Naturally dyed mulch and growing media
AssigneeProfile Products L.L.C.
InventorsKevin Scott Spittle, Gary Lane Bowers
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for making a dyed mulch composition or a dyed growing medium, the method comprising combining tree bark including one or more pigments and/or pigment precursors and wood components together to form an initial composition; heating the initial composition at a temperature greater than about 149° C. under steam in a pressurized vessel; processing the initial composition through a refiner with a plurality of opposing disks, the refiner separating the tree bark and wood components into fibers and separating the fibers from each other; and dyeing the wood components by the one or more pigments and/or pigment precursors while the tree bark and the wood components are being separated into fibers in the refiner to obtain dyed fibers.
Claims20
A naturally-dyed mulch or growing medium composition comprising:
- about 1 to 99 weight % fibrous tree bark, based on the total weight of the mulch or growing medium composition, the bark comprising natural pigments;
- about 1 to 99 weight % fibrous wood components, based on the total weight of the mulch or growing medium composition;
- and
- less than about 15 weight % additional components comprising one or more of natural binder(s), naturally occurring gums, water absorption enhancement component(s), organic acid(s), manmade interlocking fiber(s), fertilizer(s),
- the naturally-dyed mulch or growing medium composition having a dry bulk density of about 6 1b/ft3 or lower and hsl coordinates such that h is from about 25-45, s is from about 20-100, and 1 is less than about 50,
- wherein the composition has light-fastness of at least 1 day, measured according to ASTM D4303-99.
A dyed mulch or growing medium composition comprising:
- at least about 50 weight % fibrous wood components, based on the total weight of the mulch or growing medium composition;
- a non-permanent dye, wherein the non-permanent dye includes one or more synthetic compounds;
- and
- at least one additional component comprising natural binder(s), guar gum, water absorption enhancement component(s), manmade interlocking fiber(s), or a combination thereof,
- the dyed mulch or growing medium composition having a dry bulk density of about 6 1b/ft3 or lower and a color with a dominant wavelength from about 400 nm to about 780 nm relative to a white illuminate.
A naturally-dyed mulch or growing medium composition comprising:
- about 1 to 50 weight % fibrous tree bark, based on the total weight of the mulch or growing medium composition;
- about 50 to 99 weight % fibrous wood components, based on the total weight of the mulch or growing medium composition;
- and
- less than about 15 weight % additional components comprising natural binder(s), naturally occurring gums, water absorption enhancement component(s), organic acid(s), manmade interlocking fiber(s), fertilizer(s),
- the naturally-dyed mulch or growing medium composition having a dry bulk density of about 6 1b/ft3 or lower and the composition having hsl coordinates of h having a value from about 25-45, s having a value from about 20-100, and I having a value of less than about 50, wherein the composition has light-fastness of at least 1 day, measured according to ASTM D4303-99.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.