Plant husbandry – Seed tape or mat – method or apparatus
Patent
1997-01-24
1998-11-17
Carone, Michael J.
Plant husbandry
Seed tape or mat, method or apparatus
47 59, A01C 104
Patent
active
058361073
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a multi-layered vegetation element for the greening of artificial level expanses such as rooftops or other areas, in particular for the greening of large areas such as the greening of large industrial rooftops.
Due to its positive aspects, the greening of artificial level expanses and in particular the greening of rooftops of buildings has long been proven and popular. Generally speaking, in the case of large areas, greening by spray-on application is considered, with a green compound being sprayed onto the rooftop in situ. Apart from this method it is also well known to place rolls of ready-made precultivated vegetation mats on the roof where they are unrolled and laid. The present invention deals with this alternative to spray-on greening.
In practical operation the vegetation mats are precultivated on natural soil by the manufacturer. According to German patent DE 36 31 716 C2 and German patent DE 42 19 275 C2, with prior art the procedure is as follows. A sealing foil is spread out on the natural soil and a support structure for the vegetation is placed on top of this foil. The foil seals the support structure so as to prevent root penetration into the natural soil, of the plants to be cultivated.
Subsequently, substrate, seed, plant matter and fertiliser are placed onto or into the support structure, and then shade cloth is applied (protection against sun and wind).
Then follows an extensive period of horticultural care, watering and fertilising the plants until the support structure is completely green and available for use as a ready-made vegetation mat for greening a rooftop. It can take several months until the vegetation mats have completely greened and until the pre-cultivation period is completed. Only then can the vegetation mats be used for greening a roof.
Apart from the extensive pre-cultivation period it is also disadvantageous that the vegetation mats must be produced for inventory buildup and kept in the manufacturer's care until such time as an order for the greening of a roof is obtained. Only then are the vegetation mats rolled up and transported to the desired destination. A further disadvantage in this respect is that the rolls of precultivated, ready-made vegetation mats are very heavy, resulting in high freight costs.
At their destination, the heavy rolls of vegetation mats must be taken onto the roof and placed in their final position. In these processes too, the heavy weight of the rolls of vegetation mats is not compatible with ease of use.
If on the other hand, no customer is found for the readymade vegetation mats, there is the additional disadvantage of the entire pre-cultivated mats having to be cared for over an ever increasing period and, in the worst case, even becoming unusable. Due to the extensive pre-cultivation period it is not always possible to produce the vegetation mats on demand. Rather, the manufacturer has to bear the risk of pre-financing cultivation of vegetation mats.
It is an object of the invention to provide a vegetation element which avoids the above-mentioned disadvantages to the manufacturer and makes it possible to produce the vegetation elements to firm requirements and both to manufacture and lay them onto the desired area within a short time.
To achieve this object, the multi-layered vegetation element comprises the characteristics mentioned in the subsidiary claims 1 and 2.
An essential characteristic of the invention consists of the vegetation element which comprises several mechanically interconnected layers, apart from seeds also containing an admixture of living plant matter. While seeds require a relatively long growth phase, the living plant matter grows considerably faster. In addition, the application of living plant matter means independence from seed production.
The use of living plant matter is to be seen in the context of the particular layered construction of the vegetation element and also in the context of the seeds. In the alternative embodiment according to claim 1 the upper retaining layer, which serves
REFERENCES:
patent: 4318248 (1982-03-01), Muldner
patent: 5390442 (1995-02-01), Behrens
patent: 5608989 (1997-03-01), Behrens
patent: 5724766 (1998-03-01), Behrens
Carone Michael J.
Kovacs Arpad F.
LandOfFree
Multi-layered vegetation element does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Multi-layered vegetation element, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Multi-layered vegetation element will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-873923