A CASING PACKAGED BLOCK MEMBER OF GROWTH SUBSTRATE

Abstract: In the horticulture, large amounts of growth substrate blocks are used for the growing of cuttings, and these blocks should preferably be surrounded by a paper like casing. For the very manufacturing of these block packings the casing material should be of a resonably strong and good quality, which, however, may cause problems later on, when the plant roots during their growth pack against the casing wall. With the invention there is used for the casing a dual fraction material comprising partly a long-time durable, open web and partly a reinforcing and more or less web filling or covering material of a type that is brought to disintegrate either in the manufacturing process or in a suitably rapid manner by the natural influences, in particular moisturing, to which the blocks are exposed when taken in use. Thereafter, the said web may hold the block together without preventing root penetration.

Description: A casing packaged block member of growth substrate. The present invention concerns a block body of growth substrate like peat moss packed in a casing for use when forcing cuttings, possibly from seeds, to young plants for transfer to plant pots or for directly planting out. For this purpose there is also known special vacuum formed plastic foil trays with cells of indentations, but for environmental reasons it should be preferred to use block bodies of the kind enveloped in a paperlike casing which decomposes to a greater or lesser degree as the time passes by. These block bodies may wholly be transferred to the plant pots at the planting out whereby the packing do not imply any remaining problems. The casings used should be reasonably durable at the out¬ set, partly in order to be handled mechanically in the pro¬ duction of the block bodies and partly in order to withstand the action of mounting the seeds or cuttings. Naturally the casing should also be kept intact when the block bodies are to be transferred to the plant pots, which often happens af¬ ter 3 to 6 weeks, for some plants, though, only after about 1 year. As a consequence of the block bodies having to be as small as possible for considerations of space, it occurs in the meantime that the roots reach the casing, which already may happen after about one week. It is acknowledged, that it will be better for the roots to grow a little out through the side of the block instead of being packed together at the in¬ side of the casing, and in many market gardenings it is pre- ferred to treat the casings in order to produce holes or slits in them. However, this is both arduous and has little effect and it has been investigated whether it would be pos¬ sible from the beginning to use a material with a more per¬ ceptible degree of perforation. Tests with respect to this have failed until now on the fact that suitable materials then become so difficult to handle at the production of the block bodies, where it is a requirement that the mass produc¬ tion in question has to proceed without interruptions. It has already been proposed that with respect to this purpose there may be used a special "Agricultural Paper", see e.g. # consisting of two layers, namely of a layer of natural fibre material, i.e. pulp, and of a thin, porous layer of synthetic fibres, whereby there is aimed at the fibre materi¬ al's rather quick decomposition after the planting out, and that the roots then may penetrate the outer cohesive layer. However, it appears that the fibre material in connection with the small block sizes will take such a long time to de- compose that the roots normally will pack together against such a layer. Be-sides that, such a material will also be relatively expensive, because it requires a special produc¬ tion at the relevant wet laying out. Furthermore, synthetic materials are no longer welcome in nature. By the invention it is realized that an improved material may be constituted by a fleece tissue of mixed fibres, pref¬ erably mainly of cellulose fibres, namely partly of natural fibres and partly of improved quality cellulose fibres, nor¬ mally called impregnated fibres, together with a small admix- ture of natural or exceptionally of synthetic binding fibres. By dry laying out to a non-woven product hereby there may created a porous fleece material, whereby the close environ¬ ment has easy access to the fibres themselves, which then in the case of the natural fibres result in a rather quick de- composition, e.g. already after 1 to 3 weeks depending on the pH value of the earth. Commencing decomposition may take place already before the potting or the planting out, so that the root tips in a desirable way may reach the ambient air before that time. The decomposition will result in an in- creasing amount of porosity rather than a decreasing layer thickness, and the roots will quickly have an increased free¬ dom to grow out through the wall. The necessary coherence in the material may be ensured by admixing only about 10% or less of binding fibres that may be acivated by heat, which also will make it possible to utilize heat welding for creating the casings. The weight of a square meter will typically be in the range of 15 to 50g. Preferably, there is used classified fi- bres of 5 to 15mm length and by the mentioned examples of fi¬ bres is it possible to obtain a 100% environmentally friendly product. The mixture ratio of the fibres may be widely varied depending on whether a greater or lesser root penetration is wanted. Principally, the invention will not be limited to special fibre materials, but naturally it is a lucky circumstance, that just cellulose (viscose) is very suitable for creating the fleece tissue. It may be advantageous and acceptable if the fibres with better keeping qualities contain a certain amount of polyester fibres or corresponding material. If the relatively very short decomposition time is not wanted there may be used fibres with a certain degree of impregnation in¬ stead of the natural or unimpregnated fibres. It should be noted that the mentioned casing material has a special relation to the manufacturing technique described in EP-B-0 548 167, where it is important that the material is highly air permeable. In connection with other manufacturing techniques this may not be a requirement and then it may be possible to support the fibre gauze with long-term keeping qualities in another way, e.g. by laminating with a quickly decomposing film material or by impregnating the gauze with a relevant filler material, e.g. on the basis of starch. It should be emphasized, that it will not always be nec- essary that the casing material is intact at the time when the block bodies are mounted with seed or cuttings, and in that case it will of minor importance with respect to the product if the 'opening' of the material takes place before the products leaves the works, where the block bodies are manufactured and possibly placed in receiving trays. In the example with the film laminate this may be burned off or just melted by heating in a process step after the forming of the product, possibly in connection with a pasteurizing of the filled trays or by infrared irradiation. By the use of other filler materials there may be utilized adapted methods for a controlled removal or 'opening' of the materials, and the in¬ vention will thereby also comprise a such block body produc¬ tion.

Claims: P A T E N T C L A I M S: 1. A method for manufacturing block bodies of growth sub¬ strate packed in a casing such as peat moss, by which method the block bodies are formed with with a casing of a paper¬ like kind of a material made up of at least two different fractions, whereof the first of these is an open, fibrous web with good keeping qualities, while the second is a supporting material with keeping qualities that are perceivably inferior under the relevant subsequent influence, c h a r a c t e¬ r i z e d in that the casing material is a fleece material made up of two fractions of mixed fibres, namely fibres with long-term keeping qualities and low-quality fibres with short-term keeping qualities, respectively. 2. A method according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e¬ r i z e d in that there is used a non-woven fleece material in which the fibre web with short-term keeping qualities com¬ pletely or mainly consists of natural or low-impregnated cel¬ lulose or viscose fibres. 3. A method according to claim 1, c h a r a c e¬ r i z e d in that there is used a non-woven fleece material in which the fibre web with better keeping qualities comple¬ tely or mainly consists of impregnated cellulose fibres, pos¬ sibly with a small admixture of polyester fibres or co para- ble material. 4. A method according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e¬ r i z e d in that the casing material is a material in which the said second fraction consists of a filler or cover mate¬ rial to be acted on during a process after the manufacture of the packed block bodies for complete or partial removal. 5. A block body of growth substrate, e.g. peat moss, packed in a casing and of the kind wherein the casing con¬ sists of a paper-like material made up of two fractions, namely of a porous, open web of fibres with long-term keeping qualities and of another material which is more easily decom¬ posed at the relevant influence as when the block body is used in humid surroundings, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the casing material is a fleece tissue consisting of mixed fibres of the two said fractions of materials. 6. A block body according to claim 5, c h a r a c t e¬ r i z e d in that the casing material consists of a mixture of natural or less impregnated cellulose or viscose fibres and highly impregnated cellulose fibres with a low content of heat activated binding fibres.

Inventors: ELLEGAARD OEYVIND, ELLEGAARD, OEYVIND
Applicants: ELLEGAARD OEYVIND, ELLEGAARD, OEYVIND
Application year: 1996
Main classification: A01G9
IPC codes: A01G1, A01G9