WO2024155623A1

WO2024155623A1 - Methods for planting or transplanting plants

Info

Publication number: WO2024155623A1
Application number: PCT/US2024/011675
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kevin Bergman; Brian Fischer; Greg NAVALANCE
Original assignee: Plantpockets Intl LLC
Current assignee: Plantpockets Intl LLC
Priority date: 2023-01-16
Filing date: 2024-01-16
Publication date: 2024-07-25
Anticipated expiration: 2025-07-16

Abstract

A method for planting or transplanting a plant includes providing a plant with its root contained in a fabric container, the root being attached with a surrounding material, and inserting the fabric container with the plant into ground. The plant can be an aquatic plant, and in such a case, the plant can be sourced by removing the plant from its native underwater growing location with an amount of surrounding material attached to the root thereof, and placing the removed plant with the surrounding material in the fabric container. Then the fabric container with the contained aquatic plant is inserted into ground under a body of water.

Description

Methods for Planting or Transplanting Plants

Background

Aquatic plants in lakes, ponds, rivers, marsh, wetlands, dunes, and coastal lines provide aesthetically pleasing sight as well as important functions in preserving wildlife habitats and reducing/preventing erosion of the soil under water. Growing aquatic plants in a water body from seeds can be very challenging, and people often resort to transplanting grown plants from one area to another. However, transplanted young aquatic plants do not have a high success rate because fish and aquatic species can easily uproot them and/or eat their roots.

Summary

In one aspect, a method for planting or transplanting a plant is provided, wherein a fabric container containing the root of a plant attached with a surrounding material is inserted into ground. The surrounding material can be a material native to the location where the plant was previously growing (e.g., when the plant was sourced or obtained) and attached to the root of the plant growing at that previous location.

In some embodiments, the fabric container is structured to allow at least a part of the root of the plant to go through.

In some embodiments, the fabric container takes a general cone shape.

In some embodiments, the fabric container is made from polyethylene.

In some embodiments, the fabric container is knitted.

In some embodiments, the plant is an aquatic plant. In some of these embodiments, , the ground is under a body of water.

In other embodiments, the ground can be upland, such as in sands, dunes, beaches, hillsides, shorelines, berms, etc.

In some embodiments, before inserting the container with the plant therein, the plant is kept in the fabric container for sufficient time to allow at least a part of the root of the plant to grow through the fabric container.

In some embodiments, when the plant is an aquatic plant, the aquatic plant contained in the fabric container is first obtained by removing the aquatic plant from its native growing location with an amount of its native surrounding material attached to the root thereof, and the root of the aquatic plant with the attached surrounding material is placed in the fabric container.

Description

In an aspect of the invention, a method for planting a plant is provided. The plant can be an aquatic plant. The plant having surrounding materials preexisting in its native growing environment, such as muck, sand, soil and/or rock, attached to its root, is provided in a fabric container, and then the fabric container with the plant is inserted into ground as a whole, e.g., if the plant is an aquatic plant, the container with the plant is inserted into the ground under the body of water such as ocean, lake, river, creek, etc., and if the plant is a land plant, the container with the plant can be inserted into the ground upland, such as in sands, beaches, shorelines, dunes, hillsides, berms, etc.

An aquatic plant herein can be freshwater or salt-water plants, such as seagrass, arrowhead, iris, canna, cordgrass, etc. It usually takes root in the mud under water.

An aquatic plant, preferably young and vibrant one, can be first removed from its natural or native environment with an amount of natural material (muck, sand, soil and/or rock) attached to its root, and then its root is placed into the fabric container with the attached material. The attached material from the original growing place of the aquatic plant can make it easier for the plant to adapt to the conditions of the destination location.

The material and construction for the fabric container is generally porous and allows water to permeate through. The fabric container can be made of a polymeric material of a woven or knitted construction. For example, the polymeric material can be of polyethylene, polypropylene, PET, nylon 66, etc. The polymeric material can also be biodegradable, such as PLA, PBAT, PBSA, PCL, etc. For aquatic plant applications, the fabric container can form a barrier such that the root of the aquatic plant transplanted at the new underwater location will not be easily attacked by fish and other aquatic species.

The fabric container can take a general cone shape with an open top, as shown in Fig. la (a schematic drawing) and Figs, lb and 1c (example photographs). It can be made by simply folding a piece of rectangular or square fabric along its diagonal and sewing or heat welding or otherwise integrating two adjacent edges. While other shapes of the fabric container are also contemplated, the simple cone shape provides an easy solution in both the manufacturing of the container and the planting aquatic plants in the ground under water. An aquatic plant growing at its natural growing place, which is to be transferred to a new location, can be taken out of its natural growing place with an amount of natural material attached to its root. Then it can be held in the fabric container temporarily before being planted in a destination.

In some embodiments, the pores of the fabric can be large enough to allow at least a part of the root of the plant to grow through. In such a case, if a plant (such as an aquatic plant) is held in a fabric container for sufficient time, the root of the plant can continue to grow such that at least a part of the root penetrates through the container. In this way, before the plant is planted at a destination, such as an under-water location, the plant root has been more securely tethered onto the fabric container, making it more difficult for fish or other aquatic species to uproot the transplanted plant in the first few days.

Example photographs of the fabric containers with contained aquatic plants (and surrounding muck) are shown in Figs. 2a and 2b.

To insert the container with an aquatic plant into the ground (under water) in the destination location, a spade can be used to create a pocket in the muck or other sediment there, then the container can be inserted deep into the muck or sediment so that most of the container can be covered by the muck or sediment.

Claims

1. A method for planting a plant, the method comprising:

(a) providing a plant with its root contained in a fabric container, the root being attached with a surrounding material; and

(b) inserting the fabric container with the plant into ground.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fabric container is structured to allow at least a part of the root of the plant to go through.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the fabric container takes a general cone shape.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the fabric container is made from polyethylene.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the fabric container is knitted.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plant is an aquatic plant.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the ground is under a body of water.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the ground is upland.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: before (b), keeping the plant in the fabric container for sufficient time to allow at least a part of the root of the plant to grow through the fabric container.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plant is an aquatic plant, and wherein the providing comprises: removing the aquatic plant from its native growing location with an amount of surrounding material attached to the root thereof; and placing the root of the aquatic plant with the attached material in the fabric container.