Method for planting and stabilizing sods grown over plastic using vegetative planting material
First Claim
1. A method for planting and stabilizing sods grown over plastic sheeting comprising:
- planting and growing pure, whole sod stock of a desired cultivar over plastic sheeting in a sterile medium;
harvesting said whole sod;
separating harvested sod into vegetative planting material to form plantlets;
suspending said plantlets in a liquid slurry;
laying plastic sheeting of a predetermined width on a ground surface, said plastic sheeting being bounded on the lateral edges thereof by only an adjacent second plastic sheeting of the same width to be laid down; and
discharging said slurry evenly over said plastic sheeting, wherein said plantlets in the liquid slurry are applied onto said plastic sheeting in an amount such that they are both a planting material and a stabilizing, protective mulch that maintains the integrity and the purity of the young sod crop, thereby obviating the need to dispense a cover sheet over said discharged slurry of plantlets.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for planting and stabilizing soilless sods is taught, beginning with planting pure stock of the desired cultivar in sterile media over plastic sheeting. The pure stock, once it has matured into a sod, it is harvested and milled into vegetative planting material. The milled material is suspended in a liquid slurry in an agitating tank and discharged into a trailing planter assembly that spreads the slurry evenly over unrolling plastic sheeting where it acts not only as planting material but, in sufficient quantities, also as a stabilizing protective mulch that maintains the integrity of the young sod crop in severe storms. Unlike sprigs or stolons the milled planting stock is produced from whole plant tissue and is comprised of many plantlets with intact root, stem, and leaf tissue. A bushel of milled turf plantlets is much more dense than a bushel of sprigs or stolons and comprises meristems from all parts of the plant including roots, crowns, and rhizomes.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for planting and stabilizing sods grown over plastic sheeting comprising:
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planting and growing pure, whole sod stock of a desired cultivar over plastic sheeting in a sterile medium;
harvesting said whole sod;
separating harvested sod into vegetative planting material to form plantlets;
suspending said plantlets in a liquid slurry;
laying plastic sheeting of a predetermined width on a ground surface, said plastic sheeting being bounded on the lateral edges thereof by only an adjacent second plastic sheeting of the same width to be laid down; and
discharging said slurry evenly over said plastic sheeting, wherein said plantlets in the liquid slurry are applied onto said plastic sheeting in an amount such that they are both a planting material and a stabilizing, protective mulch that maintains the integrity and the purity of the young sod crop, thereby obviating the need to dispense a cover sheet over said discharged slurry of plantlets. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for planting and stabilizing sods grown over plastic sheeting comprising:
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planting and growing pure, whole sod stock of a desired cultivar over plastic sheeting in a sterile medium;
harvesting said whole sod;
miling harvested sod into vegetative planting material to form plantlets;
suspending said plantlets in a liquid slurry;
laying plastic sheeting of a predetermined width on a ground surface, said plastic sheeting being bounded on the lateral edges thereof by only an adjacent second plastic sheeting of the same width to be laid down;
discharging said slurry evenly over said plastic sheeting, and infiltrating said evenly applied slurry of plantlets with a quantity of a growing medium, wherein said plantlets of the slurry are applied onto the plastic sheeting in an amount such that they are both a planting material and a stabilizing, protective mulch that maintains the integrity and the purity of the young sod crop, thereby obviating the need to dispense a cover sheet over said discharged slurry of plantlets. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of producing a vegetative planting material substantially free from soil contamination and suitable for sod cultivation comprising:
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planting and growing pure, whole, sod stock of a desired cultivar over plastic sheeting in a sterile medium;
harvesting said whole sod; and
separating harvested sod into vegetative planting material, wherein the separating comprises grinding, shredding, chopping, ginning, or milling said harvested sod and wherein the vegetative planting material consists essentially of whole plant tissues comprised of a mixture of leaf, stem, stolon, roots, crowns, and rhizomes.
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Specification