Plant roots and bulb protection system

• US 6,067,752 A
• Filed: 04/10/1999
• Issued: 05/30/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dorothy A. Bryan, Percy W. Bryan Jr
• Original Assignee: Dorothy A. Bryan, Percy W. Bryan Jr
• Inventors: Bryan, Dorothy A., Bryan, Percy W. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Carone, Michael J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRENCH, FREDRICK T
• Application Number:
  US09/303,620
• Time in Patent Office: 416 Days
• Field of Search: 47/73, 47/76, 47/75, 47/78, 47/79, 47/82, 47/485, 47/44, 47/45, 47/46, 47/47, 47/59, 47/27, 47/26, 47/29, 47/30, 47/31, 206/805, 220/493, 52/165
• US Class Current: 47/73
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 13/10 Devices for affording protection against animals, birds or other pests A01G13/0243 takes precedence; scaring or repelling devices A01M29/00

Abstract

A bulb and root protection system for allowing bulbs and rooted plants to be planted in the ground and protected from small burrowing animals. A protection cage has a top edge, and encloses a volume. The protection cage is open at the top edge. The protection cage is placed in the soil up to the top edge wherein bulbs or rooted plants are placed inside an interior volume of the protection cage, and the protection cage is filled with soil. Small animals are prevented from reaching the bulb or planted roots by the protection cage, but roots growing from the bulb or plants can grow and penetrate the mesh of the protection cage. The bulb and plant root protection system is additionally provided with a flexible liner provided within the interior volume. A dual purpose stabilizing strut is also provided with the plant root and bulb protection system, the strut comprising an anchor portion and a water dispensing portion for dispensing water below the surface of the ground to the plants roots or the bulb.

Claims

1. A plant root and bulb protection system adapted to be buried in the ground for protecting bulbs and plant roots planted in the protection system from ground burrowing pests, the protection system comprising;

a protective cage formed of a rigid mesh configuration, having an interior volume enclosed by at least one side wall having a depth, an at least partially open top and an enclosed bottom,

said at least one side wall having a plurality of slits partially extending along said depth toward said enclosed bottom forming a plurality of discrete fins around a periphery of the top edge of the protective cage;

a stabilizing strut attached to the at least one side wall of said protective cage to stabilize the protective cage in the ground, said stabilizing strut having an upper portion having a length and a lower portion, the upper portion and the lower portion joined at an intermediate point along said stabilizing strut,

the lower portion of the strut being a solid rod having at least one projection pivotally attached to the rod and extending away from the lower portion of the strut to anchor the protection system in the ground, the lower portion of the strut being adapted to prevent removal from the ground of the protection system,

the upper portion comprising a hollow tube being open at an upper end and having a spout intermediate along the length of said upper portion for irrigating the interior volume of said protective cage, said upper portion having a removable cap to close the hollow tube; and

wherein in use, the protective cage and attached stabilizing strut being buried in the ground with said fins extending above a surface of said ground and the upper portion of said stabilizing strut extending at least partially above said surface of said ground permitting ingress of water, the lower potion of the stabilizing strut extending substantially into the ground below the enclosed bottom of said protective cage thus stabilizing and supporting said protective cage, said fins being folded toward a center of the protective cage along the surface of the ground forming a folded cover for said protection system lieing in a plane formed by the surface of the ground, each fin overlapping horizontally and being secured with a clamp to each adjacent fin leaving a centrally formed opening for a plant stalk to extend above the surface of the ground.

2. The plant root and bulb protection system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one projection of the lower portion of the stabilizing strut is a spring action anchor which collapses peripherally along the lower portion of the stabilizing strut during insertion into the ground and springs outwardly engaging surrounding subterranean ground.

3. The plant root and bulb protection system according to claim 2, wherein the at least one projection of the lower portion of the stabilizing strut is a spring action anchor and the at least one projection comprises two oppositely directed projections.

4. The plant root and bulb protection system according to claim 1, wherein the protection system further comprises a flexible coupling liner insertable into and conforming to the interior volume of the protective cage for protecting bulbs and plant roots from ground burrowing insects while allowing said plant roots to penetrate to an exterior of said protective cage.

5. The plant root and bulb protection system according to claim 4, wherein the flexible coupling liner being formed of coated fiberglass.

6. The plant root and bulb protection system according to claim 4, wherein the flexible coupling liner being formed of a flexible material being non-biodegradable.

7. The plant root and bulb protection system according to claim 1, wherein the stabilizing strut being formed of a non-corrodible material.

8. The plant root and bulb protection system according to claim 1, wherein the irrigating of the interior volume of the protective cage being through pressure injection.