Packaged plant material and method of production

Plant husbandry – Receptacle for growing medium – With shipment package

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Details

47 73, 47 77, A01G 902

Patent

active

047901055

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a pack of plant source material and to a method of producing same. More particularly, the invention relates to a system for the cultivation, packaging and storing of plant material which provides prepacked plant material for onward cultivation by a purchaser.
In the consumer market, as opposed to commercial agriculture or horticulture, plant material sources of unusual species of plants available to the unskilled grower are in general restricted to seeds and mature plants. Some of the common hardy or half-hardy annuals are available as small plants raised commercially from seed for subsequent bedding out in final growing positions by the purchaser. Such plants are relatively simple to raise to maturity and their cultivation is relatively simple even for the amateur grower with minimum equipment. The less common species and those which are more difficult to grow from seed are considerably more expensive. Examples of such difficult species are the flowering or decoratively-foliaged houseplants which, although their seeds may be available from seed suppliers, are difficult for the unskilled grower to germinate. Seeds often fail to germinate at all or high post-germination losses are incurred because of infection of inexpert cultivation techniques. Such plants are, as a generalisation, available to the consumer market only as mature pot-plants. It will be appreciated that the unit plant cost of a pot plant is significantly greater than plants raised from seed by the amateur himself. In addition, those who produce plants as a hobby are deprived of much of the interest which they derive from cultivating young plants to maturity.
On the commercial scale, pot plants of the less common species may be raised from seed or vegetatively under controlled greenhouse conditions and under expert supervision and are maintained under near ideal conditions until mature. Foliage plant are most commonly propagated vegatatively from cuttings taken from stock plants. When such mature plants are ultimately placed on the market expert supervision may not be readily available; the plants may not be watered or fed as required, they may be stored in insufficiently illuminated locations or in draughts or in a dry centrally heated environment. Losses in locations such as supermarkets and hardward stores, where the sale of house plants is an increasing activity, are high and, of course, the cost of such losses is reflected in the price charged to the customer.
One attempt to provide the unskilled grower with inexpensive plant source material has been the so-called "starter pack" which includes a tray with dry growing medium such as peat-based compost or vermiculite or the like into which seeds have been presown. The purchaser, following instructions provided, adds a specified amount of water and the seeds should thereafter germinate. Apart from any special additives which may be provided in the growing medium, there is no real advantage to the unskilled grower as he is still confronted with the requirement to provide suitable growing conditions such as illumination and temperature to achieve germination and growth. Young seedlings are extremely sensitive to inappropriate cultivation conditions and only achieve any significant degree of hardiness when they have passed the seed leaf stage and acquired at least some adult foliage. In the starter pack system the purchaser of the pack still has the responsibility for nurturing the young plants through this most sensitive period of development.
One process which is available to commercial growers is the tissue culture technique the use of which is increasing. In this technique plants are raised vegatatively in tubes under controlled laboratory conditions of temperature, humidity and illumination. This technique has been used extensively for raising house plants for mass commercial production. It is of particular interest in the multiplication of stocks of new hybrid plants. The plants are propagated vegatatively in elongate tubes containing, as growing medium, an agar

REFERENCES:
patent: 3284949 (1966-11-01), Park
patent: 3846954 (1974-11-01), Meyers
patent: 4034508 (1977-07-01), Dedolph
patent: 4124953 (1978-11-01), Patton
patent: 4170301 (1979-10-01), Jones et al.
patent: 4189868 (1980-02-01), Tymchuck et al.
patent: 4209945 (1980-07-01), Dent et al.
patent: 4407092 (1983-10-01), Ware

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