AN IMPROVED FLOWER OR PLANT HOLDER
Year: 1884

page_text: I, JOHANN CHRISTOPH BEYRODT in the firm of F. C. Schmidt seedsman and
nurseryman in Erfurt (German Empire) do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention for AN IMPROVED FLOWER OR PLANT HOLDER, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
The flower-holder consists of:
The upper part a for the reception of the soil and plants.
The underpart b the vessel for the water. g is the perforated bottom of the
upper part a, through which bathing-sponges c with large pores are drawn, and
project half into a and half into b, e is a tube for pouring the water in and
leading from a to b, f is finally a tube for the reception of the a wire h, on to the
lower end of which a cork is fastened, which serves to indicate the height of the
water.
The upper part a of the flower-holder is filled with soil & planted with any kind
of plants, then the under-part b is filled with water poured in through tube e, by
which means the flower-holder absorbs, according to its size, a quantity of water,
which suffices for an automatic irrigation of 14 days or even up to 4 weeks, for the
sponges suck up the water gradually and give the plants the quantity they require
to subsist on.
This system has the great advantage, that the plants suck up (from the sponges)
only such a quantity of water as is absolutely necessary for their existence.
The following advantage are offered by this system:
1.) Watering the soil from on top, which must else be done at certain intervals,
is rendered superfluous hereby, and now it is merely necessary to fill the vessel
according to its size at intervals of a fortnight up to 4 weeks, by which means time
& trouble are saved and greater cleanliness attained.
2.) The surface of the soil always remains loose as it is not soaked by water
being poured on it and cannot incrustate with particles of lime.-By this
incrustation of the surface of the soil in pots for plants the influence of the
atmospheric air on plants is paralysed, and as this influence is absolutely necessary
for the welfare of the plants the irrigation from below is a main advantage of this
system.

page_text: 3.) The soil can never turn sour and consequently the roots can never get mouldy
and fusty, which often occurs when the soil is watered direct. The soil absorbs
from the sponges only so much moisture as is beneficial for the growth and welfare
of the plants.
4.) By limiting the renewal of the water to a longer space of time the advantage
accrues to the owner of the plants, that they can be left alone during his absence
(when on a journey etc), and need not be entrusted to the care of other people.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
In a plant-holder, which consists of an upper plant-pot a & of an under water-
vessel b, the application of the tube e for filling purposes, in combination with the
float d. contained in tube f, by which the height of the water in water-vessel b is
indicated, and the sponges c fixed in the bottom of the plant-pot a and projecting
both into space a and into space b.