Patent ID: 6942442

Claim:
A root ball preserving and transplant facilitating horticultural container comprising: a vessel having an open top, a wide flat bottom surface, and arcuate side walls configured to provide said vessel with a self-righting tendency, said vessel being dimensioned for containing the root ball of a tree and other large plants, with said arcuate side walls and said wide flat bottom surface further being configured to provide a low center of gravity to maintain said vessel in an upright position without anchoring in the presence of strong winds, said arcuate side walls also having a lower half; and sturdy lifting support means outwardly depending from said arcuate side walls, said sturdy lifting support means being adapted for securing said vessel in a fixed position and lifting the combined weight of a large plant, its root ball, and said vessel above a pre-dug transplant hole, with said sturdy lifting support means also being positioned upon said lower half of said arcuate side walls so as to allow the portion of said arcuate side walls attached thereto to be raised a sufficient amount above the transplant hole and rotated for gravity-assisted transfer of a root ball positioned within said vessel into the transplant hole without disruption of the root ball.