PLANT GROWING DEVICE

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (10) adapted to transform any bendable plate (40) into a planter or growing container for at least one plant (42), comprising at least two planter hoops (11), each consisting of a hanger (12) and a horizontal reinforcement (13), and sliding around said bendable plate (40), as well as at least two side doors (15) fixed to the two shorter edges of the inner wall of said bendable plate (40) by means of a sealing gasket (17) and screws (16), delimiting a planting area containing a growing medium (41), at least one of said side doors (15) having a drain tap (18) for watering a container (43) placed on the ground, and whose planter hoops (11) receive, at the level of their respective horizontal reinforcements (13), protective hoops (20) intended to support a tarpaulin or a protective veil for at least one plant (42),the assembly resting on planter supports (21), allowing said plant (42) to grow in said growing substrate (41). Figure for the abbreviation: Fig. 3,

Description

Title of the invention: Device for growing plants

[0001] The invention relates to a device for growing plants, in particular for growing one or more plants in a container or planter, particularly in gardening, market gardening and / or arboriculture.

[0002] The invention relates to a device for transforming any plate into a planter or vegetable container.

[0003] In agriculture, many tasks are linked to maintaining optimal conditions for the growth of the crops that one wishes to obtain: such as soil preparation, often by tedious work (digging, plowing, etc.), chemical weeding, which is harmful to the environment, mechanical weeding, which requires expensive machines, or manual weeding, which requires a lot of time and / or manpower, maintaining moist and fertile soil, etc.

[0004] The farmer must also prevent attacks from pests such as attacks by crawling insects (ants, caterpillars, etc.), terrestrial molluscs (slugs, snails), rodents (voles, moles, etc.), birds, etc. This is often done by disseminating chemical agents, which is harmful to the environment, often with disappointing results.

[0005] To overcome these drawbacks, more and more gardeners are opting for growing plants in planters or containers, and / or possibly in greenhouses. Most of the time, these are plastic planters or wooden containers, sometimes metal, bought as kits from a store or made by the gardener himself.

[0006] However, these solutions have certain drawbacks: wooden raised garden beds have a very short lifespan due to their exposure to constant moisture; metal beds are very expensive. Furthermore, even when purchased as kits, these beds require considerable assembly work. In addition, they often require a large amount of organic matter and handling to fill.

[0007] The invention therefore aims to overcome these drawbacks.

[0008] The invention aims to provide a device for quickly and effortlessly transforming any bendable sheet into a planter or vegetable container, in particular any thin metal sheet. Specifically, corrugated metal sheets sold by all DIY stores are perfectly suited for this purpose, as are BACACIER® sheets.

[0009] The invention aims to provide such a simple and economical device while minimizing human intervention.

[0010] The invention aims to provide a device for the manufacture of planters or vegetable garden containers that are easy to install or store.

[0011] The invention therefore relates to a device for transforming any foldable plate exhibiting a certain mechanical resistance into a container intended to receive one or more plants in a growing substrate:

[0012] Adapted so that it can be assembled by a single person directly onto a bendable plate

[0013] Comprising a curved portion, called a curve, intended to conform to said plate in its width in order to give it a semi-circular, U-shaped, rectangular or other shape depending on the model, and to rest either directly on the ground or on one or more feet

[0014] A flat upper part connecting the two edges of said hanger, called a horizontal reinforcement, intended to maintain the hanger in the chosen position (semicircle, U, rectangle, etc.) by resisting the pressure of the culture substrate against the inner wall of said bending plate, and located on the surface of said culture substrate.

[0015] The assembly forming a hoop called a planter hoop, peripheral to said bending plate.

[0016] A closure called a side door, the shape of which is based on the curve of said hoop, being positioned by means of screws, bolts or other fixing, on either side of the plate to be bent, closely following the inner edges of the latter so as to retain the substrate in the plate to be bent, without however making the device watertight in order to allow the excess watering to flow passively.

[0017] Alternatively, a device according to the invention provides for ensuring the watertightness of the growing container or planter while allowing excess water to drain through a tap or other system, for example, a simple opening fitted with a plug, located in the lowest part of said side door. The watertightness of such a device according to the invention can advantageously be ensured by a seal (silicone, rubber, or other) or a dot of glue or any other system. One of the problems associated with watering closed growing containers is that the substrate dries out quickly, becomes compact, making rehydration of the plant practically impossible. Water from subsequent waterings no longer penetrates the substrate and runs directly down the inner walls of the container.This problem can be overcome by ensuring, for example with a glued seal, a watertight seal between the curved plate and the side doors. This allows the plants to be literally soaked by closing the drain hole or tap, thus fully re-saturating the substrate, and the nutrient-enriched water to be collected for reuse when the drain hole or tap is opened. The side door is attached to the inner wall of the curved plate using screws with washers or any other system that ensures a watertight seal.

[0018] Said side doors have sufficient thickness to accommodate any type of fastener in their edge, for example screws or bolts or tabs The assembly is designed so that the joint between the side doors and the bending plate is solid. The side doors can be made of any type of material, such as metal, plastic, wood, or other. Furthermore, a sealing gasket, made of silicone, rubber, adhesive, or another material, is positioned on the curved edge of the side doors to ensure the device is watertight, allowing the growing tray to be completely filled with water to fully immerse and rehydrate the plants. The side door has a drain valve on its lower outer face. This valve allows the growing tray to be drained to prevent water from stagnating (except for aquatic plants that require constant immersion) and also allows the water to be collected in a container for later use.In this type of application, it is advisable to place the growing tray on legs to raise it sufficiently to facilitate the placement of a container under the aforementioned collection tap. The collection tap itself can be made of plastic, metal, or any other material, such as wood.

[0019] Said planter hoop having in its upper horizontal part, places intended to receive an arched rod type frame to support a shade cloth to protect young seedlings during transplanting, or a tarpaulin transforming a device according to the invention into a mini-greenhouse, or to receive a protective net against insects such as butterflies, Suzuki fruit flies, or an anti-hail net, etc.

[0020] Advantageously, said horizontal reinforcement can receive, for example, a planter hoop placed upside down, called a protective hoop intended to receive either a greenhouse cover, a shade sail, an insect net, a hail net, etc. The two hoops are assembled to each other at the level of their respective horizontal reinforcements, in an opposite position by screwing, bolting, clipping or other means of fixing.

[0021] Thus the device according to the invention slides directly around said plate to be bent without requiring either specific tool (other than a simple screwdriver) or the intervention of a second person.

[0022] A device according to the invention can take all possible shapes (rectangle, square, round, oval, semicircle, U-shaped, etc.) and have all possible dimensions depending on the plates, shapes and uses envisaged.

[0023] For example, said planter hoops having an arc-shaped curve have a horizontal reinforcement whose length is twice the height of said planter hoops. This height or radius of the semicircle is approximately 31 cm to fit the sheets commonly sold in a width of 90 cm, such as corrugated sheets, BACACIER® type sheets, etc.

[0024] Advantageously, and according to the invention, in the case of a semi-circular bend, the length of said horizontal reinforcement is strictly less than the width of said bending plate, when the length of said hoop is equal to or slightly greater than the width of said bending plate, so that a single person can easily slide said hoop around said bending plate. Furthermore, if the shape of said side door is identical to that of said hoop, its dimensions are very slightly smaller than those of said planter hoop since said side door is embedded in the bending plate.

[0025] The radius of the hoop will also represent the maximum substrate depth. Thus, in our numerical example above, this planting depth will be approximately 31 cm. In the case of a semi-circular bend, the central planting area will have a depth of 31 cm, while the peripheral planting area, along the edges of the container, will have a shallower depth, which is perfectly suited to growing plants with a shallow root system, such as lettuce. This configuration saves organic matter when filling the planter.

[0026] However, said planter hoops may have a different cross-section, rectangular or U-shaped for example, to accommodate different plate folds. A device according to the invention can thus take the form of a rectangle to give a parallelogram shape to one or more plates assembled together with dimensions according to the wishes of the manufacturer of said planter.

[0027] Said planter hoops have a thin but sufficient thickness to resist the pressure of the substrate which is in the plate to be bent.

[0028] The dimensions of commercially available metal sheets are 90 cm wide with a length ranging from 2 to 3 meters. It is also easy to find much longer sheets intended for roofing, most often in the aforementioned width. These dimensions allow for the creation of planters of a size suitable for growing any plant, including young trees in nurseries, thus protecting them from rodents such as voles. In the latter case, the tree is obviously not intended to remain in the planter beyond the first two or three years.

[0029] The planter hoops and the side doors together forming a device according to the invention can have a variable thickness

[0030] A device according to the invention can be placed directly on any floor.

[0031] It can also be raised by means of feet called planter supports. These planter supports, made of rubble for example, are advantageously placed under the planter at the level of the planter hoops, which act as reinforcement. Thus, particularly in the case of a semi-circular bend, the majority of the weight The entire system focuses on the points of contact between the planter hoops and the planter supports. In this configuration, there are as many planter supports as there are planter hoops. This configuration allows for easy placement of the planter on more or less sloping ground; it is sufficient to create a base on which to place the planter supports by leveling a very small area of ​​ground, without needing to level an area at least equal to the planter's footprint as if it were placed directly on the ground. The planter supports can have a wide variety of shapes and sizes and can be made from any type of material capable of supporting a significant load.

[0032] A device according to the invention can also be suspended, by fixing it to the level of the planter hoops, the latter playing the role of support and reinforcement of the whole system.

[0033] Advantageously, and according to the invention, a device according to the invention is made of a metallic material exhibiting both mechanical strength and the ability to be folded and / or bent as well as welded. Iron or steel, for example, are perfectly suited for this purpose.

[0034] However, nothing prevents a device according to the invention from being made, for example, from a polymeric synthetic material, obtained by injection molding or produced by 3D printing. Nor does anything prevent a device according to the invention from being made from a natural and / or biodegradable material such as wood, for example, particularly for said side door.

[0035] Thus, the invention makes it possible to obtain, for the first time, a simple device, for immediate installation, allowing any plate to be transformed into a durable planter or vegetable container, with little labor, without specific tools, for a low financial cost.

[0036] In certain embodiments, said hoop is advantageously of a single fixed block called fixed hoop.

[0037] In other embodiments, the hoop is advantageously removable: it is then possible to open and close the hoop, referred to as the articulated planter hoop. Indeed, the articulated hoop may have a hinge, for example a pintle, in one upper corner and a closure, for example a lever closure, in the other upper corner, so that the user can open the hoops to easily uproot plants or change the substrate after some time. This feature is particularly useful for plants intended to remain in the planter for several years, such as shrubs and small trees.

[0038] Alternatively or in combination, said planter hoop may receive on its upper part a mini-greenhouse type crop protection device. Thus, This horizontal reinforcement can, for example, support an upside-down hoop, known as a protective hoop, designed to hold either a greenhouse cover to transform the planter into a mini-greenhouse, a hail net, a shade sail to protect young seedlings from excessive sunlight, or an insect net to prevent flying insects (flies, butterflies, etc.) or birds from eating or laying eggs on the plants.

[0039] Thus, advantageously and according to the invention, nothing prevents, for example, the horizontal reinforcement of said planter hoop and the horizontal reinforcement of said protective hoop from having opposite holes at their two respective ends, allowing them to be held together by any type of fastener: screws, bolts, etc. The two hoops can also be assembled by any clipping method, for example. The assembly methods can also be of the male-female type.

[0040] The assembly device of the protective hoop on the planter hoop at the level of their respective horizontal reinforcements may advantageously have corresponding lugs and interlocking housings in order to ensure their retention between them.

[0041] Alternatively, the planter hoop and the protective hoop can form a single module; in this configuration, said horizontal reinforcement is unique and common to both hoops and said protective hoop is not removable.

[0042] However, just as the planter hoop can be hinged, there is nothing to prevent the block formed by the planter hoop and the protective hoop from having a hinge so that the protective hoop can be lifted to facilitate gardening operations. In this case, the protective hoop no longer has horizontal reinforcement but only the curved part on which the tarpaulin or protective cover rests, while being held to the planter hoop at one end by means of a hinge, ball joint, etc.

[0043] Thus, advantageously and according to the invention, a device according to the invention comprises:

[0044] A curved part, called a bend, intended to fit the width of the plate to be bent, in order to give it a semi-circular, U-shaped, or rectangular shape, depending on the model adopted, and to rest either directly on the ground or on one or more feet called planter supports

[0045] A flat upper part connecting the two edges of said hanger, called a horizontal reinforcement, intended to maintain the hanger in a semi-circular, U-shaped, or rectangular position, depending on the model adopted, by resisting the pressure of the growing medium against the inner wall of said plate and situated just above the surface of said growing medium

[0046] The assembly forming a hoop called a planter hoop, peripheral to said bending plate.

[0047] A closure called a side door, the shape of which is modeled on the curve of said planter hoop, positioned on either side of the bending plate, following the inner edges of said bending plate, and fixed to the latter by means of screws, bolts, etc., so as to retain the substrate on both sides at the beginning and end of the growing line, without however making the device watertight in order to allow the excess watering to flow passively.

[0048] Alternatively, a device according to the invention provides for ensuring the planter is watertight while allowing excess water to drain through a tap or other system, for example, a simple opening fitted with a plug. Indeed, one of the frequent problems associated with watering closed containers is that the substrate dries out quickly and becomes compacted. Water from subsequent waterings then no longer penetrates the substrate and runs directly down the inner walls of the container. This problem can be overcome by ensuring, for example, by means of a silicone, rubber, or other seal glued to the edge of said side doors, a watertight seal between the curved panel and said side doors: thus, it is possible to literally bathe the plants in order to completely re-saturate the substrate, while collecting nutrient-enriched water that can be reused for other waterings.The said side door is fixed to the sheet metal by means of screws fitted with seals or any other system allowing the assembly to be sealed.

[0049] Said planter hoop having in its upper horizontal part, locations, for example simple holes, intended to receive frames to support a tarpaulin transforming a device according to the invention into a mini-greenhouse.

[0050] A hoop called a protective hoop, intended to be fixed upside down on said horizontal reinforcement of the planter hoop and to receive a crop protection device such as greenhouse cover, insect netting, bird netting or shade sail.

[0051] Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the planter hoop has a hinge and closure system on its horizontal reinforcement, making such a device articulated and therefore easily removable. Thus, one end of the horizontal reinforcement has a hinge, pivot, ball joint, etc. type articulation with one end of the hoop, while the other end of the horizontal reinforcement has a removable linkage system, such as a lever or toggle closure, with the free end of the hoop.

[0052] Constructing a growing tray requires at least two planter hoops and two side doors. Depending on the length of the sheet to be bent, three or more planter hoops will be necessary, still with only two side doors.

[0053] A device according to the invention also allows bendable panels to be placed side by side to form long planters. This is achieved by overlapping the bendable panels by a few centimeters at the planter hoop, which will hold the panels in place. To ensure continuity of the growing area, the side door should not be placed at the point where the bendable panels overlap. Depending on the option chosen, a sealing gasket may or may not be placed between the bendable panels at the point where they overlap.

[0054] The invention also relates to a device for creating a culture tray for at least one plant, characterized in combination by all or part of the characteristics mentioned above or below.

[0055] Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, given by way of non-limiting example, which refers to the accompanying figures in which:

[0056] Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a device 10 for making a planter, according to a first embodiment according to the invention, comprising a fixed planter hoop 11 and a planter side door 15, it being specified that the assembly constituting the basic device said device 10 for making a planter includes at least two planter hoops 11 and two side doors 15.

[0057] The [Fig.2] is a schematic front view representation of a device 10 for growing at least one plant, placed on the ground 50, according to a first embodiment according to the invention.

[0058] Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective representation of a device 10 for the construction of a planter, according to a second embodiment according to the invention, shown with three protective hoops 20 resting on three planter hoops 11, with the side door 15 in the foreground having a drain tap 18 of water into a container 43 placed on the ground, and resting on planter supports 21, in a cultivation situation filled with a cultivation substrate 41 and with cultivation plants 42.

[0059] Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective representation of an articulated planter hoop 30 of a device 10 for growing at least one plant according to a third embodiment according to the invention.

[0060] A first particular embodiment of a device 10 for the production of a plant growing tray according to the invention is shown in figures 1 and 2.

[0061] Figure 1 shows a planter hoop 11 in front view and a side door 15 also in front view, it being specified that the assembly constituting the basic device, referred to as device 10, for making a planter includes at less two planter hoops 11 and two side doors 15. The bending plate 40 which constitutes the body of the planter, not having any particular specificity - any plate suitable for folding and / or bending will do - is not shown here.

[0062] Said planter hoops 11, here in fixed version, are composed of a curved part called hoop 12 held in its position by a connection between its two ends called horizontal reinforcement 13. Said horizontal reinforcement 13 has at each of its two ends a location, here a simple hole, to accommodate a frame intended to support a protection system such as greenhouse cover, pest netting, shade sail, etc.

[0063] The side doors 15 are sufficiently thick to accommodate any type of fastener 16 in their edge, for example, screws, bolts, or mounting brackets, so that the junction between the side doors 15 and the bending plate 40 is solid. Furthermore, a sealing gasket 17, made of silicone, rubber, adhesive, or other material, is positioned on the curved edge of the side door 15 to ensure the device is watertight, allowing the planter to be completely filled with water to fully immerse and rehydrate the plants. The side door 15 has, on its outer face, at its lowest point, a drain tap 18 which allows not only the planting tray or planter to be drained to prevent water from stagnating, but also the water to be collected in any container for subsequent use.In this type of use, it is advisable to place the growing tray on feet so as to raise it sufficiently to facilitate the placement of a container under said recovery tap 18. Said recovery tap 18 can be made of a plastic or metal material or any other material, such as wood for example.

[0064] It is also possible to use side doors 15 without a tap. In this case, it will be necessary either to remove the aforementioned sealing gasket 17 or to drill at least one water drainage hole in the lowest part of at least one side door 15 to ensure drainage and water evacuation. However, this configuration is not the most advantageous because the user loses the benefit of being able to properly hydrate the substrate and save water.

[0065] Figure 2 is a schematic front view representation of a device 10 according to the invention consisting of two planter hoops 11 bending a plate 40, - here corrugated sheet metal - into a semi-circle and two side doors 15. In Figure 2, the horizontal reinforcements of the planter hoops 11 are not visible, resting on the growing medium 41 contained in the bent plate 40. The supports 12 are the only visible part of the planter hoops 11.

[0066] In [Fig.3] a device 10 according to the invention is shown in perspective, according to A second embodiment according to the invention, equipped with three protective hoops 20 resting on blocks called planter supports 21, in a cultivation situation filled with a growing substrate 41 and with cultivation plants 42

[0067] In [Fig.3], each of said planter hoops 11 is surmounted by a hoop, of identical or different dimensions, placed upside down, called a protective hoop 20. Said planter hoop 11 and the protective hoop 20 are held together at their respective flat parts, called horizontal reinforcement 13, by means of screws, bolts, clips, or other fastening system. Thus, the addition of at least two protective hoops 20 makes it possible to support either a greenhouse cover to protect crops from the cold, or a shade cloth to protect them from the sun, or an insect net to prevent pests from accessing the plants, or a hail net, etc.

[0068] Said side door 15 appearing in the foreground of [Fig.3] and fixed to said bending plate 40 by means of an assembly system 16, here by screwing, has in its lowest part a water drain valve.

[0069] Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective representation of an articulated planter hoop 30 of a planter making device 10 according to a third embodiment according to the invention.

[0070] In [Fig.4], said hinged planter hoop 30 has on one end said horizontal reinforcement 13 a hinge 31 articulating said horizontal reinforcement 13 said hanger 12 and a hook 32 on the other end of said horizontal reinforcement 13, on which is hung a lever or toggle closure 33 fixed on the openable part of the hanger 12. Thus, it is easy to open said articulated planter hoops 30 in order to facilitate access to the growing medium 41 for uprooting said plant 42, changing and renewing the growing medium 41, etc.

[0071] The invention aims to provide a device for transforming any sheet suitable for folding and / bending into a planter or plant growing container, simple to install and requiring little work.

Claims

Demands

1. Device (10) for transforming any bendable plate (40) into a container for receiving at least one plant (42) in a growing medium (41) of sufficient volume to allow said plant (42) to grow by taking root in the growing medium (41) while ensuring the drainage of irrigation or rainwater, adapted to be placed directly on the ground and comprising at least two planter hoops (11), each of them consisting of a hanger (12) and a horizontal reinforcement (13) and encircling said bendable plate (40) and at least two side doors (15) ensuring the retention of said growing medium (41) in said bendable plate (40).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is shaped so that said bending plate (40) takes the form of a semicircle open upwards.

3. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that said planter hoops (11) and said side doors (15) have a parallelogram, square or rectangle shape, in particular.

4. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said planter hoop (11) has a horizontal articulated reinforcement (32) by means of a hinge at one of its ends (35) and a lever closure at the other of its ends (33) (34) intended to be able to open said planter hoop, then called articulated hoop (30), so as to release said bending plate (40) to easily uproot said plant (42) or change said growing substrate (41).

5. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said planter hoop (11) has at the ends of said horizontal reinforcement (13) places (14) intended to receive a reinforcement of the type of flexible rebar or rod, arched in order to support a protection system against the cold such as a greenhouse cover transforming the planter into a mini-greenhouse or any protective veil, in particular for shading against excessive solar radiation, hail, insects or birds in particular.

6. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is shaped so that said planter hoop (11) can receive on its so-called horizontal reinforcement part (13) a hoop planter then called protective hoop (20), placed upside down on the first by means of clips pressing their respective horizontal reinforcements together.

7. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said planter hoop (11) and said protective hoop (20) form a single module consisting of a single horizontal reinforcement (13) separating their respective hangers.

8. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it rests on feet called planter supports (21) at the level of said planter hoops (11), thus freeing up space under said planter, facilitating in this configuration the work of the gardener, in particular during manual weeding.

9. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it comprises a sealing gasket (17) between said side doors (15) and said bending plate (40), and a water drain valve (18) on at least one of said side doors (15) in its lowest part, such that, with the drain valve (18) closed, it is possible to completely fill said planter with water in order to soak the roots of said plant (42) for a period of time, and then to drain said planter by opening said drain valve (18). This makes it possible to overcome the problem of shrinkage of the growing medium when it dries out and becomes compact, and also to collect nutrient-rich irrigation or rainwater in any container.

10. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that its dimensions are adapted either to the dimensions of said bending plates (40) commonly marketed, or to the dimensions of any plate suitable for folding and / or bending, possibly made to measure.

11. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it is made of a metallic material.

12. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that it is made of a polymeric synthesis material.

13. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that it is made of a natural and biodegradable material.