Container for holding a plant

Abstract

Container suitable for holding a plant, comprising: - a substrate suitable for the root system of a plant to root in, wherein the substrate forms a substantially continuous volume with an outer surface, preferably a substantially spherical volume; - a layer of fibrous material, preferably moss, which is attached around the outer surface of the substrate, wherein an opening in the layer of fibrous material allows access to the substrate, characterized in that the container also includes a net which is arranged exactly around and in contact with the layer of fibrous material in order to hold the layer of fibrous material and the substrate together.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a container suitable for holding a plant, comprising the following: - a substrate suitable for the root system of a plant to root in, wherein the substrate forms a substantially continuous volume with an outer surface, preferably a substantially spherical volume; - a layer of fibrous material, preferably moss, which is attached around the outer surface of the substrate, wherein an opening in the layer of fibrous material allows access to the substrate.

[0002] Furthermore, a method for manufacturing a container according to the invention is described. A container obtainable by this method is also described.

[0003] Containers, usually spherical, already exist in which a substrate is covered with plant material such as moss. These containers are also called moss balls. In this process, the moss is applied around the substrate and simultaneously wrapped with binding wire. This method requires a high degree of skill to produce high-quality containers. Furthermore, the substrate must have a suitable consistency and malleability to be applied. The well-known manual method is also very labor-intensive. This makes such existing plant containers quite expensive.

[0004] One aim of the invention is to reduce or even completely eliminate the aforementioned disadvantages.

[0005] This purpose according to the invention is achieved by providing a container in accordance with the preamble, in that the container also includes a net that is arranged around and abuts the fiber material layer in order to hold the fiber material layer and the substrate together.

[0006] The known method requires considerable dexterity when wrapping the substrate with a layer of fiber material using binding wire. It is very difficult to create a tightly bound whole with the binding wire while simultaneously achieving an aesthetically pleasing result. The container according to the invention replaces the binding wire with a net. The regularity of the net's mesh gently and securely holds the layer of fiber material around the substrate. While this eliminates the characteristic appearance of the wrapped binding wire, it results in an alternative aesthetic in which the fiber material plays a more prominent role. A striking aesthetic effect can also be achieved by choosing a net color that contrasts with the color of the fiber material.

[0007] If you leave an opening in the layer of fiber material, for example a round opening, a plant can be inserted or grow through the opening. When in use, the opening will then be at the top. The opening can be created either by locally omitting or locally removing fiber material.

[0008] Moss is the preferred fibrous material, but other, preferably natural, fibrous materials are also suitable. A spherical substrate is preferred, but other shapes are possible if you use a net instead of thread.

[0009] Many well-known and suitable substrates are available. A substrate can contain, for example, soil, coconut fibers, perlite, vermiculite, clay, glass wool, rock wool, etc., whether mixed or not.

[0010] Also according to the invention is an embodiment of a container which also includes a plant with a root system, wherein the root system is arranged in the substrate and the plant protrudes through the opening in the layer of fibrous material.

[0011] By directly inserting a plant with its root system into the container, the container does not need to be manipulated later for planting. This ensures the integrity and durability of the container.

[0012] In another embodiment of a container according to the invention, the mesh is elastic.

[0013] By attaching an elastic mesh, the net automatically becomes taut to hold the layer of fiber material and substrate together. Furthermore, other shapes of the substrate can also be easily held together.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of a container according to the invention, the net comprises a tension wire which is arranged through meshes of the net in order to tension the net around the opening in the layer of fibrous material.

[0015] By attaching a tension wire to the net, the net can be placed and tensioned around the shaped volume of the substrate, preferably with the tension wire around the opening in the layer of fiber material.

[0016] The container according to the invention may have been manufactured according to a method comprising the following steps: - Providing a substrate suitable for the rooting of a plant's root system; - Forming the substrate into an essentially coherent volume; - Providing fiber material; - Providing a network; - Wrapping the outer surface of the substrate with a layer of fibrous material, forming an opening in the layer of fibrous material to allow access to the substrate through the opening; - Surrounding the layer of fiber material and applying the net to it to hold the layer of fiber material and the substrate together.

[0017] A particular advantage of the container according to the invention is that the method for its manufacture requires far less skill. In manufacturing the container according to the invention, the substrate can be prepared and shaped in such a way that the root system of a plant can take root in it. A layer of fibrous material can then be applied around this, which is held together by the mesh in a single and simple step. This completely eliminates the time-consuming step of wrapping it with twine.

[0018] If desired, the container according to the invention can be wrapped with binding wire for aesthetic reasons during its manufacture. Since the mesh already holds the layer of fiber material around the substrate, only minimal skill is required for wrapping.

[0019] Furthermore, in the manufacture of the container according to the invention, the steps of enclosing the outer surface of the substrate with a layer of fibrous material and enclosing the layer of fibrous material with the mesh may have been carried out by the following steps: - Laying the net on a flat surface; - Applying a layer of fiber material to the flat net; - Positioning the shaped volume of the substrate on the layer of fiber material; - Surrounding the outer surface of the substrate with the layer of fiber material and mesh material.

[0020] A particular advantage of the described method is that the layer of fibrous material can be applied to the mesh only after the mesh is in place on a substrate. Preferably, the substrate is flat, but a curved substrate or a temporary container can also be used for this purpose. Once the layer of fibrous material has been applied to the mesh, the shaped volume of the substrate can be placed on top of it. By subsequently placing the mesh around the shaped volume of the substrate, the layer of fibrous material is also applied directly around the substrate.

[0021] It is preferred if, when manufacturing the container according to the invention, the following steps were also carried out before positioning the formed volume substrate on the layer of fiber material: - Providing a temporary container, e.g. a vessel; - Placing the net and the fiber material layer into the temporary container.

[0022] Placing the mesh and the layer of fiber material in a temporary container ensures the stability of the step of positioning the shaped volume of the substrate onto it. For example, during the step of tensioning a tension wire, the substrate and the mesh lying on the fiber layer did not need to be held in place.

[0023] In another variant, when manufacturing the container according to the invention, the step of tightening the tension wire of the net was also carried out when wrapping the layer of fiber material and applying the net to it in order to hold the layer of fiber material and the substrate together.

[0024] By tightening the tension wire of the net, the net was stretched around the shaped substrate volume. This allowed it to be held together with the desired force.

[0025] In another variant, the substrate was provided and formed during the manufacture of the container according to the invention by taking a plant rooted in substrate along with substrate from a previous plant container.

[0026] For example, a plant that was grown in a previous container, along with its root system and the substrate in which the root system is rooted, may have been transferred from the previous container to a container according to the invention.

[0027] The container according to the invention, which is suitable for holding a plant, may have been obtained using the described method.

[0028] These and other features of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a container with a plant according to the invention. The Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and Fig. Figure 4 shows the steps of the described procedure.

[0029] Fig. Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a container 1 with a plant 2 according to the invention. The container 1 is provided with a substrate 3, for example, a soil mixture. The substrate 3 is formed into a continuous volume in the shape of a sphere, and the root system of the plant 2 is inserted into the substrate 3. A layer of fibrous material 4 has been placed around the substrate 3. The fibrous material 4 is moss. The moss 4 is held together with the substrate 3 by a net 5. The net 5 is arranged tightly around the layer of fibrous material 4. An opening 6 is provided in the layer of fibrous material 4 through which the substrate 3 is accessible and through which the plant 2 can grow. The net is provided with a tension wire 7, which tightens the net 5 and runs around the opening 6. Optionally, the container 1 can also be wrapped with a decorative wire to more closely resemble the appearance of a conventional container or a moss ball.The color of the net 5 can also be chosen so that it stands out in relation to the moss 4 or so that it blends in better.

[0030] Fig. Figure 2 shows an intermediate stage of the described process. A net 5 is arranged on a substrate. A tension wire 7 is attached through the mesh 8 at the edge of the net 5. A quantity of fiber material 4 is provided.

[0031] Fig. Figure 3 shows the fiber material 4, which is applied in one layer to the mesh 5. The tension wire 7 is not yet tensioned.

[0032] Fig. Figure 4 shows a rooted plant 2 with a substrate 3 placed in the middle of the layer of fibrous material 4. This substrate could, for example, come from a previous plant container in which the plant 2 grew. Now, when the net 5 is folded up and the tension wire 7 is stretched, the layer of fibrous material 4 can be attached around the substrate 3 in a single, simple step, so that the Fig. Container 1 as shown is created.

Claims

[1] Container suitable for holding a plant, comprising: - a substrate suitable for the root system of a plant to root in, wherein the substrate forms a substantially continuous volume with an outer surface, preferably a substantially spherical volume; - a layer of fibrous material, preferably moss, which is attached around the outer surface of the substrate, wherein an opening in the layer of fibrous material allows access to the substrate, characterized by that the container also includes a net that is arranged precisely around and against the layer of fibrous material to hold the layer of fibrous material and the substrate together. [2] Container according to claim 1, which also includes a plant with a root system, wherein the root system is inserted into the substrate and the plant protrudes through the opening in the layer of fibrous material. [3] Container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mesh is elastic. [4] Container according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the net comprises a tension wire arranged through meshes of the net to tension the net around the opening in the layer of fibrous material.

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