Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for growing plants,
particularly growing of forest plants, such as spruce and
pine.
Background of the Invention
As growing substrate for growing forest plants
compressed peat is advantageously used, and that substrate
has been tested in both so called seed discs and the so called
Multlcomp*-system.
A seed disc may comprise a compressed peat disc ;
which carries, in a small recess, one or a couple of seeds
and is surrounded by a cover of a sheet material of plastic,
for instance. The cover is open downwardly to permit moisture
to come into the peat, and upwardly it has a few slits or
holes to permit start up of the plant. Such seed discs are
placed in ground preparation cavities where the discs absorb
moisture and expand. Due to the moisture absorption the
~- seeds grow whereupon the start up of the plant takes place ~ ~
and the roots branch out and go down into the soil through r
the opening at the under side of the disc.
The Multicomp*-system comprises small discs of co~pressed
peat, each disc carrying one or more seeds, which discs
~` are carried by a suitable support plate having shallow
troughs to accomodate one peat disc each. The troughs are
~ nearly without a bottom, so that each disc is carried by a
: narrow edge flange. These support plates in turn are carried `
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; on a wire net or the like. After moistening of the peat discs
the seeds grow and the plant sta-rts up. The roots branch out
strongly towards the under surface and side sur-
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faces of the discs, but they cannot extend much beyond these
surfaces, as the roots cannot grow in air. The ~'Multicomp"-
method may be classified with the methods which are some-
times referred to as "growing on air slot'~, in as much as
the peat discs are slightly spaced from each other on the
support plates, i.e. there is a small air slot between
the discs, and in as much as the support plates in turn are
supported on a wire net or the like, spaced from the soil
surface, during growing in the nursery.
e seed discs have many advantages, for instance in
that the cover thereof provides a very efficient protection
against drying out. Further, they are usually made in such
a manner that they easily absorb heat, for which reason
the temperature therein generally is slightly higher than
that of the soil or ambient air, which is of advantage to
both the germination of the seeds and the growth of the
plants. The seed discs also have the advantages of less ;~
competition from the surrounding vegetation~ less risk for
attacks by noxious insects, less risk for freezing up and
a very good plant growth. me probably most important ad-
vantage of the seed discs is that they are so sturdy and
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strong that they may be laid out by means of mechanical imple-
ments.
However, the seed discs also have some drawbacks. As
they are laid out prior to the germination of the seeds, `
they are sometimes sub~ected to attacks from seed eating
rodents. Different means and methods to prevent attack- from
rodents have been found to be not fully sufficient. In some
instances iit has also been found that the germination has
been slightly irregular.
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Biologically, the "Multicomp"-system has beyond
all the advantage that the growing on air slot in peat ..
discs results in a very great number of active roots, which
ensures a good start and good growth of the plants. The
system is comparatively inexpensive and permits growing
of huge quantities of plants within comparatively restricted ;~
spaces, and also the possibility to transport great
quantities of plants from ,he nursery to the planting site
within very restricted transport volumes~
Among the drawbacks of the "Multicomp"-system should ~ -
be mentioned that the individual peat cubes obtained after ~.
moistening and expansion of the discs are susceptible to
drying out and are also delicate to handle.
:` Objects of the Invention
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~: One important object of the invention has been to
~ circumvent the above mentioned limitations and drawbacks of
:. ~he prior art germination and seedling promoting systems by
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providing a germination and seedling promoting method which : .
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promotes the development of a strong and richly branched
~` 20 out root system of the seedlings and which ensures that the :
`~ seedlings are well established as they are planted outt ~
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~ . Summary of the Invention
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`; According to the invention there is provided a method
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~ for growing plants such as trees, comprising steps of:
; (a) providing a substantially dry substrate, having at least
one seed therein, with a downwardly open cover of water-
: 27 impermeable material, the substrate and cover being shaped
to be capable of independent erect support on a lower side
thereof; (b) at a place remote from the final planting site,
~ ~ moistening the substrate through its downwardly open cover
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to enable germination of the seed to start; (c) supporting
the moistened substrate so that the dovnwardly open side of
the cover and the substrate exposed at such open side are
substantially exposed to an air space; (d) while so supported,
permitting germination of the seed, and emergence of the
seedling from the cover to take place under selected
conditions until a substantial root system has been established
within the substrate with the downward growth of numerous
roots of the seedling being arrested by their emergence
through the downwardly open cover into the air space; (e)
thereafter, transporting the emerged seedling to the final
planting site; and (f) planting it there, the planting
consisting of placing the growing seedling, with the arrested
emerged roots directed against the surface of the soil, the
cover being left thereon intactly.
Brief Figure Description
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~ In order that the invention may be clearly understood,
i~ it will now be described, by way of example, with reference
to the accompanying drawing which shows, in section and
very schematically, a germination and seedling promoting
; unit to be used with the method according to the invention,
` Description of Preferred Embodiments
The plant growing unit comprises a growth substrate in
: the form of an expanded peat body 10, covered by a water ~,
.. .
` impermeable cover 11 of a thin sheet of plastic material or
the like. The cover ll has a small opening 12 at the
upper side thereof, and it has a slightly larger opening
13 at the under side thereof. The unit rests on a net or
grid shaped support 1~, which in turn rests on a suitable
frame 15,16.
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To start with, the peat body 10 consists of a
comparatively thin disc of compressed peat which is provided :
with one or more seeds, preferably in a small recess in
the upper side of the body. Then, the disc is provided
with the cover 11. A plurality of units of th~s kind are
then placed on the support 14 and are thoroughly moistened
whereby the peat expands strongly.
After some time the seed or the seeds germinate and the
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start up ~f the seedling takes place whereupon the units
are left resting on the support 14 during the growth of the
seedling.
During the continued plant growth a richly branched
out root system is obtained. This is due to the fact that
as the downwardly extending root threads come out through
the lowermost opening 13 of the cover they stop growing,
as they cannot grow in air, and instead new root threads
are branched out into the cubstrate. Therefore, when the
seedling is well established in the unit~ there exists `
within the area of the opening 13 a very large number of
root threads which are prepared to immediate grow in into
the mineral soil, as the plant is placed out in a ground
preparation cavity.
By a suitable choice of material of the cover, such
as plastic, the heat absorption of the unit may be controlled
to suit the climate. The heat radiation from the whole range
of wave lengths may be selectively controlled to optimal
intensity for the units. The heat emittance during the
colder part of the day may be positively affected in the
same way. Thus, the unit forms a miniature green-house
wh~ch follows the seedling through the nursery~ during the
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transport and out to the final planting site. This positive
` effect remains until the plant has grown up and become so
big that its own shadow covers the unit.
The expression controlled conditions has been used above
to cover maintaining~ in each particular case, the best
conditions Eor germination, start up of the seedling and
growth of the plant with respect to degree of moisture, ;~ ~
~emperature, fertilization~ termperature of the ambient -
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air etc.
~ t will be reali~ed that the prior art seed disc, which
is somewhat complicated in that it has to be provided with
some form of protection against attacks from rodents, is
utilized in a simplified version for plant growing in a
nursery while using a method which slightly resembles the
"Multicomp"-system.
The water impermeable cover does not only reduce the
risk for drying out and give a better heat maintenance
ability but also gives the advantage that the root body
of the established plant forms a firm and sturdy unit which
can stand considerable stresses by transport and planting,
without damages. Further, the method according to the in-
vention also permits sorting out and reuse of so called
O-units, i.e. units wherein no germination and start up of
a seedling has occurred. Of course, this was not possible ~-
previously as the seed discs where laid out dry for ger-
mination and start up of the seedling at the planting site.
The method according to the invention remedies to a
large extent the previous seasonal limitation to the spring
and early summer, which has been a problem in the past.
Nhen the seedling is well established in its substrate
(the disc), the number of plants that die is small, the
growth is excellent and all problems with rodents are
naturally avoided.
~ ith a]Ll previously known planting methods it has been
necessary to dig down the roots into the mineral soil. Further
it has been necessary to pack the soil around the roots.
According to the invention, on the contrary, it is possible
to lay out the unit with a living plant on the ground surface,
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wiehout diggin8 it down, which is completely unique. During
this phase, the unit itself forms a protection against evapo-
ration also from the ground. The roots may see~ their way
down into the mineral soil under the hide of the unit.
The active root thread tips resu]Lt in that the roots grow
out fast so that the plant grows fixed to the soil in the
shortest possible time~ ~
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