Plant husbandry – Seed tape or mat – method or apparatus
Reexamination Certificate
1997-03-19
2002-03-19
Poon, Peter M. (Department: 3643)
Plant husbandry
Seed tape or mat, method or apparatus
Reexamination Certificate
active
06357176
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a soil- and grass seed-free sod precursor containing grass sprigs and a non-woven bio-cellulosic fiber mat and a method of producing a soilless sod from the precursor.
2. Description of the Background
In the past, washed sod and soilless sod have been interchangeable terms. However, these materials are quite distinct. Washed sod is field-cut sod in which the soil has been mechanically removed from the turfgrass plant. In contrast, soilless sod is grown without any type of mineral soil substrate.
Washed sod technology was introduced by Warren's Turf Nursery of Palos Park, Ill. in the 1970's (see Turgeon, A. J., Comparative Advantages of Soilless Sod for Kentucky Bluegrass,
Rasen Grun-flachen Begrunungen
8(1):13-15, 1977). This sod results from a post-harvest washing using a patented washing apparatus consisting of three motorized conveyors passing through two series of high pressure water jets. The apparatus requires three operators, and has a capacity of two 182.9 cm×41.9 cm sod strips per minute. The advantages of washed sod include: elimination of layering due to soil differences between sod source and destination, quick rooting establishment, ease of handling, and light weight for shipping. Washed sod has superior water infiltration rates as compared to traditional field-cut sods (see Casimaty, B. G., J. Neylan, J. B. Beard, 1993, Effects of Removal by Post-Harvest Hydraulic Washing on Sod Transplant Rooting of a Kentucky Bluegrass-Perennial Ryegrass Polystand and a Creeping Bentgrass Monostand, In R. N. Carrow, N. E. Christians, and R. C. Shearman (co-ed.),
Int. Turfgrass Soc. Res. J.,
Vol. 7). However, washed sod can be expensive to produce, and soil removal can be difficult to accomplish while still maintaining sod integrity.
As an alternative to washed sod, methods of growing sod over an impervious plastic layer have been investigated. Some of these methods use soil as a substrate, while others utilize some form of natural or man-made organic fiber mat.
Baron, U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,197, used two layers of a non-woven organic fiber mat composed primarily of flax. A cool-season grass mix was seeded between the two layers.
Anton, U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,292, discloses growing grass seeds on a non-woven mat composed of hollow synthetic organic fibers. These hollow fibers can contain water-soluble plant nutrients, pesticides, algaecides, or weed controls within their matrix, thereby providing slow-release of the chemicals to enhance and/or protect growing seedlings.
Heard, U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,679, produced pre-grown turf by seeding grass on a layer of straw deposited on an impervious surface. Chamoulaud, U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,481, produced sod by applying grass seed to a finely crushed wood bark compost layer. Burns, looking for methods to decrease sod establishment times, grew sprigged ‘Tifway’ bermudagrass [
Cynodon dactylon
(L.) Pers. x
transvaalensis
Burtt-Davy] on 8 mm of sewage sludge from a secondary treatment plant (see Burns, R. E., 1980, Techniques for Rapid Sod Production, pp. 361-366, In J. B. Beard (ed.),
Proc.
3
rd Int. Turfgrass Res. Conf.,
Munich Germany, 11-13 July 1977, Int. Turfgrass Soc., and ASA, CSSA, and SSSA, Madison, Wis.).
These methods all have serious drawbacks. Grass seeds require germination. As a result, sod production is relatively slow because the seeds must germinate and grow before the grass plants can root into the growth media. Also, the conditions that are most favorable conditions for seed germination may be different than the conditions for optimal growth of the grass plants. This makes the process of producing the sod difficult to automate because the environmental conditions must be adjusted after seed germination in order to maximize growth of the grass plants.
In addition, sod carpets produced from straw, finely crushed wood bark compost or secondary sewage sludge lack sufficient mechanical stability and are difficult to handle. Synthetic organic fibers may not be biodegradable and, if they do degrade, may produce toxic by-products. Soilless sod prepared from flax fibers as disclosed by Baron appears to require the use of polystyrene marbles to provide sufficient aeration for the germinating seeds. These polystyrene materials may suffer from the same drawbacks as synthetic organic fibers noted above.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a soilless sod which overcomes these disadvantages.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a soilless sod with a high degree of mechanical stability.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a soilless sod which can be prepared in less time as compared to a mat-based sod grown from grass seeds or traditional field-grown sod.
It is another object of the present invention to provide soilless sod which is composed of primarily of biodegradable materials.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for preparing a soilless sod having the properties described above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above objects and others are accomplished with a soil- and grass seed-free sod precursor containing grass sprigs and a non-woven mat made of bio-cellulosic fibers.
The objects above are also accomplished with a method of producing the sod precursor by applying grass sprigs to a soil- and grass seed-free non-woven mat made of bio-cellulosic fibers.
The above objects are also accomplished by a method of producing a soil-free sod by applying grass sprigs to a soil- and grass seed-free non-woven mat made of bio-cellulosic fibers and providing the sprigs with essential nutrients and water.
A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a soilless sod in which a soil- and grass seed-free non-woven bio-cellulosic fiber mat serves as a substrate for transplanted grass sprigs. The term “sod” as used herein refers to a grass turf held together by intermeshed grass roots and mat fibers.
The terms “soilless” and “soil-free” as used herein refer to a sod and a mat which are substantially free of soil. The term “substantially free of soil” as used herein means that the sod does not contain mineral soil as a growth medium. This term includes small amounts of soil that may adhere to the grass sprigs during harvesting, for example. This term explicitly excludes amounts of soil which supply the grass sprigs with enough nutrients such that they are capable of growing without artificial nutrient sources, such as fertilizers.
Applying the grass sprigs to the mat produces a soilless sod precursor, i.e., a composition containing the sprigs and the mat which is not held together by intermeshed roots and mat fibers. A sod is produced after the sprigs have grown into the mat.
A grass sprig is generally recognized to include a stolon. A stolon (also known as a runner) is a grass stem that grows horizontal to and above the surface of the ground. A stolon may contain one or more nodes from which roots will grow. Some of the nodes may have roots when the sprig is harvested. A sprig may also be a rhizome, which is generally recognized as a grass stem that grows under the surface of the soil.
The term “grass sprig” as used herein excludes grass seed. Sprigs are distinguishable from seeds in terms of gross biological morphology and genetic composition. In terms of morphology, grass seeds contain the plant embryo and a food source enveloped in a protective seed coat. In contrast, sprigs are not grass plant embryos and do not contain seed coats. Genetically, every grass seed collected from the same mother plant is different because a seed is the product of sexual reproduction. In contrast, sprigs harvested from the same mother plant will all be substantially the same genetically because they are clones of the mother
Baldwin Brian S.
Fuller Marty J.
Goatley, Jr. J. Michael
Hensler Kevin L.
Reichert Nancy A.
Gellner Jeffrey L.
Kelber Steven B.
Mississippi State University
Piper Marbury Rudnick & Wolfe LLP
Poon Peter M.
LandOfFree
Soilless sod does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Soilless sod, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Soilless sod will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2838094