Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SPECIFICATION
This invention relates to the art of potting relatively
large plants, such as bushes and trees, permitting them to grow
for a prolonged period in a nursery to develop roots which ~vill
spread when transplanted and yet containing the stem and roots
5 for easy transportation without loss of the potting soil.
Specifically, the invention deals with an open lattice rigid wire
basket with a flat bottom, tapered side walls, and square
corners, and a pulp board or cardboard liner for the basket
having holes at the bottoms of the corners together with a
10 perforated cover preventing dislodging of the potting soil during
shipment.
Hereto~ore, pots, tubs, burlap sacks, and the like
containers for the stem and roots of trees and bushes have had
configurations which cause the roots to girdle and wind around
the confined area of the container. It has been found that the
thus developed circular root pattern will be maintained even a~er
the bush or tree is removed from the container and transplanted.
Thus, instead of spreading outwardly, the roots will continue
to circle in conformity with the paths that were established in
20 the container. This root girdling stunts growth and leaves the
transplanted bush or pIant without a good root anchor. The
heretofore used pots and tubs a]so had to be removed ~or
transplanting, causing loss of soil and leaving the roots exposed.
Roots and stems balled up in burlap bags had to be buried in
25 ~ surrounding soil even when temporarily stored in nurseries,
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and the burlap bags offered no protection against loosening of
the soil around the roots.
According to this invention, the deficiencies of the
prior art handling of potting large bushes and trees to encourage
nursery growth and to facilitate shipment for transplant are
avoided by pot~ing the plants in rigid square or rectangular wire
baskets supporting fiberboard or cardboard liners which provide
square corners and open holes at the bottoms of the corners.
A perforated fiberboard or cardboard cover can also be provided
to prevent disruption of soil during shipment. The square
corners provided by the liner form obstructions causing otherwise
girdling roots to grow downwardly to the holes where they can
either grow outwardly beyond the basket or, if ex~osed ~o the
atmosphere, will wither and stop growing. This establishes a ?
" 15 growth pattern within the con~ainer which will develop outward
root growth after transplanting. The liner adequately confines
the soil prior to transplanting and can easily be removed or
- ruptured at the transplanting site where the basket is buried in
the ground. Further, the liner can be bio-degradable so that
it will eventually disintegrate after the basket is buried in the
ground.
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The containers of thls invention make possible ~he
potting of trees for a prolonged growing period, up to three ~zears,`
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before transplanting. Thus, a nursery can grow large trees for
easy shipment in containers in which they were originally planted~
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The root growth is not disturbed and the nutrients and soil
surrounding the roots in the container are protected during
shipment and remain undisturbe~ after transplanting.
The baskets are conveniently siæed for the anticipated
sizes of trees or bushes tO be grown therein and can, for
example, vary from a 16-inch square at the bottom with a 14-
inch height to a 4()-inch square at the bottom wîth a 26-inch
height. The sides preferably have a taper of from 10 to lS
degrees. The wire for the basket is relatively heavy and rigid
with a diameter of about 1/4 to about 3/16 inches. The basket
is preferably formed with three hoops and eight loops with the
loops being spot-welded to the hoops.
The basket liner can be composed o~ any suitable
fiberboard or pulp board fortned, for example, from waste or
recycled paper pulp and will preferably have a thickness of from
abou~ .û60 to about .080 inches. If desired, the liner could he
composed of thinner plastic sheets.
The present invention provides a potting container for
plants having an open lattice wire hasket with a bottom, sides
and an open top with angled corners of not more than about
90 degrees between the sides and having a liner fittiTIg the bottom
and sides of the basket with holes in the liner at the bottom
corners thereof.
In a further aspect of the present invention the potting
container is a square tapered tub for planting trees and the llke
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composcd of a wire basket having a Elat bottom, four side walls
tapering upwardly from the periphery of the bottom having right
angled corners therebetween and an open top larger than the
bottom. The basket is composed of widely spaced hoops and
5 loops of wire strands with open spaces therebetween. A sheet
matexial liner in the basket covers the open spaces and lies
against the bottom and side walls of the basket with conforming
right angled corners. Holes in the liner are provided at the
bottoms of the corners.
The invention also provîdes a method of potting and
transplanting large plants where ~he roots and bottom of the stem
of the plant is embedded in earth and is surrounded by an earth
retaining liner ~hat has angled corners and holes at the bottoms
of the corners. This liner is supported in an open basket. The
15 plant is allowed to grow in the basket supported liner for
developing a root pattern and root girdling is blocked at the
corners of the liner forcing the roots to grow downwardly to the
holes. The thus potted plant can be transported for transplanting
after its root pattern has developed and the liner is then
20 removed wlth the basket being buried in the ground so that the
roots may spread through the open lattice of the baske~ to
anchor the plant and supply nourishment to the plant.
Further features of the invention include constructing
the liner of three pieces of fiberboard includin~ a bottom piece,
25 and two slde pieces with interlocking flaps. A perforated cover
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for the lined basket can be provided to fit in the open top of
the basket supported liner and this cover has a central aperture
for the stem of the plant with a myriad of apertures surrounding
the central aperture to accommodate water drainage.
In another specific aspect of the Lnvention, the
basket has three square hoops increasing in size from the bottom
to the top of the basket and a plurality of wire loops are secured
to these hoops to provide supporting legs extending along the
sides and across the bottom of the basket. The side walls of
the basket preferably taper at angles of fmm about 10 to 15
degrees.
ON THE DR~WIN~S
Figure 1 is a top isometric view of a conventional tub
-, for planting trees and showing the root girdling paths developed
I 15 by the tub;
-' Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the
components of the container of this invention ~or developing
~ spreading root growth;
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Figure 3 is a tap plan ~iew of a container of this
' 20 invention;
i,1 Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view of ~he container
of this invention t~ken along the line I~-IV of Figure 3;
, Figure 5 on ~heet 1 o~ the drawings is a fra~mentary
i ~ottom plan view of the oonta~ner of this invention taken along the ~5 line ~V of Figure 4; and
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Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the
container of this invention showing the spreading root pattern
that is developed in the container.
In Figure 1, a prior art tub or pot P of cylindrical
5 configuration is illustrated as having ~he stem S of a large plant
such as a bush or tree planted in soil or earth E filling the pot.
Roots 1~ radiate from the stem and, as shown, are directed by
the cylindrical wall of the pot P in a circular direction to girdle
the-stèm S. The roots will eventually intertwine themselves
10 - within a circular peiripheral pattern. It has been found that
roots have a mernory fron~ initial growth and will continue to
follow their initial growth pattern even when the confining tub or
pot P is removedO
Thus, even after transplanting, the stem S of the tree ~-
will have little or no lateral anchorage from the roots R and the
roots, in continuing to circle about the stem, will soon absorb
all of the nutrients from the small area of earth E in which they
are encased. Thus, the tree will be stunted in growth and have
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little or no root anchorage against uprooting by wind and erosion
of the soll.
The contalner 10 of this invention, on the other hand,
will develop a ~root pattern that will spread after transplanting
even though a portion of the container is buried in the ground
upon transplanting. -
As shown in Figure 2, the container 10 of this
invention is composed of a basket 11, a liner 12, and a cover 13.
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The basket 11 is of open lattice wire construction
with a square flat bottom 14 and four tapered side walls 1~
diverging upwardly from said bottoln to an open top. The side
walls diverge from the bo~tom at an angle of about 10 tO 1;~
5 preferably 12 degrees.
The basket 11 is composed of three square wire hoops
including a bottom hoop 16~ a middle hoop 17 and a top hoop 18.
Eight loops of wire, 19 to 26 inclusive, formed from four ~ire
strands, embrace the hoops with two loops being welded to each
10 side of each square hoop in spaced relation from the corners of
the hoops and from each other.
As shown, the loops 19 and 24, 20 and 23, 21 and 26,
and 22 and 25 are formed`from single lengths of wire. Thus,
the loops 19 and 24 have rounded bight top ends 27 above the
15 top hoop 18 with side legs 28 depending therefrom over the
three hoops to bottom legs 29 which are bent under the bottorn
hoop 16. The cnds of this wire strand is welded together at 30
and welds 31 secure the side legs to the hoops. The loops 20
and 23 are similarly formed with top bight portions 27, side
20 legs 28, and bottom legs 29.
~ The loops 21 and 26 are ~ormed from a single ~ ire
strand with top bight portions 32, depending side legs 33 and
bottom legs 34 bent around the bottom hoop 16 and underl~-ing~ the
- legs 29. The ends of this wire strand are similarly welded
together at 35 and welds 3O connect the side legs 33 with ~he
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hoops 16, 17 and 18 while welds 37 connect the legs 29 with the
legs 34. The loops 22 and ~5 are similarly formed from a
single strand of wire with similar top bight ends 32, side legs 33
and bottom legs 34.
Thus, the basket is formed from three hoops of wire
and four strands of wire forming eight hoop embracing loops with
rounded top bights or ends e~tending above the top hoop.
The liner 12 is composed of a flat square piece 38 of
pulp board or cardboard or plastic sized to fit the bottom of the
basket 11 to rest on the legs 29 and 34 thereof. Two side
pieces 39 of similar pulp board, cardboard, or plastic, cooperate
to form the sides of the liner resting on the bottom-38. Each
piece 39 has an end wall 40 with side flaps 41, 41 folded at 42
to form right angle COrnerS. The side flaps 41, 41 have slots
43, 43 extending horizontally inward from their free ends thue
providing between the slots a tab 43a in the middle section of
each flap 41 at the free edge of the flap. These tabs 43a are
- adapted to be overlapped with the end edges of the flaps 41 being
inserted in the slots to form an overlapped interlocking tongue
" 20 and groove connection joining the flaps to form side walls for
the end walls 40 thereby providing a closed periphery upstanding
` ~ square tube. The pieces forrning the sides of the liner are cut
and folded to conform with the taper of the basket so that they
will fit snugly against the wire strands of the basket.
The bottom corners of the liner l3 are cut out to
form semi-circular open bottom holes 44 bisected by the fold
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lines 42 ~t the corners of the liner. ~hese holes can have a
diameter of 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 inches clepending upon the size of
the liner.
As shown in Figure 6, the stem S of a tree or the
like plant has roots R embedded in earth E filling the liner 12
contained in the basket 11. These roo~s are branched from the
stem S and when they reach a wall of the liner 12 they will
follow the wall until they reach a corner at a fold line 42 of the
liner whereupon instead of circling the perimeter of the liner
they will grow downwardly at R1 to eventually enter the holes 44
at the bottoms of the corners where some of them might project
through the holes and if exposed to the atmosphere they will dxy
up. However, the corners create desired downwardly growing
roots R1 to form a root pattern outwardly of the stem S whichj i
- 15 when released from the confines of the liner 12, will continue to
grow downwardly and outwardly in the earth surrounding the
submerged basket 11 to form a good root anchor and a spreading
root development for nourishing the stem S.
If desired, the top sur-face of the earth E potted in :
tbe liner 12 can be covered with a sheet 13 of pulp board, or
the like material. Thls sheet has a central hole 45 for loosely
embracing the stem S and has a myriad perforation 46 surround-
ing the central hole 45 to vent the earth E to the atmosphere
and to accommodate drainage of water into the earth. A slot 47
25~ extends radially frorn the hole 4,5 to one edge of the sheet 13
so that th~sheet can easily be placed around the stem S.
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Tlle sheet is especially useful when transporting the potted tree
or bush for transplanting since it will prevent disruption of the
earth E. The sheet also prevents weed growth around the stem.
When the potted tree or bush is transported to the
5 transplant site, a hole sufficiently large to submerge the entire
basket 11 is provided, and the liner 12 is torn out through the
open lattice of the basket as rnuch as is practical so that the
submerged roots can readily grow through the wide s)pen spaces
of the basket, both outwardly and downwardly. The basket is
10 preferably submerged above the bigh~ ends 27 and 32 of its loops.
- From the above descriptions it will thus be understood
that this invention provides an ine~pensive, lightweight container
for potting large plants such as bushes and trees which will
develop a spreading root growth pattern, can be used in nurseries
15 for a prolonged period to grow trees up to threc inches in
diameter, is easily transported ~o a transplanting site without
- disruption of the roots and the soil surrounding the roots and is
then buried into the ground where it will not interfere with the
spreading root growth.
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