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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a system for domestic cultivation of exotic plants.
More
particularly, the invention relates to a system that allows exotic plants to
grow in colder
climates, in which such plants would not ordinarily thrive or even survive, by
providing
an ordered soil layering an in-ground irrigation and aeration system.
Some of the most beautiful plants are found in exotic settings. In particular,
many
sought-after species of flowers are only found growing in The Orient. When
western
gardeners seek to grow these plants under the climate conditions of their own
locale, such
plants will not thrive, and will typically die. Even if these plants live
during the summer,
they will not typically survive the winter, even in the warmest climates in
the United
States.
One attempted solution is to grow such plants indoors. However, indoor
nurseries can
only cultivate a plant and keep it healthy while it remains indoors. Thus,
they are suitable
for commercial production of plants for medical uses and the like. They still
do not allow
these plants to be enjoyed in a more natural outdoor garden setting.
My previous patent application, serial number 09/642,415, describes a
cultivation system
which helps maintain proper temperature and soil moisture, and thereby
provides proper
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conditions for cultivating exotic plants in otherwise unsuitable environments.
However,
the invention as described therein relies upon periodic manual irrigation.
What is needed
is a system that can provide all of the benefits of my previous invention, yet
also provides
time-released irngation and provides the additional benefits associated with
soil aeration.
United States Patent No. 4,920,694 to Higa discloses a method for culturing
plants, which
involves creating a soil filled cavity within the ground, sealing it from the
surroundings
with a moisture-proof barrier, extending a pipe through the cavity, and
providing
continuous irngation to the plants with permeable portions of the pipe.
Accordingly, while these units may be suitable for the particular purpose
employed, or
for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purpose of the present
invention as
disclosed hereafter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to produce a system, which allows exotic
plants to be
cultivated in colder and dryer domestic settings. Accordingly, the present
invention
provides a system that allows these plants to thrive despite the colder
weather
encountered in climates such as those found in the United States, and dryer
climates
found therein.
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It is a further object of the invention to provide a system that allows exotic
plants to grow
at a faster rate. Accordingly, the present invention provides unique moisture,
aeration,
heat retention, and nutritive properties, which are ideally suited to the
cultivation of
exotic plants.
It is another object of the invention to provide a system that substantially
increases the
moisture within the soil and allows the plants to be irrigated automatically.
Accordingly,
the system provides an elongated underground tank, which holds water and
releases the
water into the soil over a period of time. The tank may be automatically
filled by a
solenoid working in conjunction with a moisture sensor when the moisture level
within
the tank drops below a calibrated level.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a system that provides
constant
moisture to the plants. Accordingly, a plurality of wick assemblies extend
upward from
the water tank, to slowly carry moisture to the plant roots by capillary
action.
It is a still further object of~the invention to provide a system that aids in
the aeration of
the plants. Accordingly, when the tank is empty it contains air. As the tank
is filled the
air therein is forced to release into the soil. As the tank slowly empties air
is pulled into
the tank. In this regard, the fill hose can act as a vent to the region
underneath the
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planting area. Accordingly, the use of the tank promotes aeration of the soil.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a system that is simple
to implement.
Accordingly, the system requires the installation of a small tank and the
careful, ordered
5 layering of the specified materials. The tank and the controlled layering
according to the
present invention provide an idealized environment for exotic plants to
thrive.
The invention is a system for cultivation tropic plants in a garden having a
ground
surface. A hole is initially dug to a depth of approximately three feet below
the ground
surface. A layer of ceramic tile is established at the bottom of the hole, and
is covered
with a layer of small rocks. A water tank having a tank interior is placed on
the top of the
rocks, the water tank having a plurality of wicking mechanisms in
communication with
the tank interior. Then layers of vegetative cuttings and manure are
established on top of
the tank. Then fertile topsoil originally from the hole is replaced in a mix
with sand to a
depth of substantially one foot. The contents are allowed to settle and are
thoroughly
watered. The tank is filled with water through a fill hose, which extends
above the
ground surface. The exotic plant is then planted in potting soil thereabove,
and is
maintained and allowed to thrive by moisture rising through the wicking
devices, as well
as nutritive and thermodynamic properties established by the various layers.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects of the invention may be
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embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is
called to the
fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are
contemplated as
being part of the invention, limited only by the scope of the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings, like elements are depicted by like reference numerals. The
drawings are
briefly described as follows.
FIG 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating early steps of the
inventive system,
wherein a hole has been dug and soil removed from the ground, and wherein a
base layer
of tiles has been placed at the bottom of the hole.
FIG 2 is a cross sectional view, wherein the tiles have been covered by small
rocks, and
the water tank has been placed above the rocks according to the present
invention.
FIG 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating one of the wicking
devices
according to the present invention.
FIG 4 is a perspective view, illustrating the wicking devices partially extend
upward from
the water tank.
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FIG 5 illustrates one portion of a frame used to partially enclose the water
tank when
configured for use with potted plants.
FIG 6 is a diagrammatic perspective view, illustrating the water tank mounted
within the
frame, wherein a fill hose is in communication with the water tank through a
solenoid,
and a water sensor is also in communication with the water for selectively
activating the
solenoid when moisture within the tank is detected as being below a calibrated
moisture
level.
FIG 7 is a cross sectional view of a planting area, illustrating the water
tank installed
underground, between the ordered layers as forth by the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG 1 illustrates a planting area 10, having a ground surface l OS. A hole 12
has been dug
within said planting area 10. The hole 12 preferably extends about three feet
below the
ground surface l OS. When the hole 12 is dug, topsoil 15 extending
approximately one
foot of the soil depth is stored in a storage bin such as a wheelbarrow. The
remaining soil
will not be used and should be set aside. The hole 12 is illustrated in FIG 1
as having
finite boundaries. However the hole 12 may in fact be a trench or canal of
considerable
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length.
Once the hole 12 has been dug to a satisfactory depth, a base layer 20 is
created using
ceramic tiles 22. The tiles 22 are preferably standard four inch by four inch
shiny
(glazed) tiles, and are place close together, with a gap between tiles which
is preferably
on half inch.
Referring to FIG 2, once the base layer 20 has been created using the tiles
22, a layer of
small rocks 24, which may comprise gravel or broken cement, is placed directly
over the
tiles 22 of the base layer 20. A water tank 50 is placed longitudinally within
the hole 12.
Refernng to FIG 4, the water tank 50 is substantially cylindrical and hollow,
having a
tubular sidewall 52 and a pair of end caps 54 which together define an
interior volume.
The sidewall 52 has a bottom surface 53 and a top surface 54. The top surface
54 has a
plurality of wick openings 56 which are periodically spaced longitudinally
along the
water tank 50. In addition, a fill hose 58 is attached to the water tank 50 at
the top
surface, in communication with the interior volume, for adding water to said
water tank
50.
A plurality of wick assemblies 60 extend in the wick openings 56, and extend
both
downwardly into the interior volume and upward from the top surface 54.
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FIG 3 details one of the wick assemblies 60. In particular, each wick assembly
has small
tube 62 having two open ends 64 with a wick 66 extending therethrough. Each
wick 66
has a head 63 at its uppermost point. In particular, the wick 66 is a soft
absorbent
material, such as cotton, and may be similar to air conditioner filter
material. The wick
66 is bound tightly with fine copper wire 68 to facilitate its insertion into
the small tube
62. The copper wire 69 wraps around the wick 66 in a spiral substantially from
end to
end, extending to nearly the head 63. Preferably the wick 66 is substantially
five inches
long, and the small tube 62 is approximately one inch long, and one-quarter
inch in
diameter.
The small tubes 62 are inserted partially into the wick openings 56 and are
secured
thereat. Accordingly the small tubes 62 extend transverse to the tubular
sidewall 52 of
the tank. Typically, both the tank and the small tubes 62 are made of plastic.
Accordingly, each tube 62 is preferably secured to the tank top surface 64
with a
cyanoacrylicate adhesive applied around wick openings 56. Preferably, the tank
is a PVC
tube having a diameter of approximately 4 inches. Preferably, the small tubes
62 are
attached to the tank midway on said tube 62. Accordingly, the wick assembly 60
extends to nearly the tank bottom 53 so as to fully utilize any water
contained therein.
The wick assemblies 60 act as a moisture accumulator, siphoning water upward
into the
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soil by capillary action, and slowly release the water into the soil.
Accordingly, the water
is released in a time-released fashion.
Referring to FIG 7, once the tank 50 is in place, the fill hose 58 is
positioned so that it
5 extends to above the ground surface 1 OS, the fill hose 58 may also be
networked with fill
hoses 58 attached to other tanks 50 to irngate other adjacent planting areas
10.
After the tank 60 has been positioned within the hole, it is covered with a
filter sheet 70.
The filter sheet 70 is preferably made of air conditioning filter material.
The filter sheet
10 70 helps spread out moisture from the wick assemblies 60. In addition, the
filter sheet 70
helps remove chemicals from the water (such as chlorine) before it reaches the
upper soil
and roots.
Additional layers are added thereabove to supply the nutritive and physical
base for
allowing the plants to grow. Accordingly, a layer of vegetative cuttings 26 is
placed over
the tank 50. The vegetative cuttings 26 can be cut branches, leaves, twigs, or
the like.
A layer of manure 28 is placed over the vegetative cuttings 26. The layer of
manure can
be up to two feet deep. Chicken, steer, or horse manure can be used -
whichever is most
convenient.
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Above the manure 28, the topsoil 15 is replaced. However, the topsoil 15 is
preferably
mixed with sand, and then is used to create the uppermost one-foot layer,
which should
reach the same level as the original ground surface l OS. Only fertile topsoil
15 should be
used. Non-fertile soil should be discarded elsewhere. The topsoil and sand
layer 15
should be covered with bark 29, which helps keep moisture in the soil.
Once all layers have been established, the contents must settle in order to
create a stable
environment for planting. The easiest way to compact the soil is for the
gardener to step
on it with his own body weight. Then, the garden 10 must be watered well,
using an
ample quantity of water 31, as seen in FIG 3. Watering the soil will not only
add
moisture to the various layers, but will also help the components thereof
settle properly.
In addition the tank 50 should be filled with water, using the fill hose 58.
Generally, the
tank 50 should be refilled every two weeks. However, each gardener can
determine the
frequency that the tank is filled based upon experience with his/her plants
and climate.
When planting, potting soil should be used. As seen in FIG 7, an ecosystem is
created.
Accordingly, heat from the sun penetrates the various layers, and reaches the
tiles 22 of
the base level 20. The heat is reflected by the shiny surface of the tiles 22,
carrying
moisture upward from the surrounding area. The layer of small rocks 24 act as
a heat
accumulator - they are capable of storing a large quantity of heat. However,
the topsoil
layer 15, which includes sand particles, will help hold the heat below, thus
creating a
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warm and moist subterranean region, which can be easily tapped by an exotic
plant 70.
In addition, water seeps up through the wick assemblies 60 by capillary
action, where it is
distributed to the plants and roots. Aeration occurs through the fill hose 58,
which also
acts as a vent to the subterranean region. Aeration of the soil occurs as the
tank empties,
and as it fills. Such aeration helps prevent the roots from rotting and
promotes root
growth and expansion.
Condensation occurs both inside and outside the tank due to colder air
reaching the water
tank 50 at night, including through cooled air travelling into the tank 50
through the fill
hose 58. This moisture is extremely healthy for plants since it is pure water.
The present invention may also be used with a potted plant 75. Accordingly,
the tank 50
is cradled within a frame 80, comprising two complementary L-shaped portions
82, one
of which is being assembled with nails 85 in FIG 5. The tank 50 is shown
connected
within the frame 80 in FIG 6. The frame 80 is substantially open at the top to
allow the
wick assemblies 60 to extend upward therefrom. Straps 84 may extend across the
top
80T of the frame 80 to hold the tank 50 securely within the frame 80.
In use, potted plants are placed immediately above or on top of the frame 80.
The potted
plants 75 are contained within pots 100, which have a hole 102 at the bottom.
The pot is
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positioned upon the tank 50 so that the wick assemblies 60 are in
communication with the
pot holes 102, so that they can impart moisture to the plants, similar to the
'in-ground'
configuration shown in FIG 7. Accordingly, a similar ordering of layers within
the pot
should be established, except that the tank 50 is positioned below the tiles
22 which are at
the bottom of the pot 100. Thus, the tiles 22 are covered by small rocks 24,
the filter
sheet 70, the vegetative 26 and/or manure 28 layers, and the topsoil mixed
with sand
layer 15. The ground surface lOS is preferably covered with bark 29.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, a solenoid valve 90
may be
interposed between a water source 59, and the fill hose 58 and tank 50. In
addition, a
water sensor 92 is mounted to monitor the moisture within the tank 50
interior. The
solenoid valve 90 is operable in response to a low moisture level to fill the
tank 50. Thus,
when a moisture level below a predetermined, calibrated level is measured
within the
tank 50, the solenoid valve 90 is operated to fill the tank 50. Accordingly,
irngation can
take place automatically.
Accordingly, the ordered establishment of the layers and the integral
irngation tank as
recited helps create a cultivation system having unique thermodynamic and
nutritive
properties which keep the exotic plant warm, moist, and well nourished. The
environment thus created allows the exotic plants to not only survive, but to
thrive,
growing faster than they would in their natural habitats.
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The invention has been described by example using the accompanying drawing
figures
and foregoing description. It should be understood, however, that such
illustrations are
exemplative only. Numerous variations are possible, while adhering to the
principals of
the invention. Such variations are contemplated as being a part of the present
invention.
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