interior wall to the exterior wall.

3. The bounding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said liner material being disposed adjacent to said interior wall of the framework.

4. The bounding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said plurality of apertures of said lattice framework collectively defining an apertures area that comprises at least about 60% of said surface area.

5. The bounding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

said apertures area being at least about 80% of said surface area.

6. The bounding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

said apertures area being at least about 95% of said surface area.

7. The bounding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said lattice framework being sufficiently flexible to resiliently bow from a substantially planar condition to a bowed condition.

8. The bounding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a perimetric footprint of each of the apertures is selected from the group consisting essentially of a circle, a square, a rectangle, a diamond, and an oval.

9. The bounding apparatus according to claim 2, further including:

a second relatively thin, moisture absorbent liner material disposed adjacent the exterior wall of said lattice framework, said second liner material also being sufficiently penetrable to enable root penetration therethrough at said apertures.

10. The bounding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said liner material is selected from the group consisting essentially of organic paper, cellulose and fiber material comprised at least partially of polyester.

11. A transplantable plant container assembly for containing a growing medium for a plant, said container assembly comprising:

a container device having a sidewall support and a bottom support collectively defining a cavity to contain the growing medium therein, said sidewall support and said bottom support each having a respective interior wall and an opposed respective exterior wall, said sidewall support being comprised of a lattice framework defining a plurality of spaced apertures extending from the interior wall to the exterior wall; and

a relatively thin, moisture absorbent liner material disposed adjacent said lattice framework, said liner material being sufficiently penetrable to enable root penetration therethrough at said apertures, yet having sufficient structural integrity, when moist, to bound the growing medium and moisture across the spaced apertures of said lattice framework when contained in said cavity.

12. The plant container assembly according to claim 11, wherein

said liner material being disposed adjacent to said interior wall of the framework.

13. The plant container assembly according to claim 11, wherein

said lattice framework defining a surface area, and

said plurality of apertures of said lattice framework collectively defining an apertures area that comprises at least about 60% of said surface area.

14. The plant container assembly according to claim 13, wherein

said apertures area being at least about 80% of said surface area.

15. The plant container assembly according to claim 14, wherein

said apertures area being at least about 95% of said surface area.

16. The plant container assembly according to claim 12, further including:

a second relatively thin, moisture absorbent liner material disposed adjacent the interior wall of said lattice framework, said second liner material also being sufficiently penetrable to enable root penetration therethrough at said apertures.

17. The plant container assembly according to claim 11, wherein

a perimetric footprint of each of the apertures is selected from the group consisting essentially of a circle, a square, a rectangle, a diamond, and an oval.

18. The plant container assembly according to claim 11, wherein

said liner material is selected from the group consisting essentially of organic paper, cellulose and fiber material comprised at least partially of polyester.

19. The plant container assembly according to claim 11, wherein

said bottom support also being comprised of a lattice framework defining a plurality of respective spaced apertures extending from the respective interior wall to the respective exterior wall.

20. The plant container assembly according to claim 19, wherein

said bottom support is coupled to said sidewall support at a location orienting said bottom support above the ground when the container device is seated thereon.

21. The plant container assembly according to claim 20, further including:

a respective, relatively thin, moisture absorbent, bottom liner material disposed adjacent the interior wall of said lattice framework of said bottom support, said bottom liner material also being sufficiently penetrable to enable root penetration therethrough at said apertures.

22. The plant container assembly according to claim 11, wherein

said sidewall support being sufficiently flexible to resiliently bow from a substantially planar, non-assembled condition to a bowed, assembled condition.

23. The plant container assembly according to claim 22, wherein

said sidewall support is generally trapezoid-shaped, in the non-assembled condition, said sidewall support having opposed end edges configured to removeably couple together, in the assembled condition, forming a frustum-shaped container device.

24. The plant container assembly according to claim 23, further including:

a hinge mechanism hingeably coupling said opposed end edges to one another, in the assembled condition.

25. The plant container assembly according to claim 24, wherein

said bottom support is circular-shaped, having a circular peripheral edge, and

said sidewall support defining a receiving groove formed and dimensioned for sliding receipt of said circular peripheral edge when oriented in the assembled condition.

26. The plant container assembly according to claim 25, wherein

said circular peripheral edge of said bottom support, and said receiving groove of said sidewall support cooperate in a snap-fit manner with one another.

27. The plant container assembly according to claim 25, wherein

said bottom support also being comprised of a lattice framework defining a plurality of respective spaced apertures extending from the respective interior wall to the respective exterior wall.

28. The plant container assembly according to claim 27, wherein

said bottom support is coupled to sidewall support at a location orienting said bottom support above the ground when the container device is seated thereon.

29. The plant container assembly according to claim 28, wherein

said sidewall support include a plurality of upstanding support rib members, spaced apart along the interior wall, and extending longitudinally from a lower portion of said interior sidewall and terminating at said receiving groove in a manner providing vertical support to said bottom support when received in the receiving groove.

30. The plant container assembly according to claim 24, wherein

said hinge mechanism includes a first set and second set of bracket members, each set disposed along a respective end edge of the sidewall support, said bracket members of the respective first set and second set being spaced-apart from one another, and defining a respective hinge passage each aligned along a respective hinge axis, said bracket members of said first set and said bracket members of said second set being off-set from one another enabling intercoupling, in the assembled condition, in a manner substantially co-axially aligning the respective hinge axes with one another;

and

a hinge rod formed and dimensioned for sliding receipt through the aligned hinge passages.

31. The plant container assembly according to claim 11, wherein

said sidewall support comprising independent first and second sidewall members, each sidewall member being sufficiently flexible to resiliently bow between a substantially planar, non-assembled condition and a bowed, assembled condition.

32. The plant container assembly according to claim 31, wherein

each said first and second sidewall member defining opposed end edges, each end edge of the first sidewall is configured to hingeably couple together with a corresponding end edge of the second sidewall, for hinged movement between the substantially planar, non-assembled condition and the bowed, assembled condition.

33. The plant container assembly according to claim 32, wherein

said bottom support is circular-shaped, having a circular peripheral edge configured to contact the respective interior walls of said first and second sidewall members, facilitating retainment of the sidewall support in the bowed, assembled condition.

34. The plant container assembly according to claim 33, wherein

each said first and second sidewall member is generally trapezoid-shaped, in the substantially planar, such that in the bowed, assembled condition, said sidewall support is frustum-shaped.

35. The plant container assembly according to claim 32, further including:

a first hinge mechanism hingeably coupling the corresponding end edges of said first sidewall member and said second sidewall member to one another, and

a second hinge mechanism hingeably coupling the corresponding opposed end edges of said first sidewall member and said second sidewall member to one another.

36. The plant container assembly according to claim 35, wherein

said first hinge mechanism and said second hinge mechanism each includes a first set and second set of bracket members, said first set of bracket members of each hinge mechanism being disposed along the respective opposed end edges of said first sidewall member, and said second set of bracket members of each hinge mechanism being disposed along the respective opposed end edges of said second sidewall member,

the opposed bracket members of each respective first set being spaced-apart from one another along the respective opposed end edge, and each corresponding bracket member defining a respective longitudinal passage extending therethrough, and coaxially aligned with one another along a respective first longitudinal axis, and

the opposed bracket members of each second set also being spaced-apart from one another along the respective opposed end edges, and each corresponding bracket member defining a respective longitudinal passage extending therethrough, and coaxially aligned with one another along a respective second hinge axis, said respective bracket members of said respective first set and said bracket members of said second set of bracket members being off-set from one another enabling intercoupling therebetween in a manner substantially co-axially aligning the respective first hinge axis of the respective first set of bracket members with the respective second hinge axis of the respective second set of bracket members;

and

a respective hinge rod formed and dimensioned for sliding receipt through the respective aligned first and second hinge passages for respective hinged coupling therebetween;

wherein said first hinge mechanism and said second hinge mechanism substantially maintain hinged coupling during movement of the first and second sidewall members between the substantially planar, non-assembled condition and the bowed, assembled condition.

37. The plant container assembly according to claim 36, wherein

said first hinge mechanism and said second hinge mechanism both protrude interiorly from the respective interior walls.

38. A transplantable plant container assembly for containing a growing medium for a plant, said container assembly comprising:

a circular-shaped bottom support having an interior wall, an opposed exterior wall, and a circular peripheral edge extending between the interior wall and exterior wall;

a substantially planar first and second sidewall member, each having a respective interior wall and an opposed respective exterior wall, each said first and second sidewall member being comprised of a lattice framework defining a plurality of spaced apertures extending from the interior wall to the exterior wall, and each defining first end edges and opposed second end edges disposed adjacent one another; and

a first hinge mechanism and a second hinge mechanism each hingeably coupling the corresponding first end edges of said first sidewall member and said second sidewall member to one another, and the corresponding second end edges of said first sidewall member and said second sidewall member to one another when said respective interior walls face one another in a substantially parallel manner, in a substantially planar, non-assembled condition;

wherein said first and second sidewall members are sufficiently flexible to resiliently bow from the substantially planar, non-assembled condition to a bowed, assembled condition, when the circular peripheral edge of the bottom support engages the respective interior walls, facilitating retainment of the sidewall members in the bowed, assembled condition.

39. The plant container assembly according to claim 38, wherein

said bottom support is coupled to said first and second sidewall members at a location orienting said bottom support above the ground when the container device is seated thereon.

40. The plant container assembly according to claim 39, wherein

said first and second sidewall members defining a collective receiving groove in the respective interior walls thereof, formed and dimensioned for sliding receipt of said circular peripheral edge when oriented in the assembled condition.

41. The plant container assembly according to claim 40, wherein

said circular peripheral edge of said bottom support, and said receiving groove of said sidewall support cooperate in a snap-fit manner with one another.

42. The plant container assembly according to claim 41, wherein

each said first and second sidewall members include a plurality of respective upstanding support rib members, spaced apart along the respective interior walls, and extending longitudinally from a lower portion thereof and terminating at the respective receiving groove in a manner providing vertical support to said bottom support when received in the receiving groove.

43. The plant container assembly according to claim 38, wherein

each said first and second sidewall member is trapezoid-shaped, in the substantially planar, such that in the bowed, assembled condition, said sidewall support is frustum-shaped.

44. The plant container assembly according to claim 38, wherein

said first hinge mechanism and said second hinge mechanism each includes a first set and second set of bracket members, said first set of bracket members of each hinge mechanism being disposed along the respective opposed end edges of said first sidewall member, and said second set of bracket members of each hinge mechanism being disposed along the respective opposed end edges of said second sidewall member,

the opposed bracket members of each respective first set being spaced-apart from one another along the respective opposed end edge, and each corresponding bracket member defining a respective longitudinal passage extending therethrough, and coaxially aligned with one another along a respective first longitudinal axis, and

the opposed bracket members of each second set also being spaced-apart from one another along the respective opposed end edges, and each corresponding bracket member defining a respective longitudinal passage extending therethrough, and coaxially aligned with one another along a respective second hinge axis, said respective bracket members of said respective first set and said bracket members of said second set of bracket members being off-set from one another enabling intercoupling therebetween in a manner substantially co-axially aligning the respective first hinge axis of the respective first set of bracket members with the respective second hinge axis of the respective second set of bracket members;

and

a first and second hinge rod formed and dimensioned for sliding receipt through the respective aligned first and second hinge passages for respective hinged coupling therebetween;

wherein said first hinge mechanism and said second hinge mechanism substantially maintain hinged coupling during movement of the first and second sidewall members between the substantially planar, non-assembled condition and the bowed, assembled condition.

45. The plant container assembly according to claim 44, wherein

said first hinge mechanism and said second hinge mechanism both protrude interiorly from the respective interior walls.

46. The plant container assembly according to claim 38, wherein

a relatively thin, moisture absorbent liner material disposed adjacent said respective lattice framework, said liner material being sufficiently penetrable to enable root penetration therethrough at said apertures, yet having sufficient structural integrity, when moist, to bound the growing medium and moisture across the spaced apertures of said respective lattice framework when contained in said cavity.

47. A method of promoting air root pruning at a sidewall of a container device for the root system of a transplantable plant, said method comprising:

providing a container device having a sidewall support comprised of a lattice framework defining a plurality of spaced apertures extending from an interior wall of the sidewall support to an exterior wall thereof;

disposing a relatively thin, moisture absorbent liner material substantially adjacent to the interior wall and the lattice framework, said liner material being sufficiently penetrable to enable root penetration therethrough at said apertures, yet having sufficient structural integrity, when moist, to bound the growing medium and moisture across the spaced apertures of said lattice framework when contained in said cavity;

placing a root ball of a transplantable plant and growing medium into an interior cavity of the container device such that the growing medium substantially urges the liner material into supportive contact against interior wall and the lattice framework.

48. The method according to claim 47, further including:

moistening the liner material in a manner absorbing moisture.