Cellular structure for the cultivation of plants

A cellular structure for the growth of plants (horticulture) has at least one planar wall inclined to the horizontal and the vertical and provided at its upwardly facing side with a multiplicity of openings for receiving respective plants. Each opening forms the mouth of a respective cell or pocket defined by the upper part of an outwardly projecting surface and the lower part of an inwardly projecting surface of the respective side. Several such walls can constitute an enclosure for a plant-growth medium, e.g. soil, into which the roots of the plants grow.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a cellular structure for horticulture and, 
more particular, to a unit for the growth of plants in small areas of the 
cellular or pocketed type. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
In horticulture, i.e. the cultivation of flowering plants, leaf plants or 
vegetables, problems are encountered when the available growth area is 
limited. In practice, it is necessary to space the individual plants 
sufficiently with respect to the nutritive medium, i.e. the soil, to 
permit unimpeded root growth and a minimum of conflict between the roots 
of the plants for optimum growth. 
The problem is especially pronounced in hothouse or enclosed cultivation of 
plants since, in this case, the heating of large areas creates problems 
with respect to energy cost and hence the cost per plant unit. It is, 
therefore, desirable to be able to cultivate a large number of plants in a 
given soil area or ground area since this reduces the cost per unit of 
plants for heating and hence the economy of such horticulture. 
It has been proposed, for these reasons, to carry out plant culture on 
inclined planes. This has not been satisfactory heretofore since the 
pocketing of the ground or the terracing thereof by conventional 
techniques results in a compacting of the roots of the lower plants so 
that the latter tend to develop poorly. In addition, the roots of the 
adjacent plants tend to interfere with one another, again precluding 
optimum germination and growth. 
It also may be mentioned that strawberry jars and like units have been 
provided heretofore with respective pockets, each receiving a plant, the 
jars being filled with a growth medium, e.g. soil or an artificial medium 
containing peat moss, soil, sand, perlite or vermiculite and the like. 
Such systems have also proved to be less than fully satisfactory because 
of the cost of the strawberry jar and because the units are incapable of 
providing a sufficient number of plants in a relatively small area. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to provide 
a structure which obviates the disadvantages of the earlier systems and 
increases the number of plants which can be cultivated over a given area 
of ground. 
Still another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive 
structure capable of providing for the growth of an optimum number of 
plants in a limited area and facilitating the access of light, air and 
moisture to the plants. 
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an improved device for 
the multiple growth and propagation of plants which substantially 
restricts interference of the root system of the individual plants. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
These objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter are 
attained, in accordance with the present invention, by providing a 
cellular structure, for the growth of plants (horticulture) which has at 
least one wall inclined to the horizontal and to the vertical and which is 
provided at its upwardly facing side with a multiplicity of openings for 
receiving respective plants. Each opening forms the mouth of a respective 
cell or pocket defined by the upper part of an outwardly projecting 
surface and the lower part of an inwardly projecting surface of the 
respective side. Several such walls can be assembled together or can form 
part of a unitary structure which can constitute an enclosure for a 
plant-growth medium, e.g. soil or an artificial medium as described above. 
The structure is filled with soil or some other growth medium and each of 
the cells or pockets, delimited by the aforementioned surfaces, serves to 
receive a respective plant. Because the cells are disposed at different 
levels, preferably in a staggered relationship, each plant avails itself 
of a volume of soil sufficient to provide the necessary nutrition and 
permit optimum root growth without compacting or interference between the 
root systems of the plants of each row of cells or the plants of the 
superposed rows, the cells of the superposed rows being offset from one 
another. 
I have found, most surprisingly, that the surfaces delimiting the 
respective cells or pockets appear to preclude the interaction between the 
root systems of adjacent plants and also prevent compacting of the soil 
even at the lowest levels of the enclosure or structure so that the 
lowermost plants do not suffer from compaction problems. 
Moreover, the watering of the plants, which can be effected by sprinkling 
water on the upwardly inclined and upwardly turned surfaces of the 
structure, is greatly facilitated and there is little danger of 
overwatering plants in selected pockets. 
Because the structure lies above the ground and contains a mass of soil or 
growth medium which is relatively small, the entire structure can be 
heated rapidly under solar radiation, thereby accelerating the germination 
and growth of the plants. 
The structure of the present invention also has the advantage that the 
setting up of the structure and the work connected with horticulture using 
the same is simplified because all the work can be carried out above 
ground level. 
The unit according to the invention may be employed wherever the available 
growth surface is limited and wherever ground culture is unfavorable or 
the soil is insufficiently arable to provide the necessary nutrients for 
plant growth. It can be used where the terrain is inclined too steeply for 
effective horticulture on the ground or wherever erosion may pose 
significant problems. 
Furthermore, the device of the present invention is sufficiently versatile 
to enable it to be used in ornamental gardens, terraces or other 
cultivation sites in order to provide massive floral arrangements. 
Advantageously, the upper boundary of the surface projecting toward the 
exterior is disposed above the lower boundary of the surface projecting 
toward the interior of each cell or pocket of the device of the present 
invention. In a preferred embodiment of my invention, the surface 
projecting toward the exterior is constituted by a segment of a conic 
section whose apex is turned downwardly while the surface projecting 
toward the interior is constituted by a conic section whose apex is turned 
upwardly. The lower conic section hence is convex outwardly while the 
upper conical section is concave outwardly. 
It will be apparent that an enclosure employing the structure of the 
present invention can have different configurations, depending upon 
esthetic and spatial consideration. For example, it may be formed as a 
truncated pyramid, by a surface inclined to a fixed wall or the like. The 
structure may be formed from diverse materials, such as metal sheets, 
fibrocement (i.e. fiber-reinforced concrete or asbestos cement board) or 
synthetic-resin sheets. The entire structure may be monolithic or 
constituted by a plurality of detachable and separable elements or can be 
assembled permanently or temporarily from such elements. 
I prefer, where the structure is to be disposed directly upon the soil, 
i.e. the ground, to provide the interior of the structure free from a 
floor or bottom. However, where the structure is of smaller size and is 
adapted to be utilized in an apartment or home interior, I have found it 
advantageous to provide it with a floor or bottom to ensure retention of 
the growth medium within the structure and prevent leakage of water 
therefrom.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION 
The two structures 2 shown in the drawing are each constituted in the form 
of a truncated pyramid and consist of four identical structural elements 3 
assembled in pairs along their edges 4. 
As can be seen especially from FIG. 1, each element 3 consists of sheet 
material and comprises a multiplicity of openings or mouths 5, each of 
which is deliminated by the upper part of the surface 6 constituted by a 
conic section whose apex is turned downwardly, the surfaces 6 being 
outwardly convex and projecting toward the exterior with respect to the 
element 3. Each of the mouths 5 of the respective cells or pockets is also 
delimited by the lower part of a surface 7 which is inwardly convex and 
hence projects toward the interior of the structure while being 
constituted as a conic section geometrically congruent to the surfaces 6 
but having its apex turned upwardly. 
Associated formations 6 and 7 are bisected by a vertical median planes 
generally as shown in FIG. 4 which constitutes a section along such a 
vertical median plane passing perpendicular to wall element 3 through the 
axes of the two juxtaposed conic sections. 
The two conic sections 6 and 7 of each mouth 5 thus define a cell or pocket 
(FIG. 4) adapted to receive a respective plant. The dimensions of these 
cells or pockets are, of course, a function of the nature of the plant to 
be cultivated therein. The drawing also shows that formations 6 and 7 are 
downwardly and upwardly converging cone segments with nearly vertical 
parallel generatrices in their common median plane. Because of this 
orientation, the upwardly open ends of the lower cone segments 6 are not 
overhung by the higher cone segments. 
It can be seen that the upper boundary of the outer conic sections or cone 
segments 6 is disposed above the lower boundary of the associated 
relatively inverted inner cone segment 7, an arrangement which I have 
found to be highly effective to maintain the soil at the level of each 
cell. Hence, the soil which is introduced into the interior of the 
structure through the top thereof does not tend to emerge through the 
mouths 5. 
The cells 10 which are formed at the top of the structure 2 are each 
deliminated only by a single surface constituted by an upwardly open cone 
segment 6. 
Two opposite faces of the structure 2, at their lower parts, are provided 
with tubular sockets 12 in which bows 13 shown in dot-dash lines can be 
received, the bows 13 forming supports for a foil of transparent 
synthetic-resin material which can cover the structure 2 to form a small 
greenhouse therefrom. This arrangement I have found to be particularly 
effective where climatic conditions are unfavorable to retain heat, to 
shield the plants from excess heat or, in general, to protect the plants 
while they are growing. Naturally, the protective covering can be removed 
when the plants are fully developed or when it is desired to expose them 
to direct sunlight. 
The pockets or cells of the structure are, as shown in the drawing, arrayed 
in horizontal rows in staggered relationship, i.e. the pockets of each row 
above the lower row are horizontally offset from the row therebelow. This 
I have found to provide maximum separation of the root systems. 
As noted, the structure can be provided with a floor or can be internally 
opened downwardly if it is to be placed directly upon the soil of the 
ground. 
Naturally, the invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated and 
described, by way of example, and will be understood to encompass all of 
the variants within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the 
structure can have configurations different from that shown, can have a 
larger or smaller number of cells, may be formed monolithically or can be 
assembled by attaching the walls together, and the surfaces defining the 
cells or pockets can have different shapes within the limits discussed.