Systems and methods of restoring a lake including dredging, island creation, water treatment, real estate development, computer modeling of environmental conditions, wave height reduction, sediment removal and encapsulation, bathymetry contouring, littoral zone restoration, plant restoration, and/or fish restoration.

A seed tape has seeds embedded at a spacing distance from one another in a tubular sleeve. There is provided a seed tape, a seed tape system, and a greening or planting system, which can be provided easily, which are environmentally friendly and with which various objects can be greened easily, efficiently and durably. The novel seed tape has a tubular sleeve which is a textile tube, which encloses the seeds in a stretched manner before and/or during the germination of the seeds and is unstretched between the seed positions. The seeds embedded in the textile tube are embedded in at least one substrate and/or are in contact with at least one substrate. The substrate is or includes potting soil and/or the substrate is formed of at least one fibrous and/or foamed organic or mineral material.

In various exemplary embodiments, a seed mat for insertion into an apparatus for growing plants is provided, wherein the seed mat includes a carrier substrate and seeds, wherein the seeds are fixed on the carrier substrate by means of an adhesive. Furthermore, a method for producing a seed mat in various exemplary embodiments may include: applying an adhesive on a carrier substrate; applying seeds on the carrier substrate provided with the adhesive; and fixing the seeds by the adhesive on the carrier substrate.

The invention provides a process for the preparation of a seed support that comprises a biodegradable polymer film having a plurality of seeds at least partially embedded therein, the process comprising the steps of (a) providing a hydrophobic release liner (18); (b) applying a coating of an aqueous dispersion or solution comprising a biodegradable polymer on the hydrophobic release liner (18), wherein the dispersion or solution has a viscosity of from 2000 to 16000 mPa.Math.s and a water content of from 58% to 90% by weight of the coating; (c) depositing a plurality of seeds onto the coating so that the seeds become at least partially embedded in the coating; (d) drying the coating to give a final water content of 1.5% to 15% by weight and thereby form the biodegradable polymer film; and (e) detaching the hydrophobic release liner from the biodegradable polymer film to give the seed support.

A machine and a method for producing biodegradable nonwoven textile including seeds including a seed distributing machine unit, positioned in a cross-lapping portion of the nonwoven textile machine. The seed distributing machine unit includes at least one receptacle for seeds having a dispensing opening for regulated outlet of seeds onto a veil of biodegradable fibres. A needle punching portion is situated after the cross-lapping, seen in the direction of the biodegradable nonwoven textile production line of the machine, for needle-punching of the veil of biodegradable fibres.

A flexible layered fabric sheet comprising a porous front layer and a pre-seeded substrate layer, where the seeds are in-between the two layers (rather than at the back of the substrate layer), for supporting root growth, the two layers together having an upper and lower edge and being attached together with one or more non-continuous seams between the upper and lower edges, which seams have a component of direction parallel to the upper and/or lower edge, and wherein the non-continuous seams enable water to exit the layered fabric sheet at its lower edge, and the non-continuous seams further serve to slow water flow through the water sheet. The seams also serve to keep the two layers from separating which would hamper the penetration of the sapling through the front porous layer, and thus stunt growth.

A system for growing plants, the system may include a substrate having one or more weakened areas or openings: one or more grow portions coupled to the substrate and situated at the one or more weakened areas or openings and having at least one seed or plant; and/or a fluid distribution portion coupled to the substrate and configured to provide fluid to the one or more grow portions. The system may further include a method of operation including one or more acts of: obtaining a weather forecast for a future time period; determining whether rain is expected during the future time period; and preventing, terminating, or restricting an irrigation cycle when it is determined that rain is expected during the fare time period. The restricting may restrict a flow of liquid during the irrigation cycle or shorten the irrigation interval.

To provide a seedsheet manufacturing apparatus that can increase a manufacturing speed and a seedsheet. A seedsheet manufacturing apparatus includes: a paste reservoir configured to store a paste in which a seed and a fluid are mixed; a plate cylinder disposed above the paste reservoir; a doctor blade configured to scrape a portion of the paste adhering to a surface of the plate cylinder; a pressing roller disposed such that the pressing roller faces the plate cylinder and a mounting paper is allowed to pass through a gap formed between the pressing roller and the surface of the plate cylinder; a supply unit configured to feed the mounting paper to the gap; and a recovery unit configured to recover the mounting paper that passes through the gap.

A sowing unit is provided including water-absorbing material, an enclosure and a seed. The water-absorbing material is vermiculite, which is a hygroscopic negatively-charged material capable of binding a positively charged nutrient ion selected from NH4+, L-arginine, L-lysine and L-histidine. Further, there is least one hole in the water-absorbing material arranged to hold one or more seeds.

A sowing unit including water-absorbing material, an enclosure and a seed, wherein the water-absorbing material includes a hygroscopic negatively-charged material capable of binding a positively charged nutrient ion selected from NH4+, L-arginine, L-lysine and L-histidine; and optionally a nutrient including a positively charged nutrient ion selected from K+, NH4+, L-arginine, L-lysine and L-histidine. Methods and uses of the sowing unit are described.