EFFECTIVE AND BENEFICIAL VESSELS AND METHOD FOR GROWING PLANTS TO MANIPULATE ROOT GROWTH

Abstract

The invention provides flexible or rigid vessels in different configurations with openings at their ends and a hollow body between them for growing plants. The hollow body is filled with a growing medium to manipulate the routing of the plants roots. Such vessels allow growth of plants in a limited space without compromising the ability of the plants to grow roots of natural length; enabling resource savings by reducing amounts of the growing medium and nutrients and their dispersion to the surrounding, evaporation and water infiltration. These advantages result in a reduction of weight of the growing medium for growing roots. These vessels also protect the plant roots from pests and weeds and allow the plants to grow even in unsuitable terrain, such as rocky, salty or contaminated soil. Also, the vessels can be used to grow plants for ornamental purposes in a beautiful and aesthetic way.

Claims

1. A vessel for cultivating plants comprising: a hollow body; and openings at opposite ends of said body, wherein said body is made of a flexible or rigid material that enables to shape said vessel in configurations so that the aerial distance between the open ends of the body is smaller than the total length of the body, wherein said body is filled with a growing medium for growing said plants, and wherein wall of said vessel is a single solid sheet that is continuous along length of said vessel and between said opposite ends of said vessel, said wall is designed or manufactured to manipulate routing roots of said plants within volume of said vessel, along length of said vessel and from one end to opposite end of said vessel.

2. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein said vessel is made of a woven or non-woven fabric, said fabric is made from natural or synthetic materials or any combination thereof.

3. The vessel according to claim 2, wherein said fabric is woven and made of a selected density of warp and weaving fibers or threads.

4. The vessel according to claims 2, wherein said fabric is made of materials selected from wool, cotton, bamboo fiber, Cordura (nylon, nylon mixed with cotton or other natural fibers), PE (Polyethylene), PP (Polypropylene), HDPE (High Density PE), MDPE (Medium-density polyethylene), LLDPE (Linear Low Density PE),and LDPE (Low Density PE), VLDPE (Very-low-density polyethylene), UHMWPE (Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene), ULMWPE or PE-WAX (Ultra-low-molecular-weight polyethylene), HMWPE (High-molecular-weight polyethylene), HDXLPE, (High-density cross-linked polyethylene), PEX or XLPE (Cross-linked polyethylene), CPE (Chlorinated polyethylene), PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride), m-LLDPE (Metallocene linear low density PE), PC (Polycarbonate), PVA (Polyvinylalcohol), EVA (Ethylene vinyl acetate) polymer, Polyester polymers (PSR), particularly PLA (Polylactic acid), PS (Polystyrene), Nylon 6,6, and Nylon 6 and combination thereof.

5. The vessel according to claim 2, wherein said materials provide said vessel with characteristics selected from ventilation, perforation, hydrophilic and hydrophobic qualities.

6. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein said vessel is made of materials selected from clay, ceramics, porcelain, glass, concrete, polyester, plaster, canvas, utah fabric, metals or metallic materials and combinations thereof.

7. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein said vessel is configured to be laid on the ground, wherein said body fixes position of said vessel so that openings of said vessel face upwards.

8. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein said vessel is configured to be buried underground, wherein said openings protrude out of upper surface of said ground.

9. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein said vessel is configured to be hung above ground, wherein said openings face upwards.

10. The vessel according to claim 9, wherein a plurality of said vessel hung down from horizontally stretched cables between vertically oriented poles that are positioned parallel each other.

11. The vessel according to claim 9, wherein a plurality of said vessels hung down from cables stretched over vertical surfaces, artistic structures, sculptures and monuments for useful and/or decorative purposes.

12. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein said vessel is configured to be filled with a growth medium and designed to direct roots of said plants by forcing said roots to grow in a certain shape inside volume of said medium.

13. The vessel according to claim 12, wherein said vessel is configured to isolate said plants from surroundings of said vessel and enable growth of said plants in a rocky, salty or chemically or physically contaminated terrain.

14. The vessel according to claim 12, wherein said growth medium is selected from soil, silicate beans, porous gravel, tuff, pebble stones, water, hydroponic substrate and any other substrate that enables growth of roots, absorption of nutrients and pest control.

15. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein said vessel facilitates containing substances of economic value inside said body and preventing said substances from being secreted from roots of said plants and disposed off to surroundings of said vessel.

16. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein said vessel is configured to isolate roots of said plants from pests or weeds.

17. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein shape of said vessel is selected from cylindrical, rectangular, hexagonal and octagonal.

18. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein said vessel is adapted for attachment to fences, railings and window bars, vertical surfaces, walls, artistic structures, sculptures and monuments for useful and/or decorative purposes.

19. The vessel according claim 1, wherein said body comprises holes punched at selected location of said body.

20. The vessel according to claim 19, wherein shape of said body is a curvy wave and wherein said holes are punched at lower parts of said body.

21. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein diameter of one opening is bigger than diameter of a second opening.

22. The vessel according to claim 1, wherein one or more openings are cone-shaped, wherein diameter of upper base is bigger than diameter of lower base of said openings.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] FIG. 1 illustrates a particular configuration of a hollow vessel of the present invention.

[0036] FIG. 2 illustrates another particular configuration of a hollow vessel of the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 3 illustrates a third particular configuration of a hollow vessel of the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 4- illustrates a fourth particular configuration of a hollow vessel of the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 5 illustrates a fifth particular configuration of a hollow vessel of the present invention.

[0040] FIG. 6 illustrates a particular application of the vessels of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] FIG. 1 illustrates a spirally shaped hollow vessel 100 with two openings 105. The body 110 can be manufactured from transparent or opaque materials. It can be made of hydrophobic materials to prevent evaporation of humidity off of the soil or naturally or mechanically perforated to enable proper ventilation as required for cultivating plants. Alternatively, the body 110 can be made of materials with characteristics in the range between opacity and transparency and hydrophobic and perforated qualities adapted to the needs of the specific plants, which are grown in them. The vessel can be used as a stand-alone body laid on the ground or buried in the ground with only its openings exposed to the air. The twist of the body 110 also illustrates the twisted path, which the roots of the plants are forced to grow along its course. FIG. 1 essentially exemplifies the flexibility of the vessels of the present invention that allows to design them in any configuration which is suitable to any specific plant, objective of growth to be achieved and available conditions of space and accommodation.

[0042] FIG. 2 illustrates another configuration 200 of the vessels of the present invention, namely a spirally shaped hollow body 210 having two openings 205. This vessel can also be manufactured from transparent or opaque, humidity resistant or perforated materials, for cultivating plants. The vessel 200 can be used as a stand-alone body for hanging. FIG. 2 also illustrates drainage and ventilation holes 215 for reaching a balance with the surroundings in humidity and air concentrations. These holes 215 are only exemplary of the location and number of holes that can be mechanically punched in the body 210. Alternatively, the material of the body may be a woven or non-woven fabric, made from natural or synthetic materials or any combination thereof, with a selected density of warp and weaving fibers or threads. Such materials may be selected from wool, cotton, bamboo fiber, Cordura (nylon, nylon mixed with cotton or other natural fibers), PE (Polyethylene), PP (Polypropylene), HDPE (High Density PE), MDPE (Medium-density polyethylene), LLDPE (Linear Low Density PE),and LDPE (Low Density PE), VLDPE (Very-low-density polyethylene), UHMWPE (Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene), ULMWPE or PE-WAX (Ultra-low-molecular-weight polyethylene), HMWPE (High-molecular-weight polyethylene), HDXLPE, (High-density cross-linked polyethylene), PEX or XLPE (Cross-linked polyethylene), CPE (Chlorinated polyethylene), PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride), m-LLDPE (Metallocene linear low density PE), PC (Polycarbonate), PVA (Polyvinylalcohol), EVA (Ethylene vinyl acetate) polymer, Polyester polymers (PSR), particularly PLA (Polylactic acid), PS (Polystyrene), Nylon 6,6, and Nylon 6 and combination thereof.

[0043] FIG. 3 illustrates a third spirally shaped vessel 300 with a hollow body 310 with one or more openings 305, which can be manufactured from transparent or opaque, humidity resistant or perforated materials, for cultivating plants. The vessel can be used as a stand-alone body laid on the ground or buried in the ground. FIG. 3 also shows that the openings 305 diameters may be different from each other. FIG. 3 also exemplifies possible configurations of the openings. One particular example is the difference in diameters of the two openings, d1 and d2, where d1 is bigger than d2.

[0044] Another particular example is the cone shape of the upper part of the body that gradually expands towards the opening. This can be seen in the difference between the smaller diameter, d3, of the lower base of the cone and the bigger diameter, d1, of the opening, which is the upper base of the cone.

[0045] FIG. 4 illustrates a fourth configuration of a vessel 400 with a hollow body 410, which is shaped as a curvy wave with one or more openings 405. This configuration of the vessel can be manufactured from transparent or opaque, humidity resistant or perforated materials, for cultivating plants. This vessel 400 is adapted for attachment to fences, railings, window bars and the like. Drainage and ventilation holes 415 may be punched at selected locations at the lower parts of the wavy body.

[0046] FIG. 5 illustrates a fifth configuration of a vessel 500 of the present invention. The body 515 of the vessel is hollow and shaped as a curvy wave with one or more openings 505 that can be manufactured from transparent or opaque, humidity resistant or perforated materials, for cultivating plants. The perpendicular position of the vertical part 510 of the body relative its horizontal part 515 enables to lay the vessel 500 on the ground or horizontal surface as a stand-alone body with the horizontal part 515 of the body used as a solid base and its vertical part 510 rises upwards and is supported by the horizontal part. Alternatively, the vessel 500 can buried in the ground, where the horizontal part of the body supports its vertical parts with only the openings exposed to the surrounding air.

[0047] It should be noted that the different configurations illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 can be made of any one of the materials and combinations thereof as detailed above and used in various positions, which are illustrated in any other Figure or different ones that may be suitable for their use. Further, the flexibility of the vessels of the present invention enables to shape them in many other configurations for use in different modes of attachment to supporting objects, non-supported positions on the ground and hanging and underground positions.

[0048] FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a construction 600 for hanging vessels of the design 400 of the present invention and forming a type of a vertical surface for growing plants. In this particular example, the construction comprises vertically oriented poles 610 positioned parallel each other and one or more cables 605 horizontally stretched between these poles. The vessels are attached to the cables by any means of attachment which is sufficient to carry their load and evenly distribute it throughout the entire construction as the plants grow. The desired result may be live fence, wall and any other vertical surface which are formed by plants that may eventually cover the entire construction and the vessels themselves. This basic idea may be applied to other constructions with more complex designs and shapes for creating lively, possibly colorful, plant covered artistic structures, sculptures and monuments for useful and/or decorative purposes.

[0049] It should be noted that the hollow shape of the vessels of the present invention is only exemplary to the various shapes that such vessels can have. In other non-limiting particular embodiments of the present invention, the vessels can be rectangular, hexagonal or octagonal. These and other shapes are contemplated within the scope of the present invention as long as their flexibility enables to shape them in compact configurations, which are the same or similar to the configurations as illustrated in the present invention. Further, such shapes of vessels may be made of similar or same materials as detailed above and have similar or same characteristics such as ventilation, perforation and hydrophilic or hydrophobic qualities.