US 4,052,818 AGranted

Method and apparatus for containerizing plants with a self-watering system

OwnerMary L. Hagertyinventor

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Abstract

Plants are containerized with a self-watering system by forming a water reservoir in the bottom of a container with a screen supported over the reservoir spaced from the water by means of a coarse growing medium received in the reservoir. Above the screen is a fine growing medium which, prior to initial introduction in the container, is prevented from dropping through the screen by means of a permeable easily decomposable sheet material such as filter paper placed over the screen. The roots of the plant are placed in the fine growing medium, however, due to the size of the mesh of the screen, specialized or water roots are developed which extend through the screen and into the reservoir to help feed the plant with water. The fine growing medium receives its water from the reservoir through means of one or more wicks which extend between the reservoir and the fine growing medium above the reservoir. Water is supplied to the reservoir by a watering tube extending vertically through a preformed aperture in the screen. The level of water in the reservoir is indicated by a float in the watering tube including a stem which projects from the top of the tube when the reservoir contains water. The top of the stem is marked with indicia to determine whether the reservoir is empty of water or has been filled to a predetermined maximum level below the screen. To prevent withdrawal of the stem from the watering tube, an intermediate portion of the tube is provided with a cross member acting as a stop engageable with the bottom of the float to prevent withdrawal upwardly through the tube.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A planter combination including a container having bottom and upstanding side walls defining a space for receiving a plant and growing mediums, a coarse growing medium located in the bottom of the container and evenly distributed throughout to define a horizontal plane at the top of the coarse growing medium, a screen located in the container in said horizontal plane and being supported by said coarse growing medium and dividing the container into upper and lower compartments with the coarse growing medium located in the lower compartment, a fine growing medium located in the container in the upper compartment and being supported by said screen and ultimately said course growing medium, a watering tube extending generally vertically in the container through the upper and lower compartments and through said screen and having an open upper end and outlet means in a lower end portion for introducing water into the lower compartment, a float located in the passage of the watering tube, said float including a float member and a stem fixed to the float member and projecting upwardly therefrom in the passage of the watering tube, and indicia means on an upper end portion of the stem cooperable with the upper end of the watering tube for indicating when the lower compartment is either empty of water, or contains a maximum predetermined desired level of water situated adjacent to but spaced below said screen to prevent capillary action through said screen, or an excessive level of water above said maximum predtermined desired level, and wherein said indicia means includes a first mark located on the stem to lie generally at the level of the open end of the watering tube when the water in the lower compartment reaches said maximum predetermined desired level spaced below the screen, a second mark on the stem above said first mark adapted to lie generally at the level of the open end of the watering tube when the second compartment is empty of water.

As a product of manufacture, a kit for containerizing plants with a self-watering system;

the kit comprising in combination, a screen to be placed in a plant container to divide the same into upper and lower compartments;
the upper compartment to contain a fine growing medium and the lower compartment to contain a coarse growing medium and a water reservoir, an elongated watering tube adapted to be placed into the container through the screen to extend between the upper and lower container compartments to supply water into the reservoir in the lower container compartment, a float assembly including a float member and attached elongated stem to be received in the water tube to rise and fall with the level of water, the float assembly having indicia means for indicating the level of water, at least one wick to be inserted in the container to extend through the screen between the upper and lower container compartment from the lower container compartment, and a coarse growing medium to be received in the lower container compartment below the screen and to support the screen and to define spaces for receiving water, a sheet of readily decomposable material to be placed in the container in overlying relationship on the screen to prevent the fine growing medium from falling through the screen upon initial introduction into the container, attachment means for attaching the wick to a side wall portion of the associated container in a vertical position, said screen and said sheet of readily decomposable material each having a precut opening with a slit extending from the opening to a margin thereof for facilitating placement of the screen and the sheet of readily decomposable material about the watering tube in an associated container with the watering tube extending through each precut opening, said watering tube having a stop fixed therein intermediate opposite ends thereof to engage the float member to prevent removal of the float member from one end of the watering tube, said stem having indicia means including first and second marks spaced along an upper end portion thereof for clearly indicating when the float member has engaged the stop in the watering tube and for also indicating when the float is positioned at the bottom end of the tube or at a predetermined position adjacent to but below the screen.

A planter combination comprising a container having bottom and upstanding walls enclosing a space for receiving a plant, a coarse growing medium in the container resting on the bottom wall of the container with spaces provided between the coarse growing medium and with the coarse growing medium defining a generally horizontal plane at the top of the coarse growing medium, a screen engaged upon and supported by the coarse growing medium dividing the space in the container into an upper compartment above the screen and a lower compartment below the screen, a sheet of permeable and readily decomposable material positioned on said screen and being generally coextensive therewith, a fine growing medium located in the upper compartment and engaged on said sheet of permeable material, whereby a plant located in the container has roots embedded in the fine growing medium, a watering tube having an upper open end and being received in the container and extending through the upper and lower compartments through the fine growing medium, the permeable sheet, the screen, and the coarse growing medium and having outlet means located in the lower compartment for supplying water into the lower compartment in the spaces between the coarse growing medium, the upper end of the watering tube being located generally at the level of the fine growing medium for receiving water, a float located in the watering tube to rise and fall with the level of water in the lower compartment, said float including a float member and a stem fixed to the float member and extending upwardly through the watering tube, said stem having indicia means cooperable with the upper end of the watering tube to indicate when the lower compartment is empty of water, and when the lower compartment contains a predetermined maximum level of water adjacent to but spaced below said screen, and when the water in the container is excessive and extends to a level above the screen, and a wick extending through the upper and lower compartments for transmitting water from the lower compartment into the upper compartment for feeding the plant, and wherein said watering tube has stop means located therein at a position intermediate the opposite ends of the watering tube, said stop means being engageable by said float member to prevent accidental withdrawal of the float member and stem from the upper end of the tube, means attaching said wick to the side wall of the container and means attaching said watering tube to the side wall of the container, and wherein said screen and said permeable sheet have precut openings receiving said watering tube.

A method of containerizing a plant with a self-watering system comprising the steps of:

placing a coarse growing medium in the bottom of a container having bottom and upstanding walls enclosing a space for receiving a growing medium and a plant, placing at least one elongated wick in the container to extend at least partially vertically in the container with a bottom portion of the wick engaging the bottom of the container and with the top of the wick terminating at a first level substantially above the bottom of the container, placing a hollow watering tube vertically in the container with the bottom of the tube engaged against the bottom of the container and with the top of the tube lying adjacent said first level, introducing a coarse growing medium in the bottom of the container to a second level spaced below said first level and evenly distributing the coarse growing medium throughout the container so as to define a generally horizontal plane at the top of the coarse growing medium, placing a screen in the container over the coarse growing medium to be supported by the coarse growing medium in said plane at the top of the coarse growing medium, placing a sheet of permeable and readily decomposable material over the screen to extend substantially throughout the area of the screen, placing a fine growing medium in the container to rest on the said sheet and to extend to an uppermost level adjacent said first level, introducing a plant in the container above said screen and with the roots of the plant located in the fine growing medium adjacent said screen, and introducing water into the watering tube to be discharged into the container below said screen to a level spaced below the level of the screen, and wherein before inserting the tube in the container, a float is introduced in the watering tube for indicating the level of water in the container, and wherein said wick and watering tube with the float therein are introduced into the container prior to introducing the coarse growing medium into the container, and wherein the wick and watering tube are attached to the sides of the container prior to introducing the coarse growing medium, and wherein the fine growing medium is introduced in the container to a first layer adjacent said screen and then the plant is introduced in the container with its roots placed in the first layer of the fine growing medium, and then a second layer of fine growing medium is introduced into the container on top of the first layer of fine growing medium and around the roots of the plant, and wherein said screen and said sheet of readily decomposable material each have precut openings with slits extending from the opening to a margin thereof for facilitating placement of the screen and the sheet of readily decomposable material in the container after the watering tube has been placed in and attached to the container and with the watering tube received through the precut openings.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.