Apparatus and method for subirrigating plants

In a plant pot having a bottom wall and a side wall and having a soil-based live plant therein, a plant subirrigation apparatus for self-watering the soil-based live plant from the bottom thereof, said apparatus comprising:

• a closed reservoir having a bottom surface, a top surface and side wall structure for retaining a liquid therein, said top surface being provided with an elongated venting tube having a proximal end removably fastened to said top surface and a distal end embedded in the soil of the plant pot, said distal end carrying a sensor responsive to the level of moisture in the plant pot soil, said sensor being positioned at various levels of the soil controlling the degree of wetness and dryness therein, said side wall structure being formed with an outlet tube disposed in the soil adjacent the bottom wall of the plant pot, said reservoir being filled with liquid and mounted in the vicinity of the plant pot such that when the soil in the plant pot becomes dry, air will pass through said sensor to said proximal end of said venting tube enabling liquid in said reservoir to free flow through said outlet tube and into a lower portion of the soil thereby subirrigating the plant, and when the soil in the plant pot becomes moist, said sensor will prohibit air from flowing therethrough and to said proximal end of said venting tube preventing liquid from flowing through said outlet tube into the lower portion of the soil, wherein said reservoir is adapted to be mounted on a supporting surface above the plant pot.

In a plant pot having a bottom wall and a side wall and having a soil-based live plant therein, a plant subirrigation apparatus for self-watering the soil-based live plant from the bottom thereof, said apparatus comprising:

• a closed reservoir having a bottom surface, a top surface and side wall structure for retaining a liquid therein, said top surface being provided with an elongated venting tube having a proximal end removably fastened to said top surface and a distal end embedded in the soil of the plant pot, said distal end carrying a sensor responsive to the level of moisture in the plant pot soil, said sensor being positioned at various levels of the soil controlling the degree of wetness and dryness therein, said side wall structure being formed with an outlet tube disposed in the soil adjacent the bottom wall of the plant pot, said reservoir being filled with liquid and mounted in the vicinity of the plant pot such that when the soil in the plant pot becomes dry, air will pass through said sensor to said proximal end of said venting tube enabling liquid in said reservoir to free flow through said outlet tube and into a lower portion of the soil thereby subirrigating the plant, and when the soil in the plant pot becomes moist, said sensor will prohibit air from flowing therethrough and to said proximal end of said venting tube preventing liquid from flowing through said outlet tube into the lower portion of the soil, wherein said reservoir is adapted to be mounted inside the side wall of the plant pot.

For use with a plant pot having a bottom wall and a side wall and having a soil-based live plant therein, a plant subirrigation apparatus for self-watering the soil-based live plant from the bottom thereof, said apparatus comprising:

• a closed reservoir having a bottom surface, a top surface and side wall structure for retaining a liquid therein, said top surface being provided with an elongated venting tube having a proximal end removably fastened to said top surface and a distal end embedded in the soil of the plant pot, said distal end carrying a sensor responsive to the level of moisture in the plant pot soil, said sensor being positioned at various levels of the soil controlling the degree of wetness and dryness therein, said side wall structure being formed with a laterally projecting outlet tube adapted to be disposed in the soil adjacent the bottom wall of the plant pot, said reservoir being adapted to be filled with liquid and mounted entirely separately in the vicinity of the plant pot such that when the soil in the plant pot becomes dry, air will pass through said sensor to said proximal end of said venting tube enabling liquid in said reservoir to free flow through said outlet tube and be directly delivered into a lower portion of the soil thereby subirrigating the plant, and when the soil in the plant pot becomes moist, said sensor will prohibit air from flowing therethrough and to said proximal end of said venting tube preventing liquid from flowing through said outlet tube into the lower portion of the soil.

A method of subirrigating a pot, the method comprising the steps of:

• a). providing a pot having a bottom wall and a side wall for housing a soil based live plant;
• b). providing an entirely separate reservoir having a bottom surface, a top surface and a side wall structure for retaining a liquid therein, said reservoir having an elongated venting tube with one end removably fastened to a top surface of said reservoir and another end having a sensing device embedded in the soil surrounding the plant, said reservoir also having an outlet tube projecting laterally from said side wall structure for selectively delivering liquid in the reservoir to the soil;
• c). installing said outlet tube adjacent the bottom wall in the pot such that liquid from said reservoir is directly delivered to the bottom of the pot in response to the moisture level detected by said sensing device;
• and
• d). positioning said sensing device at a desired level in the soil.