Soil venting arrangement and method for increasing the rate of growth of trees

Abstract

A method for dispersing nutrients from deep subsoil below the depth of soil in which tree roots are growing to increase the growth rate of the trees, which member directs gaseous fluid collected from the deep subsoil into the root zone soil where the tree roots are growing.

Claims

1. A method of introducing nutrients into soil in which trees are growing so as to increase the rate of growth of said trees, by comprising causing an upward movement of a gaseous fluid containing nutrients captured within a deep layer subsoil layer lying beneath a root zone layer of soil in which root balls of the trees are present and growing, comprising installing an array of elongated vent members extending vertically down within said deep layer subsoil and having an upper end entering into said root zone layer of the soil; each vent member including an elongated tubular collector comprised of one or more tubes with a lengthwise slot opening into each one of said one or more tube portions allowing said gaseous fluid and nutrients contained therein to enter said one or more tube portions and rising upwardly therein; said vent members including a cap fit over an upper end of said tubular collectors which has an interior space receiving said upper end of said tubular collectors said cap extending into said root zone layer, said cap interior space being sealed on the top of said cap to prevent the escape of any gaseous fluid entering an open lower end of said cap so that gaseous fluid entering said interior space will be forced to flow back out through said lower end of said cap about a perimeter thereof; said cap further including lengthwise extending spaces formed in an exterior of said cap, open at lower ends thereof to receive said gaseous fluid flowing out of said lower end of said cap and allowing said gaseous fluid and nutrients to ascend within said exterior lengthwise spaces along said cap with each of said spaces having a lengthwise slot entering each cap space to allow said gaseous fluid and nutrients to exit out through said slots and into said root zone soil surrounding said cap to thereby slowly disperse one or more nutrients into said root zone layer soil and thereby increase said growth rate of said trees.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

(1) FIG. 1 is a view of a soil section having roots of trees growing therein with an array of vent members installed in a vertical orientation in the soil at a depth well below the root zone, the upper end of each vent member having a cap assembled thereon and extending up into the root zone.

(2) FIG. 2 is a plan view of a group of trees depicting an array of vent members each with a respective cap on the upper end thereof disposed around the roots of the trees.

(3) FIGS. 3A and 3B are perspective views from two different angles of a vent member according to the present invention, with the vent member shown truncated.

(4) FIG. 4 is an enlarged end view of a vent member.

(5) FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the vent member shown in FIG. 4, shown broken at an intermediate point along the length thereof.

(6) FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a cap installed on the upper end of each vent member.

(7) FIG. 7 is an end view from the bottom of the cap shown in FIG. 6.

(8) FIG. 8 is an enlarged portion of the bottom end view of the cap shown in FIG. 7.

(9) FIG. 9 is a lengthwise sectional view of the cap shown in FIGS. 6-8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(10) In the following detailed description, certain specific terminology will be employed for the sake of clarity and a particular embodiment described in accordance with the requirements of 35 USC 112, but it is to be understood that the same is not intended to be limiting and should not be so construed inasmuch as the invention is capable of taking many forms and variations within the scope of the appended claims.

(11) Referring to FIG. 1, the present invention includes vertically oriented elongated vent members 10 which are installed in holes drilled in the subsoil below the root zone 12A of a group of trees 14.

(12) The vent members 10 are of a length sufficient to extend well down below the root zone 12A into a virgin subsoil region 12B. However, the upper end 16 of each of the vent members 10 extends into the root zone 12A.

(13) As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vertically oriented vent members 10 are located disposed around the perimeter of the roots of the trees 14.

(14) Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, each of the vent members 10 includes an elongated tubular collector 18 which is of a length sufficient to extend deep into the subsoil 12B below the root ball zone 12A and caps 20 are installed on the upper ends of collector portions 18. The portions 18 are shown truncated in FIGS. 3A, 3B.

(15) FIGS. 4 and 5 show the configuration of the tubular collectors 18, which includes three outer tube portions 20A, 20B, 20c which are connected integrally with each other and symmetrically arranged around a smaller diameter central tube portion 22 also integrally formed with the outer tube portions 20A, 20B, 20C.

(16) Each of the outer tubes 20A, 20B, and 20C has a full length extending slot 24A, 24B, 24C at its outermost side so as to be exposed to the surrounding subsoil 12B. The smaller center tube 22 also has a full length slot 26 arranged between two of the outer tubes 20A, 20B so as to also be exposed to the surrounding subsoil 12B.

(17) The presence of the slots 24A, 24B, 24C and 26 allow gaseous fluids and/or vapors captured in the surrounding subsoil 12B to pass into the interior of the outer tube portions 20A, 20B, 20C and center tube portion 24 to collect gases and/or vapors which subsequently rise up the same due to a mildly pressurized condition of these fluids.

(18) Trace elements may be dissolved, entrained or otherwise contained in the gaseous fluid which typically is somewhat pressurized and thus rises up to pass into the interior of the cap 20.

(19) FIGS. 6-8 show details of the cap 20.

(20) The cap 20 has an interior space 28 into which the collected gases/vapors, which is completely closed off from the exterior of the cap 20, being sealed by a cap cover 30 fused to the upper end of the cap 20 to capture the fluids flowing out of the ends of the tube portions 20A, 20B, 20C and 22 so that a corresponding pressure builds up therein.

(21) This causes the fluids to be pass out of the cap interior space disposed between the lower end 30 of the cap 20 and the exterior of the associated tubular collector 18, and thereafter rises into the open lower ends of four outer spaces 32 which extend up on the outside of the cap 20. From there, the gaseous fluid rises up through the spaces 32, passing out of the slots 34 and into the soil 12A around the cap 20 to thereby be dispersed into the root zone soil 12A.

(22) Accordingly, trace elements are thereby restored to the soil in the root zone 12A to be available to be absorbed by the roots of the trees 14. This has been found to significantly increase the vigor and growth rate of the trees 14.