GB2080083A - Propagating plants - Google Patents
Propagating plants Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2080083A GB2080083A GB8023429A GB8023429A GB2080083A GB 2080083 A GB2080083 A GB 2080083A GB 8023429 A GB8023429 A GB 8023429A GB 8023429 A GB8023429 A GB 8023429A GB 2080083 A GB2080083 A GB 2080083A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- growth medium
- plant growth
- fibres
- layers
- layer
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 230000001902 propagating effect Effects 0.000 title claims abstract description 7
- 239000001963 growth medium Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 30
- 230000008635 plant growth Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 30
- 239000006260 foam Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 27
- 230000002745 absorbent Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 23
- 239000002250 absorbent Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 23
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 21
- 235000015097 nutrients Nutrition 0.000 claims abstract description 18
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 14
- 229920001059 synthetic polymer Polymers 0.000 claims abstract description 8
- 239000000758 substrate Substances 0.000 claims description 9
- 229920002678 cellulose Polymers 0.000 claims description 6
- 239000001913 cellulose Substances 0.000 claims description 6
- 229920001169 thermoplastic Polymers 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000004416 thermosoftening plastic Substances 0.000 claims description 5
- 229920005830 Polyurethane Foam Polymers 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000011496 polyurethane foam Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 229920003043 Cellulose fiber Polymers 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000011159 matrix material Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 241000196324 Embryophyta Species 0.000 description 25
- 239000000835 fiber Substances 0.000 description 5
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000002609 medium Substances 0.000 description 2
- 235000017879 Nasturtium officinale Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 240000005407 Nasturtium officinale Species 0.000 description 1
- 229920001247 Reticulated foam Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000000853 adhesive Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001070 adhesive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000002390 adhesive tape Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011230 binding agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000006261 foam material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000012010 growth Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229920001903 high density polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004700 high-density polyethylene Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000007373 indentation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229920000126 latex Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 231100001184 nonphytotoxic Toxicity 0.000 description 1
- 239000004745 nonwoven fabric Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000000704 physical effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920002635 polyurethane Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004814 polyurethane Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004800 polyvinyl chloride Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920000915 polyvinyl chloride Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 230000003014 reinforcing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920002994 synthetic fiber Polymers 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
- A01G24/00—Growth substrates; Culture media; Apparatus or methods therefor
- A01G24/40—Growth substrates; Culture media; Apparatus or methods therefor characterised by their structure
- A01G24/48—Growth substrates; Culture media; Apparatus or methods therefor characterised by their structure containing foam or presenting a foam structure
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
- A01G24/00—Growth substrates; Culture media; Apparatus or methods therefor
- A01G24/20—Growth substrates; Culture media; Apparatus or methods therefor based on or containing natural organic material
- A01G24/22—Growth substrates; Culture media; Apparatus or methods therefor based on or containing natural organic material containing plant material
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
- A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
- A01G24/00—Growth substrates; Culture media; Apparatus or methods therefor
- A01G24/30—Growth substrates; Culture media; Apparatus or methods therefor based on or containing synthetic organic compounds
Landscapes
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Environmental Sciences (AREA)
- Hydroponics (AREA)
Abstract
A method of propagating plants from seed in which the seed is located at the upper surface of a plant growth medium which has its base portion in contact with a liquid plant nutrient in which the plant growth medium comprises an absorbent layer of fibres between and in contact with layers of a synthetic polymer foam in which the layers are arranged in a direction generally perpendicular to the upper surface and the liquid plant nutrient contacting base portion and plant growth mediums therefor are described.
Description
SPECIFICATION
Growing medium and use
The invention is related to the propagation of plants from seed by the hydroponic method, to the medium used in the propagation of plants from seed and to the preparation thereof.
Known methods of hydroponic plant propagation involve incorporating the seed or rooting plant into or onto a plant growth medium which is placed in contact with a liquid plant nutrient.
The liquid nutrient usually transmits through the plant growth medium to germinate the seed and/or to feed the growing plant roots which normally penetrate the growth medium.
The hydroponic propagation method allows the growth of the plant to be controlled to some extent by the rate and concentration of the liquid nutrient to plant roots.
The use of foam as a plant growth medium has been disclosed in Belgium Patent No.
756,929, British Patent No. 1,475,994, British Patent No. 1,473,172 and US Patent No.
3,796,836. A particularly effective and economical plant growth medium has now been discovered that may be used for propagating plants from seed.
The invention provides a method of propagating plats from seed in which the seed is located at the upper surface of a plant growth medium which has its base portion in contact with a liquid plant nutrient in which the plant growth medium comprises an absorbent layer of fibres between and in contact with layers of a synthetic polymer foam in which the layers are arranged in a direction generally perpendicular to the upper surface and the liwuid plant nutrient contacting base portion.
It is preferred that the absorbent layer of fibres is sheet form which can be easily handled by the equipment used to produce the plant growth medium structures of the invention. For example the fibre layer can be treated to mechanically or chemically bond the fibres to produce a stable sheet.
The absorbent fibre layer can be reinforced with a porous substrate for example paper, nonwoven fabrics and/or reticulated structures. It is preferred that the reinforcing substrate is a net in particular a thermoplastic net with integral junctures, more preferred are nets formed by biaxially orienting an embossed thermoplastic sheet as shown in BP 1,055,963.
A suitable net is high density polyethylene net reference X540 marketed by Smith and
Nephew Ltd. X540 net has a boss count of 1 6 to 20 in the machine direction and 20 to 25 in the transverse direction. Each boss is connected to six thin strands. The net has an overall thickness of 5 to 6 thou., a weight of 11.6 to 16.6 g/m2, a tensile strength of 600 to 800 g/cm in the machine direction and 300 to 600 g/cm in the transverse direction. The use of nets of this type has several advantages.
The net can be attached to the absorbent layer of fibres by heat bonding method. It is preferred that the absorbent layer of fibres is reinforced by tow layers of net by bonding a layer of net to both sides of the fibre layer.
The net reinforces the absorbent layer of fibres but allows the liquid nutrient and the plant roots to penetrate though the layer to the adjacent foam layer or layers. The rate at which the liwuid plant nutrient is transmitted along the absorbent fibre layer to the seed or growing plant will depend on the chemical and physical properties of the fibres and their arrangement in the layer. It is preferred that the fibres are made of cellulose or modified cellulose. However other absorbent synthetic fibres can be used. In a preferred form the fibre layer consists of a matrix of short modified cellulose fibres consolidated by means of a binder and formed into a thin sheet reinforced on one or both sides by a layer of net.
The synthetic polymer foam layers can be made from any foam material which is nonphytotoxic and stable to water. The foam may absorb water to some extent but should not dissolve or be affected by water to such an extent that the coam layer collapses.
The foam can be closed or open cell but it is preferred that the cell structure will enable roots from the propagating plant to penetrate the foam. Reticulated foams are also preferred. It is desirable that the foams are flexible. Suitable foams are made from polyurethane, PVC or latex rubber. Apt are polyurethane foams having a density of 1 3 to 35 Kg per cubic metre. A preferred foam is a polyurethane foam made by Caligen Foam Ltd. reference Grade 4200A.The foam has the following properties:
Density (BS 4443 Pt 1 Method 2) 26 kg/m3 + 5%
Tensile strength (BS 4443 pt 1 Method 3) 2.0 kg/cm2 minimum
Elongation at Break (BS 4443 Pt. 1 Method 3) 330% minimum
Compression set (BS 4443 pt. 1 method 4) 18-22 cells/cm
Indentation Hardness (BS 3667 Pt. 1) 18-22 kg
In another aspect the invention provides a plant growth medium for the propagation of plants from seed in the form of a laminar structure which comprises an absorbent layer of fibres in contact with and between layers of synthetic polymer foam. The plant growth medium of the invention can be in several different forms.
Ln a preferred form the plant growth medium is a laminar structure of rectangular shape with one absorbent layer of fibres in between and in contact with two layers of foam.
It is further preferred that the absorbent layer of fibres is reinforced by a net substrate.
In another preferred form the plant growth medium is a laminar structure of sylindrical shape in the form of a roll made by sinding up a length of sheet having an absorbent layer of fibres and a foam layer in contiguous relationship.
The roll can be stabilised by bonding the layers, or by fixing the outside edge of the roll with an adhesive tape. It is preferred that the absorbent layer of fibres is reinforced with a net substrate.
The plant growth medium can be in the form of a laminar construction of general rectangular shape of varying length or with depending on the propagation method used. In which case the absorbent layers of fibres and foam layers can be arranged within the structure in parallel lines in a lengthwise or widthwise direction. In Fig. 1 the laminar structure has a rectangular shape, 1 consisting of outer foam layers 2 with an inner absorbent layer of fibres 3 bonded to the foam layers. In Fig. 2 an alternative construction is illustrated. An end view shows a laminar structure of cylindrical shape 4 consisting of a roll with contiguous layers of foam 5 and absorbent layer of fibres 6.
Fig. 3 shows the block of Fig. 1 in a tray 7 containing liquid plant nutrient 8. A propagating plant 9 is shown with its roots 10 growing into block. The plant nutrient is being transmitted through the structure to the plant by means of the layer of absorbent fibres 3.
ExampEe
The plant growth medium of laminar structure as illustrated in Fig. 1 was made by bonding together with adhesive two layers of foam, Grade 4200A made by Caligen Foam Ltd., 2cm thicknesses X 4 cm long X 3 cm wide to a middle absorbent layer of fibres 4cm long x 3cm wide consisting of a batt of cellulosic fibres bonded to a net substrate ref X540 marketed by
Smith and Nephew Plastics Limited.
The rectangular shaped laminar structure was placed in a tray containing a liquid plant nutrient and water cress seed placed on its surface.
The liquid plant nutrient quickly wicked up the absorbent layer of fibres to the seed which germinated in 48 hours.
The plant growth medium of the invention can be used to propagate plants from seed by the hydroponic nutrient film technique. Using this technique the laminar structures can be placed on a wicking capillary mat supplied with the liquid plant nutrient or alternåtively the laminar structures can be placed in a tunnel where liquid plant nutrient flowing along the tunnel contacts standing laminar structures directly.
Claims (16)
1. A method of propagating plants from seed in which the seed is located at the upper surface of a plant growth medium which has its base portion in contact with a liquid plant nutrient in which the plant growth medium comprises an absorbent layer of fibres between and in contact with layers of a synthetic polymer foam in which the layers are arranged in a direction generally perpendicular to the upper surface and the liquid plant nutrient containing base portion.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the synthetic polymer foam is a polyurethane foam.
3. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 and 2 in which the fibres are made of cellulose or modified cellulose.
4. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 in which the layer of fibres is reinforced with a net substrate.
5. A method as claimed in claim 4 in which the net substrate is an integral thermoplastic net.
6. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5 in which the layer of fibres consists of a thin sheet of a bonded matrix of short modified cellulose fibres reinforced by a layer of integral thermoplastic net.
7. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 in which the plant growth medium has a rectangular shape.
8. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 in which the plant growth medium has a cylindrical shape.
9. A plant growth medium for the propagation of plants from seed in the form of a laminar structure which comprises an absorbent layer of fibres in contact with and between layers of synthetic polymer foam.
10. A plant growth medium as claimed in claim 9 which comprises a laminar structure of rectangular shape.
11. A plant growth medium as claimed in any of claims 9 and 10 in which the laminar structure comprises one absorbent layer of fibres between and in contact with two layers of foam.
1 2. A plant growth medium as claimed in claim 9 which comprises a laminar structure of cylindrical shape.
1 3. A plant growth medium as claimed in any of claims 9 to 1 2 in which the layers of the laminar structure are bonded together.
14. A plant growth medium as claimed in any of claims 9 to 1 3 in which the synthetic polymer foam is a polyurethane foam.
1 5. A plant growth medium as claimed in any of claims 9 to 14 in which the layer of fibres is reinforced with a net substrate.
16. A plant growth medium as claimed in claim 15 in which the net substrate is an integral thermoplastic net.
1 7. A plant growth medium as claimed in any of claims 9 to 1 6 in which the fibres are made of cellulose or modified cellulose.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8023429A GB2080083A (en) | 1980-07-17 | 1980-07-17 | Propagating plants |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8023429A GB2080083A (en) | 1980-07-17 | 1980-07-17 | Propagating plants |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB2080083A true GB2080083A (en) | 1982-02-03 |
Family
ID=10514844
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8023429A Withdrawn GB2080083A (en) | 1980-07-17 | 1980-07-17 | Propagating plants |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2080083A (en) |
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2181424A (en) * | 1985-09-11 | 1987-04-23 | Malcolm Graham Goodson | Zeolite impregnated open-cell foam |
| EP0313255A1 (en) * | 1987-10-19 | 1989-04-26 | Exxon Chemical Patents Inc. | Plant growth promotion and medium therefor |
| EP0351241A1 (en) * | 1988-07-15 | 1990-01-17 | Synthetic Sub-Strates (Holdings) Limited | Materials for use in plant propagation |
| US5155931A (en) * | 1988-10-20 | 1992-10-20 | Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij B.V. | Method of growing plants and growth substrate for use in the method |
| US5224292A (en) * | 1990-04-11 | 1993-07-06 | E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company | Fibrous mat for growing plants |
| EP3036989A1 (en) * | 2014-12-26 | 2016-06-29 | Cal-Comp Biotech Co., Ltd. | Plant cultivation device |
-
1980
- 1980-07-17 GB GB8023429A patent/GB2080083A/en not_active Withdrawn
Cited By (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2181424A (en) * | 1985-09-11 | 1987-04-23 | Malcolm Graham Goodson | Zeolite impregnated open-cell foam |
| EP0313255A1 (en) * | 1987-10-19 | 1989-04-26 | Exxon Chemical Patents Inc. | Plant growth promotion and medium therefor |
| EP0351241A1 (en) * | 1988-07-15 | 1990-01-17 | Synthetic Sub-Strates (Holdings) Limited | Materials for use in plant propagation |
| US5155931A (en) * | 1988-10-20 | 1992-10-20 | Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij B.V. | Method of growing plants and growth substrate for use in the method |
| US5224292A (en) * | 1990-04-11 | 1993-07-06 | E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company | Fibrous mat for growing plants |
| EP3036989A1 (en) * | 2014-12-26 | 2016-06-29 | Cal-Comp Biotech Co., Ltd. | Plant cultivation device |
| CN105830895A (en) * | 2014-12-26 | 2016-08-10 | 金宝生物科技股份有限公司 | plant planting device |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |