METHOD FOR COATING A PLANT AND A COATED PLANT OBTAINED THEREWITH

Abstract

This invention relates to a method for coating a plant, comprising the following steps: a) providing a clean plant with a stem and roots; b) coating at least a lower portion of the stem and the roots with a layer of material; and c) arranging the roots to function as support for the stem.

The invention also relates to a plant. The advantage of the invention is that the stem is supported by the roots without the use of pot and earth or other separate support elements.

Claims

1. A method for coating a plant, comprising the following steps: a) providing a clean plant with a stem and roots; b) coating at least a lower portion of the stem and the roots with a layer of material; and c) arranging the roots to function as support for the stem, wherein the layer of material is configured to be impenetrable for the roots.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the stem is part of a bulb, wherein coating comprises coating at least a lower portion of the bulb and the roots with a layer of material, and wherein arranging comprises arranging the roots to function as support for the bulb.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of arranging the roots is carried out after the coating step.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coating step is carried out after the step of arranging the roots.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of providing a clean plant comprises the step of cleaning the stem and the roots to remove earth.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the material used for coating is a wax.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of coating at least a lower portion of the stem and the roots comprises the following steps: heating the material to above the melting point of the material; providing the heated material to at least the lower portion of the stem and the roots; and solidifying the material by allowing the material to cool to room temperature.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of arranging the roots is carried out during the solidifying step before the material fully solidifies.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coating step comprises the step of dipping at least a lower portion of the stem and the roots into a liquid material.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of arranging the roots comprises the step of positioning the roots in a circular pattern with the stem in the middle seen in plan view.

11. A plant comprising a stem and roots, wherein at least a lower portion of the stem and the roots are provided with a layer of material, wherein the roots are arranged to support the stem without the aid of a pot or earth, and wherein the layer of material is configured to be impenetrable for the roots.

12. The plant according to claim 11, wherein the stem is part of a bulb, wherein at least a lower portion of the bulb and the roots are provided with a layer of material, and wherein the roots are positioned to support the bulb.

13. The plant according to claim 11, wherein the material is wax.

14. The plant according to claim 11, wherein the roots are positioned in a circular pattern with the stem in the middle seen in plan view.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The invention will now be described in a non-limiting way with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like parts are indicated by like reference symbols and in which:

[0038] FIG. 1 schematically depicts a clean plant with a bulb and roots;

[0039] FIG. 2 schematically depicts the plant of FIG. 1 when dipped into a wax bath;

[0040] FIG. 3 schematically depicts the plant of FIG. 2 right after being pulled from the wax bath;

[0041] FIG. 4 schematically depicts the plant of FIG. 3 after arranging the roots to function as support for the bulb; and

[0042] FIG. 5 schematically depicts the plant of FIG. 4 in plan view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0043] FIG. 1 schematically depicts a plant 1 with bulb 2 and roots 3. The plant 1 may be an Amaryllis, Crinum, Hippeastrum, Narcissus or another member of the amaryllis family Amaryllidaceae, a lily, tulip or another member of the lily family Liliaceae, or may belong to one of two groups of Iris species, family Iridaceae, namely subgenus Xiphium or subgenus Hermodactyloides, or may be an Oxalis in the family Oxalidaceae. The plant may also belong to the genus Allium in the Amaryllidaceae family or belong to the genus Zantedeschia in the Araceae family.

[0044] The bulb 2 is formed by a base 2a, i.e. a short stem, with fleshy leaves or leaf bases 2b that function as food organs during dormancy. Plant growth occurs from this basal plate 2a. The roots 3 emerge from the underside of the base 2a and new stems and leaves 2b from the upper side. At the center of the bulb 2, which center is indicated by dashed line C, there is a vegetative growing point or an unexpanded flowering shoot 2c. The stem 2a, leaves 2b and flowering shoot 2c are depicted in dashed lines as if a cross section of the bulb 2 was depicted. In many cases, the stem 2a, leaves 2b, etc., are not distinguishable from the outside.

[0045] The roots 3 are schematically depicted. Hence, in practice they may have different dimensions such as thickness and length. Also the number of roots 3 may be different.

[0046] The shape of the bulb 2 is also schematically depicted. In practice the bulb 2 may have a different shape. It is common that the shape of the bulb 2 varies significantly, even within the same plant species. In that case, using a separate support element, as is done in the prior art, provides the advantage that it can be designed to be used with a wide variety of bulb shapes and sizes.

[0047] In FIG. 1, the plant 1 has been cleaned, meaning that the earth has been removed from the bulb 2 and the roots 3. It is explicitly noted here that a 100% removal of the earth is not required as this may require such extensive cleaning that there is an unacceptable risk of the roots 3 being damaged. Hence, cleaned means that after being removed from the earth, a cleaning step is performed, e.g. using water, compressed air and/or mechanical excitation, such that at least loose earth is removed, and such that the roots 3 and the bulb 2 are visible for the most part.

[0048] FIG. 2 schematically depicts the cleaned plant 1 including bulb 2 and roots 3 at least partially submerged in a wax bath. The wax bath is formed by a container 4 holding a quantity of coating material, in this embodiment wax 5.

[0049] The wax 5 has the property that it is solid at room temperature. The melting temperature may for instance be above 40 C., 45 C. or even above 50 C. In order to melt the wax 5, a heater 6 is provided. The heater 6 may be an integral part of the container 4, but may also be a separate element allowing to apply heat to the container 4.

[0050] In this embodiment, heat is transferred from the heater 6 to the wax 5 via the container 4, but the heater may also be provided inside the container 4 to transfer heat directly from heater 6 to wax 5.

[0051] When the wax 5 has been melted and is in liquid form, the plant 1 may be dipped into the wax bath as shown in FIG. 2. The temperature of the wax bath should be above the melting point, but preferably not too much as a too high temperature of the wax may damage the plant 1 when dipped into the wax bath. Hence, as in this embodiment, the temperature of the wax 5 may be monitored using a temperature sensor 7. Signals representative for the wax temperature are send to a control unit 8, which control unit 8 drives the heater 6 on the basis of a desired temperature and an actual temperature as measured by the temperature sensor 7.

[0052] FIG. 3 depicts the plant 1 after being taken out of the container 4 in FIG. 2. A layer of material 10 remains on the plant 1 as coating. Hence, at least a lower portion of the bulb 2 and the roots 3 are provided with the layer of material 10.

[0053] Once taken out of the wax bath, the layer of material 10 will start to solidify as the temperature drops to room temperature. Before the solidification process has been completed, i.e. while the layer of material 10 is malleable, the roots 3 are arranged to function as support for the bulb 2. The end result is shown in side view in FIG. 4 and in plan view in FIG. 5.

[0054] The roots 3 have been arranged in a circular pattern with the bulb 2 in the middle, which is best seen in the plan view of FIG. 5.

[0055] Once the wax 5 has fully solidified, the coating strengthens the roots 3 to keep them in the circular pattern and to hold the bulb 2. The plant 1 is now able to flower without the use of a pot or earth.

[0056] In the shown embodiment, arranging the roots 3 to support the bulb 2 means that at least some of the roots 3 engage with the bulb 2 to support the bulb 2 in a location at a distance from the point of origin of the respective roots 3. However, in an alternative embodiment, the layer of material 10 may provide sufficient strength such that engagement of the roots 3 with the bulb 2, i.e. stem 2a, at a location at a distance from the point of origin of the respective roots 3, is not required.

[0057] Although in the shown embodiment the roots 3 have been arranged in a circular pattern, it is envisaged that other shapes are also possible. Further, it is noted that the shown embodiment assumes that the bulb 2 needs to be supported from a flat surface, but it is also possible to arrange the roots 3 such that the bulb 2 can be supported from a convex or concave surface, e.g. when the plant 1 is displayed on a concave plate or on a convex sphere or part thereof.

[0058] Although in the shown embodiment, the plant 1 comprises a bulb 2, it will be clear to a skilled person that the invention can also be applied to any other plant 1 having a stem 2a with roots 3 that can be arranged to support the stem 2a, e.g. an orchid, for instance a Phalaenopsis orchid or any other plant 1 with stem 2a and roots 3. In the shown embodiment, the stem 2a is a part of the bulb 2, so that by supporting the bulb 2, the stem 2a is also supported.

[0059] Although the impression may be given throughout the specification that the roots 3 need to be intact, it is clearly emphasized here that this is not necessarily the case. Roots 3 need to be present in order to support the stem or bulb 2 of the plant 1, but the roots 3 may be cut to any desired length. Cutting the roots 3 may even be done after coating or after arranging the roots 3, e.g. for ornamental reasons, as long as the integrity of the coating is not compromised.

[0060] Although in the shown embodiment, use is made of wax 5, it will be apparent that any suitable material may be used as long as it is able to provide sufficient strength and resistance to the roots 3 while serving a decorative purpose. It may also be a combination of materials or layers. Hence, the coating step may have to be performed more than once.

[0061] Although in the shown embodiment, only a lower portion of the bulb 2 is coated, it is explicitly mentioned here that the entire bulb 2 may also be coated. In that case, it may be desirable to configure the coating such that the flowering shoot 2c is able to penetrate the coating to allow the plant 1 to flower e.g. by damaging the coating to a certain extent at the location of the flowering shoot 2c or by weakening the coating, for instance by applying a reduced layer thickness, at the location of the flowering shoot 2c. It is also possible that only a small portion of the bulb 2 or stem 2a is coated, e.g. only the part where the roots 3 emerge from the stem 2a or bulb 2.

[0062] Although in the shown embodiment, the roots 3 have been coated completely, this is not necessarily the case. The roots 3 only need to be coated such that they can be arranged or are arranged to function as support for the stem 2a. In that case the roots 3 may continue to grow and the layer of material being impenetrable for the roots 3 then means that the integrity of the coating is maintained during growth of the roots 3 so that the supporting function can be maintained. As an example, the coating may comprise holes or pores to allow the flowers to water. However, preferably, the coating completely covers the roots 3 to prevent the roots 3 from drying out.

[0063] In an embodiment of the invention, a foil or any other layer of material is provided between the roots 3 and the coating, wherein the foil is configured to prevent the passage of water, but which allows the passage of small molecules as for instance, O.sub.2 and/or N.sub.2 and/or CO and/or CO.sub.2, and wherein the coating provides the strength to support the plant 1 via the roots 3, which coating may be penetrable for water and/or O.sub.2 and/or N.sub.2 and/or CO and/or CO.sub.2.