Patent Application
20080016760
a-1a depict, in one implementation of an inventive method and system, before and after block level diagrams of the soil surrounding a plant (e.g.; a tree) being disrupted by a fluid under pressure that also severs roots in the root system of the plant, while a vacuum source extracts the disrupted soil;
a and 3c respectively depict a top planar view and a front elevational cross sectional view of a plant, and
a and 4c respectively depict a top planar view and a front elevational cross sectional view of a plant, and
a and 5c respectively depict a top planar view and a front elevational cross sectional view of an elongate shrub, and
a-6d depict respective front elevational cross sectional views of a plant and its root ball after being subjected to respective implementations of the inventive fluid severed plant root system transplantation system and method; and
e depicts a front elevational cross sectional view of an elongate shrub its root ball after being subjected to a still further implementation of the inventive fluid severed plant root system transplantation system and method.
a depict a before block level diagram of a portion of a plant 102 projecting above and into soil 104 that surrounds plant 102. Note that the plant's foliage is not shown. As such, if plant 102 were a tree, the tree's canopy is not shown. In the other Figures, the canopy or foliage of each other plant is not shown, other than were indicated. A fluid pump 106b develops positive pressure for pumping pump material(s) 106a. The pump materials includes a fluid such as air and/or water. For instance, box 106a can be, at least in part, a water holding tank. The box 106a can also include containers to feed other pump materials to fluid pump 106b, such as containers to hold abrasives, plant nutrients, fertilizer, root cauterizing agents, etc. The fluid with or without entrained pump material(s) move through pressured fluid wand 108 into soil 104 to cause a soil disruption zone 110. The pumped fluid and materials entrained therein also sever roots in the root system of the plant 102.
A vacuum source 112 is in fluid communication with a pressured fluid wand 114 to extract parts of the severed roots, the disrupted soil, and slurry formed by the fluid and the soil—thereby creating a trench 116. The vacuuming by the wand 114 moves the vacuumed materials into the box seen at reference numeral 118 which can be the ambient, a slurry holding tank, etc.
Negative pressure source 210 receives through a pressurized fluid wand 212a vacuumed material 212b for storage in a slurry collection zone 214 from which exhaust of the fluid and/or filtration thereof can be performed at box 216. In particular, slurry collected at box 214 by vacuuming can again be pumped using functionality in box 216 so as to return the slurry back into the hole using the same or a different wand (not shown) from which the plant and its root ball had been removed. Filtration of rocks and other debris can be performed both before the slurry enters box 214 as the slurry is leaving box 214. Alternatively, the box 216 might simply be an opening to box 214 to dump there from the slurry using merely a gravity feed.
a and 3c respectively depict a top planar view and a front elevational cross sectional view of a plant 304 and its surrounding soil 302. After being subjected to an implementation of the inventive fluid severed plant root system transplantation system and method, the plant 304 is seen in
a and 4c respectively depict a top planar view and a front elevational cross sectional view of a plant 404 and its surrounding soil 402. After being subjected to an implementation of the inventive fluid severed plant root system transplantation system and method, the plant 404 is seen in
a and 5c respectively depict a top planar view and a front elevational cross sectional view of an elongate shrub 504 planted with soil 502.
a-6e depict respective front elevational cross sectional views of a plant 604a-e and its root ball 608a-e that has been sculpted from surrounding soils 606a-e. The root ball 608a-e has been sculpted by a process of severing the roots of a root system of the plant 604a-e with a fluid under pressure. The severed roots and resultant disrupted soil can be progressively removed away from the root ball 608a-e, such as by an industrial vacuuming process. A hand held wand ejecting therefrom a fluid under a positive pressure can be used to form root balls 608a-e in varied topography, making the hand held wand a tool of significant versatility for transplanting plants. Once the root ball has been substantially formed, plant 604a-e can be removed from where it has been growing. Before, during or after such removal, the root ball 306a-e can be fully or partially boxed, wrapped, or enclosed using a structure 608a-e. Structure 608a-e can serve a myriad of purposes, including preventing a loss of moisture from plant 604a-e through the root ball 306a-e, lending structural support to the root ball 306a-e, serving as a permanent or semi-permanent container or planter for plant 604a-e, etc. The plant 604e is a shrub having a length significantly greater than the width thereof.
a-6c demonstrate the versatility of the handheld wand used to sculpt the root ball of virtually any desired topology. In the depicted examples, the portion of the plant 604a-c that projects about the ground need not be centered with respect to the root ball 608a-c. Also, the portion of the plant 604a-c that project about the ground need not be normal or perpendicular with respect to the ground. Moreover, the plant can be close to near by above and/or below the ground object(s) and the root ball can still be sculpted to a desired topology while avoiding damage or contact with the near by above or below the ground object(s).
A fluid, such as one or more gases and/or liquids, can be used to sever the roots in a root system of a plant so as to form a root ball. With fluid severing of the tree's root system, a root ball can be sculpted to a precise shape and topography, while keeping the severing forces of the fluid away from undesirable areas, avoiding easily damaged surfaces, while cutting with the fluid only to a predetermined depth. For instance, one inventive method uses a high pressure jet of water to cut the roots. The pressure to do so depends upon the plant and the environment of preparation of the plant for transplantation. For instance, when water is the fluid, the pressure can be as low as one thousand pounds per square inch (1,000 psi) 10,000 psi using a water flow rare of about twelve gallons per minute (12 gpm). Higher water pressures can also be used in a range of 12,000-15,000 psi with a 60 gpm flow to 36,000 psi and a 72 gpm flow. To accomplish this high flow and pressure, two water hoses can be combined together to double the flow pressure. Other pressures and flow can also be used, including a pressure of 36,000 psi at 5 to 14 gpm flow. The flow rate may be changed and depends on whether the application calls for the marrying of two pumps and their respective hoses.
Fluid severing of the tree's root system may be desirable because of the proximity of the root system to buried utilities such as gas lines, wires, and cables. The cutting with water jets at varying pressures and flows, when combines with industrial vacuuming also for the careful removal of soil and exposure of the buried utilities, thereby avoiding damage to the buried utilities, while making possible the removal of trees that otherwise would not be possible with a tree spade.
Shrubs can also be subjected to fluid severing of roots to form a root ball. A shrub, for instance, may appear from an overhead view to assume the appearance of a cross word puzzle having row and columns. Each row and column might be 6 yards long and 2 to 3 yards wide, with each approximately being rectangular in cross section. The roots of the root system of the shrub, which can actually be composed of one or more plants, can be severed with a fluid under pressure to sculpt therefrom a root ball thereunder. As such, the resultant sculpted root ball of the scrub for transplantation will assume an elongate shape. By way of example, see
Fluid severing of the plant's root system, be it a tree or a shrub, may be desirable because of its low impact upon the root system as compared to the process of transplantation using a tree spade. In the case of a plant that is under stress due to drought, too much water or too much heat or sun, transplanting with fluid severing of the plant's root system is more gentile on the roots as compared to a tree spade. Moreover, severing the root system with water, without or without entrained nutrients, may be even more beneficial to the stressed plant's health.
The plant's health is also benefited by fluid severing its roots to sculpt its root ball when the plant is to be imported from another region. This is particularly true for plants that are already under stress or are being imported to a significantly different environment, where its survival depends on a similar climate or upon the ability of the imported plant to adapt to the new climate. In addition to entrained nutrients, an additive can be included in the cutting to fluid that will cauterize the severed roots, thereby limiting the loss of moisture from the remainder of the root system in the root ball.
In different implementation, the inventive system and method can use hand held positive and negative pressure wands. This hand held equipment, typically wands of three to eight feet in length, and respectively for fluid severing a root system and for industrial vacuuming, can be weigh from 10 to 20 pounds. In contrast, the tree spade can weigh several tons.
In some implementations, precision sculpting of a root ball to a specific topography is desirable for fluid severing of the plant's root system, thereby producing accurate and health promoting outcomes. Fluidized root system severing gives fine depth control. By moving the high pressure jet of fluid and by varying the time the fluid jet stays in place, a positive pressure wand operator can control the cutting depth.
The root ball can be sculpted by a positive pressure wand operator so as to cause the plant material above-the-ground to progressively lean away from an above the ground structure as the root ball is being sculpted and the plant material is becoming unstable where it grows. As such, damage to adjacent, proximal and nearby above-the-ground objects can be avoided as the root ball of the plant material (e.g.; large trees) is being detached from the lower portions of its root system.
When fluid severing of a root system is combined with intermittent or simultaneous industrial vacuuming of the resultant slurry or lose soil around the progressively severed root system, no rubble or piled up soil is left. As such, there is no waster from the process that must be removed by shovel or by some other method. After the plant material and its root ball are removed, the resultant hole in the ground can be filled by pumping back into the resultant hole the industrially vacuumed mud or slurry.
Seasonal constraints, in some implementations, are not problematic with fluid severing of a root system. When the cutting fluid is a liquid, the liquid can be heated when the ambient temperature can be below the freezing point of the fluid, and the heated fluid jetting penetrates even permafrost soil to sever root systems' ancillary structure in the course of the removal of the plant.
In some implementations, an abrasive can be included in the fluid. Such abrasives include, but are not limited to gravel, sand, garnet, and pebbles.
For a faster sculpting of a root ball, where the fluid is a liquid such as water, the fluid can be processed to include an innumerable number of tiny voids or cavities. The liquid can then be subjected to rapid and intense pressure changes so as to instantaneously collapse the tiny voids or cavities, such as by subjecting the water by ultrasonic radiation. The instantaneous collapse of the tiny voids or cavities causes a cavitation effect that increases the force with which the roots of the root system are severed. The formation and instantaneous collapse of innumerable tiny voids or cavities within a liquid subjected to rapid and intense pressure changes. Cavitation produced by ultrasonic radiation can thereby be used to effect violent localized agitation.
A high pressure pump for ejected water and an industrial vacuum source to remove the resultant mud can both be mounted upon a land vehicle for transporting same proximal the location of the plant material that is to be removed for transplanting. The land vehicle can also be used to transport the plant material to the different location where it is to be transplanted.
Wastewater filtration, pH adjustment and noise abatement (muffling) systems can be included with positive and negative fluid pressure sources to reduce environmental impact, thereby presenting an environmentally friendliness relative to reducing noise as well as flying dust and debris.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
