Patent ID: 6912809
Filing Date: 2005-07-05
Classification: A01G

Abstract:
1. A plant support system comprising: at least one stake adapted to be pressed into soil adjacent to a plant to provide a substantially rigid support for the plant support system; at least one coupling element engageable with an outer surface of the at least one stake and having a least one through-passageway that is spaced from the outer surface of the at least one stake for receiving a plant restraint member, a plant restraint in the form of a thin, flexible strand of self-supporting material having a substantially constant cross section adapted to be slidably received and frictionally retained within the at least one through-passageway in the coupling element, said plant restraint defining a flexible limiting member for supporting and for limiting movement of an adjacent plant, wherein the strand is made from an oriented, anisotropic, continuous, fiber-reinforced polymer matrix selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic resins and thermosetting resins, and has a minimum modulus of about 250,000 psi, a minimum tensile strength of about 6,000 psi, and a glass transition temperature of at least 50° C., wherein the polymer matrix includes a high modulus fiber reinforcement selected from the group consisting of carbon fibers, aramid fibers, glass fibers, polyolefin fibers, boron fibers, and mixtures thereof, and wherein the strand has a memory that causes the strand to attempt to return to an original linear form.