GB2139464A - Plant pots - Google Patents

Abstract

A plant pot 10 is provided with a perforated portion 28 which fits inside the pot over the base of the pot and which is provided with a plurality of narrow slots 38 whose width increases with depth. When soil is in the pot and is watered, the perforated portion 26 slows down the rate at which water leaves the pot through the base of the pot and allows a plant in the pot to extract more water from the soil. The perforated portion may be formed separately from the pot and subsequently positioned or it may be formed integrally with the pot and may comprise the actual base of the pot. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Plant pots The invention relates to plant pots.

A conventional plant pot is, in essence, a container for soil so that plants, especially indoor plants, can be easily grown. Most plant pots have several large holes in the base so that when the plant has been watered, excess water may drain off through the base, thus preventing the soil from becoming waterlogged. Often, the flow of water through the soil is too rapid, not allowing the plant enough time to extract sufficient moisture. A known solution is to place pieces of broken earthenware plant pots, known as "crock", in the base of a plant pot to slow down the flow of water out of the pot. However, in recent years, the use of plastics plant pots has increased, and these now form a large proportion of the plant pots in use, with the result that "crock" is often not available.

"Crock" has another use in that when in position in the bottom of a plant pot it prevents plant pots which have been stacked one inside another from becoming stuck, since the bases, and hence the sides, of the pots are always kept separate. When "crock" is not placed in the bases of pots and several are stacked together, a few pots usually become struck and need considerable effort to free them.

An object of the invention is to provide a plant pot which will remove the need for "crock".

Accordingly, the invention provides a plant pot having a soil containing portion and a perforated portion which, when the pot is in use restricts the flow of water from the soil containing portion.

The perforated portion may be in the form of an insert which in use is placed over the base of the pot.

The insert may be a snap fit within the plant pot.

Means may be provided to space the insert from the base of the plant pot, e.g. to allow air to circulate under the soil containing portion, thus permitting the soil to breathe.

The perforated portion may be formed integrally with the pot.

The perforated portion may comprise the base of the pot.

Preferably the dimensions of the or each perforation are sufficiently small for the surface tension of water to have a substantial effect on the rate of flow of water through the or each perforation.

The or each perforation may comprise a slot.

The narrowest portion of the or each slot may be between 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm and is preferably 0.4 mm.

The width of the or each slot may increase with depth.

The invention also provides an insert for a plant pot, the insert comprising a perforated portion which, when inserted into a plant pot, and the plant pot is in use, restricts the flow of water from a soil containing portion of the pot.

By way of example, a specific embodiment of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side view, in cross section of a plant pot according to the invention; and Figure 2 is a plan view of the plant pot shown in Figure 1.

Referring to the Figures, there is illustrated a plastics plant pot 10 comprising a first downwardly tapering frusto-conical portion 12 and a second narrower downwardly tapering frusto-conical portion 14, the two portions being connected by a circumferential shoulder 1 6. In use, soil is placed in lower portion 14 up to the level of the shoulder 1 6.

The portion 14 is closed off at its lower end by a base 20, the base 20 being provided with six large holes 22 which allow water which has seeped through soil in the pot 10 to flow out of the pot with virtually no hindrance. In use the pot stands on an interrupted circumferential circular rim 21 which is positioned on the base 20. A circumferential lip 24 is provided slightly above the base 20 inside the pot.

An insert 26 comprises a circular plastics disc 28 which is provided with four feet 30 in the form of thin arcuate projections and which is also shaped at 32 to fit over a bulge 34 which is usually present on the base of a plastics plant pot.

The insert 26 is of a size such that it will fit into the bottom of portion 14 and snap underneath the lip 24 as shown in Figure 1. The feet 30 and shaped part 32 ensure that the majority of the disc is spaced apart from the base 20 by a gap 36. The gap 36 allows the soil to "breathe" because air may circulate in the gap.

Provided in the insert 26 are four groups of four very narrow slots 38. As seen in Figure 2, the edges of the slots 38 are defined by circular arcs with the centre of insert 26 as the centre of the circles of which the arcs form part. Each group of slots 38 subtends an angle of 450 at the centre of the insert. The four groups are evenly spaced around the insert 26.

The width of slots 38 increases with depth, as best seen in Figure 1. The slots are sufficiently narrow so that water may pass through them only very gradually and so that soil cannot pass through but is retained in the pot. Hence, when a plant in the pot 10 is watered, the water will gradually seep downwards to the insert 26. Due to the very slow flow of water through the slots 38 there will be a build-up of water in the soil, allowing the roots of the plant to take in plenty of water. However, the water will eventually flow through slots 38 and from there will quickly flow through the large holes 22. Thus the soil is prevented from becoming waterlogged but allows a plant in the soil sufficient time to extract water.

It will also be appreciated that when plant pots such as that described are stacked together, their bases will be separated by the insert 26 and will thus prevent adjacent pots from becoming wedged together. The pots will be further prevented from sticking together by provision of circumferentially spaced apart shoulders 1 8 which abut the continuous shoulder 1 6 of an adjacent pot.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment. For example, the insert 26 may be moulded integrally with the plant pot, the base 20 being dispensed with. The holes in the insert need not be of the same dimensions and/or number as described, but may be of any shape, number and dimension which will allow slow drainage of water from the pot. The feet 30 for supporting the insert may be around the periphery of the insert, and the central portion which fits over a bulge in the base of the pot may be flat and not shaped to fit over the bulge but to lie above it.

Claims (14)

1. A plant pot having a soil containing portion and a perforated portion which, when the pot is in use restricts the flow of water from the soil containing portion.

2. A plant pot as claimed in Claim 1, in which the perforated portion is in the form of an insert which in use is placed over the base of the pot.

3. A plant pot as claimed in Claim 2, in which the insert is a snap fit within the plant pot.

4. A plant pot as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3, in which means are provided to space the insert from the base of the plant pot.

5. A plant pot as claimed in Claim 1, in which the perforated portion is formed integrally with the pot.

6. A plant pot as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the perforated portion comprises the base of the pot.

7. A plant pot as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the dimensions of the or each perforation are sufficiently small for the surface tension of water to have a substantial effort on the rate of flow of water through the or each perforation.

8. A plant pot as claimed in Claim 7, in which the or each perforation comprises a slot.

9. A plant pot as claimed in Claim 8, in which the narrowest portion of the or each slot is between 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm.

10. A plant pot as claimed in Claim 9, in which the narrowest portion of the or each slot is 0.4 mm.

11. A plant pot as claimed in any one of Claims 8 to 10, in which the width of the or each slot increases with the depth.

12. A plant pot constructed and arranged substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. An insert for a plant pot, the insert comprising a perforated portion which, when inserted into a plant pot, and the plant pot is in use, restricts the flow of water from a soil containing portion of the pot.

14. An insert for a plant pot constructed and arranged substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.