Patent ID: 6874278

Claim:
A planter for growing a transplantable plant having a root system and a stem which extends from the root system, the planter comprising: a container having an interior, a bottom and a hole defined within the bottom; and a retainer member which is positionable about the stem of the plant desired to be transplanted within the planter and which cooperates with the container for supporting the plant through the hole defined within the container bottom so that the root system is exposed to the interior of the container and so that the plant stem extends downwardly from the bottom of the container; the retainer member being in the form of a foam body having an outer periphery and which is positionable within the interior of the container so that when positioned about the stem of the plant and positioned within the interior of the container, the retainer member is prevented from falling out of the hole defined within the container bottom, and wherein the foam body has a slit therein which extends from about the center of the foam body to the outer periphery thereof for accepting the stem of the plant desired to be transplanted by spreading the foam body apart at the slit and inserting the plant stem sideways into the slit; and the container includes means associated with the container bottom for surrounding the outer periphery of the foam body so that upon inserting the stem of the plant desired to be transplanted into the slit of the foam body so that the foam body is positioned about the stem of the plant and then positioning the foam body, with the plant stem accepted thereby, into the interior of the container adjacent the bottom thereof while the slit is held in a closed condition about the plant stem, the outer periphery of the foam body is confined within a prescribed area and thereby prevented from expanding outwardly by the associated means so that the slit is prevented from spreading apart from its closed condition about the plant stem.