Abstract:
A root ball including soil disposed in and around root system and a layer of agricultural polymer around the soil and root system. The agricultural polymer creates a root ball having a semi-permeable, solid outer layer, which provides protection for the root system and eliminates the need for a container.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/861,329 filed Nov. 28, 2006, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to plant root balls and more specifically to an agricultural polymer protected root ball. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    When a plant, such as a tree, a bush or a shrub, is harvested for transplanting or transplanted from one place to another, it is advisable to leave a certain amount of soil around a root system of the plant. This network of roots and the soil clinging to the roots is known as a root ball, no matter the size or shape, or whether on a plant grown in a field or in a container. This root ball is necessary to provide protection, moisture and nutrients to the roots. 
         [0004]    The root ball should be protected when transporting a plant to a local distributor or end user. Many growers protect the root ball by either having the root ball in a plant container or wrapping the root ball with burlap and wire. 
         [0005]    A plant may be transplanted into a container for transporting or it may be grown in the container. Plant containers come in various sizes to accommodate the root balls of various size plants. The root ball plus the amount of soil necessary to fill these containers around the root ball often makes the containers heavy. For example, a semi-mature Queen Palm tree, approximately 60 inches high, in a fifteen gallon container, may weigh around 80 pounds. This excessive weight makes the plant difficult to move and transport, raising the risk of injury for those transporting and handling the plant, particularly if a container must be removed prior to planting. 
         [0006]    Further still, soil in a plant container can be messy. The soil may spill from the container during shipping and handling, often due to vibration that occurs during loading and transit of the plant. This may cause damage to the roots of the plant and/or spillage of soil from the top of the container. Also, if enough soil spills from the container, the plant itself may shift in the container, causing damage to the roots. Spilled soil may also cause a mess in the shipping vehicle, leading to safety concerns and cleanup costs. If the plant is being transplanted indoors, for example, into a hotel or mall, any spilled soil may damage floors or carpets. Also, damage often occurs to the roots of the plant when removing the root ball from the container, as well as when moving the root ball to its final location after removal from the container. 
         [0007]    For plants not transported in a container, burlap wrapping and wire maintain the soil around the root ball. However, these provide minimal protection for the root system. For example, the burlap wrapping provides no protection if the plant is dropped. Also, like with plants in containers, damage often occurs to the roots of the plant when removing the burlap and wire from around the root ball before planting, as well as when moving the root ball to its final location. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    The present invention provides an agricultural polymer protected root ball and methods of applying an agricultural polymer to a root ball, to provide a light, stable coating around the root ball which nurtures and protects the roots of a plant. 
         [0009]    In general, in one aspect, the invention features a root ball, and methods for making the root ball, having soil disposed about a root system and a coating of agricultural polymer disposed at least partially around the soil and root system. 
         [0010]    In embodiments, the coating of agricultural polymer is disposed about the soil and root system by placing the root system into a vat filled with a mixture of agricultural polymer and water. The root system is then removed from the vat and the agricultural polymer is dried. 
         [0011]    In various embodiments, the vat is a hole in the ground lined with plastic. In other embodiments, the vat is a container. The container may be recessed into the ground. In certain embodiments, the vat is configured to enable the entire root ball to be wet by the agricultural polymer. 
         [0012]    In embodiments, the agricultural polymer may be thermal polyasparate, polyelectrolytes, polysaccharides or a combination thereof. The agricultural polymer may also be a mixture of agricultural polymer and water. 
         [0013]    In general, in another aspect, the invention features a method of producing an agricultural polymer protected root ball including spraying a root ball with an agricultural polymer to form a coating about the root ball and then drying the agricultural polymer coating. 
         [0014]    The invention can be implemented to realize one or more of the following advantages. An agricultural polymer produces a root ball that includes a semi-permeable, solid protective layer, leading to a more stable and robust root ball for transporting, handling and shipment. 
         [0015]    The agricultural polymer enables transport of the plant without a container. For example, the grower may remove the root ball from the container and coat the root ball with an agricultural polymer to provide protection for the root system. The agricultural polymer enables water and nutrients to pass and enter the root ball, while maintaining the integrity of the root ball, and will biodegrade over time. 
         [0016]    Damage to the root system caused by normal handling and vibrations of transporting a plant are minimized or eliminated. The lack of a container also makes the plant easier to handle and move, particularly for an end user, such as a typical homeowner, who is attempting to handle and transplant the plant. 
         [0017]    Coating the root ball with an agricultural polymer enables the grower to reuse the containers, thereby resulting in cost savings as well as less waste in the form of discarded containers. This also enables easier installation by the end-user because the end-user simply places the plant in its final location. Further, because of the solid nature of the agricultural polymer, the root ball may be rolled on the ground without damaging the plant roots. 
         [0018]    The agricultural polymer enables the transport of the plant laid on its side, such as in a vehicle, without soil coming out of a container and making a mess of the vehicle. Further, an end-user does not have to remove the plant from a container, which could be difficult and cause damage to the root system, and the agricultural polymer coating protects the roots while the plant is being handled and transplanted. 
         [0019]    Other features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following description, and from the claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a front view of an exemplary tree and its root system encapsulated in a root ball. 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a front view of the tree of  FIG. 1  with an agricultural polymer coating encapsulating the root ball according to one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is a cut-away view of an exemplary vat used to apply the agricultural polymer. 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is a front view of an exemplary sprayer to apply the agricultural polymer. 
       
    
    
       [0024]    Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0025]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , a tree  5  includes a root system  10  having larger roots  15  and finer roots  20 . The finer roots  20  are important to help establish the tree when replanted because these finer roots  20  grow faster and gather more water and nutrients than the larger roots  15 . The larger roots&#39;  15  primary purpose is to provide support and anchorage for the tree  5 , although they also gather water and nutrients for the tree  5 . As can be seen, the root system  10  is a complex mass of larger roots  15  and finer roots  20 . 
         [0026]    When a tree  5  is removed from the ground or a container in which the tree  5  has been grown to be transplanted or sold, the roots  15 ,  20  are generally left in a root ball  25  composed of soil from where the tree  5  was taken. Even if a root ball  25  is not maintained, soil will be trapped throughout the root system  10 , unless the root system  10  is washed. 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , after the root ball  25  of the tree  5  is removed from the ground or container, a solution containing agricultural polymer and water is applied to the root ball  25 . The agricultural polymer, such as thermal polyasparate or a combination of polyelectrolytes and polysaccharides, creates a semi-permeable agricultural polymer protective shell  40  that, once dry, hardens into a biodegradable plastic-like layer. Thereafter, the tree  5  may be transplanted with the agricultural polymer protective shell  40  retained on the root ball  25 . The agricultural polymer protective shell  40  biodegrades over a period of time, while enabling water and nutrients to reach the root system. 
         [0028]    The agricultural polymer may be applied by any suitable method. For example, referring to  FIG. 3 , one (1) to one and three-quarters (1¾) cup of agricultural polymer, such as E-Tack Soil Control Agent (available from Finn Corporation of Fairfield, Ohio), may be mixed with 5-gallons of water to be applied to the root ball  25 . The agricultural polymer and water solution  50  may be placed in a vat  55  into which the root ball  25  may be dipped. As shown in this example, the vat  55  is a hole dug in the ground  60  and lined with plastic  65 . Recessing the vat  55  into the ground enables easier handling of the tree  5  and reduces the likelihood that the root ball  25  will be damaged. The vat  55  is sized to enable the entire root ball  25  to be dipped into the vat  55  such that the agricultural polymer and water solution  50  wet the entire root ball  25 . The root ball  25  is left in the agricultural polymer and water solution  50  for approximately one (1) minute. The root ball  25  is removed from the agricultural polymer and water solution  50  and dried. The root ball  25  may then again be dipped into the agricultural polymer and water solution  50  to increase the thickness of the agricultural polymer protective shell  40 . However, the thickness of the agricultural polymer protective shell  40  need not be uniform. 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , in another exemplary embodiment, the agricultural polymer and water solution  50  is sprayed onto the root ball  25 . The tree  5  may be suspended with the root ball  25  off the ground  60 . A sprayer  70  is used to apply the agricultural polymer and water solution  50  onto the entire root ball  25  and permitted to dry. Multiple coats of the agricultural polymer and water solution  50  may be applied to achieve the desired thickness of the agricultural polymer protective shell  40 . Again, the thickness of the agricultural polymer protective shell  40  need not be uniform. 
         [0030]    The root ball  25  with the agricultural polymer protective shell  40  may be further wrapped with an ultraviolet (UV) protective plastic wrap before sale and/or transport of the plant. The end user would only need to remove the UV protective plastic wrap before transplanting the plant with the root ball  25  and agricultural polymer protective shell  40  directly into the ground. 
         [0031]    It is to be understood that the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. For example, while a tree has been described, the methods described can be used equally well on bushes and other plants. Also, while specific brand name products have been described, these specific products are not necessary to practice the methods described. 
         [0032]    Further, while certain steps have been described, more or less steps may be used. For example, the root system may be cleaned of all soil to produce a plant with a clean root system (e.g., no contaminates or spores, such as foreign insects, microbes, bacteria and fungi) for shipment to areas of the United States or the world that prohibit foreign soil (i.e., soil from outside that area), and then repacked with clean soil before applying the agricultural polymer. The clean soil may include peat moss, sawdust or a combination thereof. 
         [0033]    Also, while a certain mixture of agricultural polymer and water has been described, other mixture ratios may be necessary with other root balls having different soil conditions. Further, while the vat  55  has been shown as a hole dug into the ground and lined with plastic, the vat  55  may be a tub, a barrel or any other container into which the root ball  25  may be dipped.