This invention relates to innovative non-hydroponic self-watering containers and planters, as well as a novel mixture of soil and hydrogel for the self-watering containers. Hydroponics, which is frequently used for self-watering planters, are based on growing the plants in water or water-based nutrient solution, which does not use soil. In hydroponics, plants grow in a soilless medium in hydroponic planters or containers. Hydroponics are frequently used for automated or semi-automated growing of plants, where the water or nutrient solution is pumped into the containers or planters containing the growing medium and the plants (specifically, the roots of the plants).
Typically-used hydroponic growing mediums are inert: they include rocks, pellets, or wool, for example. The roots of the plants, suspended in the inert medium, are in direct contact with water or water-based nutrient solution added or pumped into the hydroponic container. Hydroponics only uses water but does not use any hydrogel because it is bad for hydroponics: the hydroponic systems rely on pumps that can only pump water, not gel. The pumps will run dry and burn out.
Sometimes, the inert medium is mixed with water absorbent or hydrophilic sponges, or foams. Polymer hydrogel is commonly used with inert growth mediums: it absorbs water when the water is added and slowly releases the water over time to nourish the plants that are in the growth mediums mixed with hydrogel. The advantages of using polymers or hydrogel is that they conserve water. However, the amount of hydrogel currently used in potted soil container is small and added to the potting mix in very small amounts. Thus hydrogel in current potting mixtures adds very little, if any, extra water absorbing properties to the potting mix versus the potting mix without hydrogel. This is because the amount of hydrogel in the potting mix is too low and the hydrogel in it is only exposed to water for a few seconds while it drains out in a normal planter, not giving the hydrogel time to activate. Consequently, plants planted in these potting mixes in regular containers still need to be watered on a regular basis and do not benefit much from the hydrogel in the potting mix.
Hydroponic systems are used for their speed of plant growth, the precision in allocating the same amount of nutrients to each plant, and water conservation. Hydroponic systems are more efficient versus soil-based growing, and hydroponic growing systems have been known and used for many years.
However, hydroponics cannot be autonomously operated for more than a week or two weeks, and require more frequent oversight and supervision. A private grower, for example, cannot go on vacation for a month and leave his or her plants unsupervised. Likewise, even in a commercial growing environment, constant maintenance of hydroponic systems adds to the labor requirements and therefore the cost of the final crop, which is usually passed on to the consumer.
Hydroponic watering and growing planters are available for growing plants. However, the currently manufactured commercial hydroponic planters are not very autonomous because they need refilling with water (or pumping the water), thus requiring frequent management. Hydroponic methods, depending on the type, can also be expensive. Regular soil-based container planters have different problems, such as soil compaction and over-watering.
What is needed are novel self-watering containers that are more autonomous than hydroponic systems and allow for longer periods of watering the growing plants without supervision or refilling with water. What is also needed is a self-watering container that will absorb and then slowly release the water, watering the plants. This is accomplished by using the combination of the self-watering containers of the present invention with a special soil and hydrogel mixture in specific proportions, enabling the self-watering containers to absorb and store and then release back the water, producing a time delayed watering effect. Additionally, because such self-watering containers save water and reduce the amount of labor required for managing the planters, the owners of the self-watering containers can save money on water bills and labor.
The self-watering containers of the present invention are just as easily usable as conventional hydroponic systems are, at marginal or no cost increase to the consumer. There is a need for innovative self-watering containers that absorb and store and then release the water to nourish the plants for plant germination and growth. Additionally, various self-watering containers can be used for exterior and interior house or building decoration.
The purpose of the self-watering device and soil and hydrogel mixture is to reduce plant watering from two times a week to one time every six weeks. After the self-watering container (which the Applicant sometimes refers to as “hydrogel planter”) is filled with water, the owner is even free to go on vacation because there is no need to do anything else to hydrate the plants for six weeks.
SUMMARY
This invention meets the current need for a superior type of self-watering container or planter that can be autonomous for 6-8 weeks, without any supervision. It is fully self-contained and it uses a stable, reliable, and reusable mixture of soil and hydrogel. Such a container or planter may be used for germinating, growing, and cultivating a wide range of commercial plants and crops, including cannabis, tomatoes, and ordinary household plants. This invention significantly reduces the labor costs associated with operating the self-watering container or planter and conserves water. It is only necessary to water the container once every several weeks, not twice a week. The hydroponic and other methods of self watering planters accomplish two weeks without oversight at most and have other draw backs, such as that the roots need time(1-2 weeks) to penetrate the soil to reach a reservoir. The container and system of the present invention work instantly and with every plant type, regardless of the plant root size. They are also useful for sprouting seeds.
The self-watering container of the present invention can also be used in a desert environment where the water is preciously scarce (especially if the container is sealed). The self-watering container is completely passive and requires no electricity to operate or maintain; thus it is completely independent of the electric grid.
In use, the self-watering container is filled with the novel soil and hydrogel mixture according to the disclosure of the present invention. The container is then filled up with water, and from that point on the container requires no refilling or maintenance for 6-8 weeks. The hydrogel absorbs the water poured into the container, and the water essentially turns into a solid. The hydrogel slowly shrinks over the next 45 days or longer, releasing water that nourishes the plants that are in the mixture of soil and hydrogel. The Applicant has experimented with hydroponic systems, but nothing works as well and as long as the self-watering container and soil/hydrogel mixture as in this invention because the hydroponic systems need to be watered twice per week.
A container, which can be cylindrical, triangular (i.e., having three walls), but is preferably rectangular or square in a cross-section (substantially a cuboid shape), with a bottom, four side walls going upward from the bottom and forming an opening of the container, and a removable optional top fitted to the opening of the container, so as to close the container securely when the top is fitted to the opening. There is an aperture at the bottom of the container, approximately at the center of the bottom. The aperture is preferably covered by a layer of aquatic rocks and one or more filters to allow for water and fertilizer run off without clogging the aperture. The container may be a plastic molded container (i.e., a one-piece container, with integral interconnected walls and bottom), which is the preferred configuration, or it may be constructed from separate parts: bottom and walls connected to or interlocking with the bottom. The walls can be circular (for a cylindrical container), or there can be three, four, five or more walls for a triangular, rectangular or square, pentagonal and so on container. The number of walls would depend on practical volume, storage, and transportation requirements, as well as the desired esthetic appeal of the final container.
The mixture of soil and hydrogel provides a nutrient-rich environment in which the plants can grow. Not only does the soil provide additional nutrients to the plants, but it also works in combination with the hydrogel to create a novel mixture that is capable of reliably and consistently retaining the water and watering the plants for 6-8 weeks without any supervision. Soil by itself passes the water through too quickly, and is thus not suitable for long-term self-watering planters. Pure polymers and hydrogels, on the other hand, also cannot be relied on for 6-8 weeks because, in a given preferred volume of the container, the water will have been released prior to that time (i.e., also too quickly)—the hydrogel will dehydrate faster without the insulating properties of the soil in the mix. However, that is not the main or only reason the Applicant does not use pure hydrogel: the main reason is that plants do not “like” to grow in pure hydrogel. The Applicant has conducted experiments trying to grow plants in pure hydrogel and found that hydrogel is good for keeping cut flowers alive for extended periods, but it is not good for actual plant growth. Specifically, the plant will stay alive longer in pure hydrogel than in regular soil, but it will not get any bigger or be able to bear fruit.
That is why it is possible to put cut flowers in a vase full of hydrogel and the flowers will keep longer on the table, but you it is not reasonably possible to grow a tomato plant in a vase full of pure hydrogel. The plant roots do not like to grow in that oxygen-poor environment, so the soil is necessary to space out the hydrogel and allow air to enter the root system. That is also the reason hydroponics systems use both air and water, and not just water. There are other reasons against using pure hydrogel. The plant gets its nutrients from the soil, not the hydrogel, and if the plant were to receive its nutrients from the hydrogel, those nutrients would be more concentrated as the hydrogel dried out, which would burn or kill the plants. Yet another reason not to use pure hydrogel is that the soil acts as the support framework for the plant, including the root system, so that, when the hydrogel dries out, the soil is left there to support the plant's weight and anchor it in the container.
The novel combination of the soil and hydrogel works to release the water over a significant period of time, provide the nutrient-rich soil to the plants, and generate visual appeal of soil versus plaint polymer, if desired. For example, a hexagonal container with a soil and hydrogel mixture will look more impressive and visually appealing under the light than a rectangular container. Hydroponics delivers nutrients via the water, but the hydrogel planter according to the disclosure of the present invention delivers nutrients via the soil, and only regular water is used.
The methods and compositions of manufacture known in the art can be used for manufacturing the containers and the tops, including plastic, metals, treated wood, or other non-water-permeable materials.
The time-delayed water release and growing processes can be repeated virtually infinitely. Simply refill the self-watering container with water and the container is ready for reusing. When the soil is depleted after multiple uses, simply add a slow-release fertilizer and fill the container with water. The self-watering container can be used for hundreds or even thousands of growing cycles, provided it is made from resilient materials. The soil and hydrogel mixture never needs to be replaced. The hydrogel planter uses only half as much fertilizer as a comparable-sized regular planter. The self-watering container (hydrogel planter) uses fertilizer more efficiently because there are less watering cycles which waste fertilizers to excessive run off.
These features, aspects and advantages of the self-watering containers and planters, as well as a novel mixture of soil and hydrogel for the self-watering containers will become further understood with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings where
The present invention is directed to novel self-watering containers and soil and hydrogel mixture suitable therefor. With reference to
One such preferred embodiment is shown in
As illustrated in
It should be noted that there may be one circular wall 40 as illustrated in
With reference to
With reference to
The system may also include an optional filter 70 securely attached to the bottom 30 or walls 40, overlapping and covering the aperture 35, but filter 70 is not required for the proper operation of the system, nor does filter 70 have to be attached to the bottom 30 or walls 40. In fact, the filter 70 may simply be placed on the bottom 70 within the interior volume 50 of the container 10, between the bottom 30 and the rocks 60. However, when filter 70 is used, securely attaching it to the bottom 30 or the walls 40 seals the gaps between the filter 70 and the walls 40 and/or bottom 30 of the container 10 and improves filtering. The function of the optional filter 70 is to further prevent the clogging of the aperture 35. Although the filter 70 may be attached both on the outside and on the inside of the container 10, for practical reasons it is preferred to attach the filter 70 on the inside of the container (i.e., within the interior volume 50).
The filters 70 and 75 are typically polyester pads, such as pond filters, 10-15 inches on each side, which allows for easy securing of the filter 70 to the bottom 30 and/or the walls 40 of the container 10 by adhesive tape, for example and the filter 75 to the walls 40. Smaller-size filters 70 may be used with attachment means 65 that do not require a large contact surface area. The aperture 35 is preferably 1/16 inch in diameter, although it may be varied appropriately to enable faster or slower drainage of water. The aperture 35 creates an hourglass-type outlet (extended-release drainage hole), holding the water in the hydrogel planter long enough for the hydrogel to absorb it, and allowing the hydrogel planter to flush salt and mineral build up as well as drain excess water through in approximately one hour.
The attachment of the filters 70 and 75 can be accomplished with attachment means 65 such as thermal bonding, adhesive, tape (duct tape or double-sided tape), hook and loop fasteners, buttons, snaps, stops, screws, bolts, latches, locks, straps, and rails or other methods known in the art, providing a permanent or semi-permanent attachment. Although the Applicant envisions that the filters can be permanently mounted, never needing replacement, the semi-permanent or detachable connection methods will allow for easy replacements of the filters. Alternatively, there can be a frame 80 with a pocket 85 mountable over the aperture 35, where the filter 70 is inserted into the pocket 85. This would make the filters easily replaceable, and the frame 80 could be attached by bolts, screws, rails, hook and loop fasteners, buttons, snaps, or other attachment means disclosed herein or known in the art to the bottom 30. The same method of mounting may be used for the filter 75, but the frame 80 would be placed and/or secured above the rocks 60 and may be optionally attached to the interior sides of the walls 40 of the container 10 by any attachment means 65.
The aperture 35 makes it possible for the excess water to drain off when the container 10 is filled with water. The filter 75 (and optional filter 70) makes it possible for the excess water to drain off when the container 10 is filled with water without clogging the rocks 60 and the aperture 35. The optional filter 70, when it is used, is covered on top by approximately one-two inches of rocks 60, preferably marble-sized aquatic substrate type rocks. The pond filter 75 is placed on top of the rocks 60 and may additionally be secured to the walls of the container 10 by attachment means 65. Accordingly, the filter 75 should preferably be approximately the same size as the lateral cross-sectional area of the container 10 approximately one-two inches above the bottom, depending on the thickness of the layer of rocks 60. The pond filter 75 prevents the rocks 60 and also the aperture 35 from being clogged by debris from the soil-hydrogel mix. The combination of the rocks 60 and filter 75, which cannot be permeated by the soil and hydrogel mix, also support the weight of the soil-hydrogel mix as well as allow open passageways for the filtered water to exit to the drainage hole (aperture 35). The filter 75 cleans the exiting water of debris so that it does not clog the drainage hole and contains the soil-hydrogel mix, separating the mix from the rocks 60 so that the passage ways remain open. The optional filter 70 does the final filtering of the exiting water so that the aperture 35 does not get clogged.
A special, novel mixture of the soil and hydrogel 90 is used to fill up the internal volume 50 of the container 10 for use. The mixture 90 contains soil 100 and hydrogel (preferably in granule form) 110. The soil 100 and hydrogel granules 110 are illustrated in
The container 10 is easily movable even when filled: if using a 13-gallon container, which is the preferred volume, the container filled with the mixture volume of 1.25 cubic feet, weighing approximately 31 pounds total (the dry weight of the 1.25 cubic feet of potting soil is 11 lbs.). The mixture is preferably 1.25 cubic feet of soil plus 2.5 lbs. of hydrogel, but the mixture still comes out to approximately the same volume of 1.25 cubic feet because the hydrogel is heavy and dense and the potting soil is light and fluffy. The volume of 2.5 lbs. of hydrogel separately from the soil is 101.5 cubic inches (0.059 cubic ft.), but, as explained in this application, the volume of the hydrogel is absorbed by the volume of the potting soil because the hydrogel is dispersed within the potting soil.
The container 10, once watered, stores 10 gallons of water as a solid in the soil-hydrogel mix. The container 10, fully filled with water, weighs 110 lbs. and holds ten gallons (79 lbs.) of water. Because the water turns into a solid when it is absorbed by the soil and hydrogel mixture, it does not evaporate as fast as regular water. This method and mixture also save water because ten gallons of water acts as 15 gallons. Small variations in the volume of soil are possible, reproducing similar results, but this proportion for the mixture of the soil and hydrogel 90 was found to be optimal by the Applicant.
The mixture of soil and hydrogel takes approximately one hour to absorb the ten (10) gallons of water and drain the excess. The container 10 (hydrogel planter) should be filled with 11 gallons of water every time it is watered. A very high concentration of hydrogel in the mix allows for this faster-than-normal water absorption rate of the hydrogel into the novel mixture of soil and hydrogel inside the container 10 allows. Normally, only 0.5 lbs. of hydrogel would be required to absorb 10 gallons of water, but it will take the hydrogel five hours to do so. In order for the hydrogel planter to absorb 10 gallons in one hour, it is necessary to increase the concentration of hydrogel in the mix by a factor of 5; therefore 2.5 lbs. of hydrogel only take one hour to absorb 10 gallons of water. The mixture 90 of soil 100 and hydrogel 110 expands during the absorption process and contracts during the release process. The expansion and contraction of the mixture 90 in a 13-gallon container is approximately seven inches vertically (as illustrated in
Specifically, with reference to
Although the preferred ratio of soil to hydrogel for the novel mixture 90 is 1.25 cubic ft. of soil 100 and 2.5 lbs. of hydrogel 110, the Applicant envisions a wider range of hydrogel for the given volume of soil 100 (1.25 cubic feet): anywhere from 2.5 to 3 lbs. of hydrogel 110 may be used per 1.25 cubic ft. of potting soil 100 in the mix, appropriately scaling for larger or smaller containers. Anywhere from 7 to 9 inches of space is required from the top of the container 10 to the top of the soil and hydrogel mix 90 when the mix 90 is dry.
Once the internal volume 50 of the container 10 is filled with the soil and hydrogel mixture 90 through the opening 45, water is added to the mixture 90 all the way to the top edges 48. Approximately 10% of the water will drain out of the aperture 35, which is essentially a drainage hole covered by the rocks 60, the pond filter 75, and possibly the optional filter 70, and 90% of the water will be absorbed by the soil 100 and hydrogel 110 mixture. This hydrated mixture 90 will keep the plants hydrated for six weeks at normal temperature; after that time the container 10 can be filled up with water to the top again to reuse the mixture.
The design of the hourglass drainage system, using the aperture 35, is to slow down the drainage to allow the time for the soil and hydrogel mixture 90 to absorb the water in the container 10. The mixture 90 has a very high amount of hydrogel 110 by design, to speed up the absorption of water process. The combination of the two systems allows the container/planter 10 to absorb roughly ten gallons of water in one hour. The soil and hydrogel mix is calibrated for the one-hour drain in the container 10, and either soil or hydrogel alone will not work without the other; the components of the mixture 90 are specifically formulated and designed for each other, taking factors like the container size and volume into account.
Many types of potting soil 100 may be used for the mixture 90, but it is preferable to use soil with a slow-release fertilizer added to it. This planter is designed to make growing plants, including cannabis, very easy, and it provides a stable environment for cannabis from seed to harvest. The internal volume 50 of the container 10 is filled with the soil and hydrogel mixture 90, which absorbed water, so the roots of the plants are instantly in contact with the water stored in the hydrogel 110. No other planter can last this long: six weeks is an incredibly long time, instead of constantly caring for a cannabis plant. This planter not only solves the watering problem, but also other soil container planter problems like soil compaction and over-watering. The roots are also never in contact with stagnating water. This is the only known self-watering planter that is deigned to be used with cannabis.
The proportion of the components may be selected by those skilled in the art depending on the desired end product and its characteristics, such as cost, durability, reusability, and other parameters, but of course the total proportion by weight or volume of all components must add to 100% in the end.
The container 10 may be manufactured from plastic, stainless steel, or other suitable materials well-known in the art that are sufficiently liquid-proof to retain the water and soil and hydrogel mixture 90, and to allow for slight expansion/contraction of the soil and hydrogel mixture 90 during the water absorption and release process, and to facilitate easy removal of the mixture from the container 10.
As disclosed herein, the mixture 90 of soil 100 and hydrogel 110 can be reused by filling the container 10 with 11 gallons of water again. However, when it is the time to add the fertilizer, the mixing of the soil and hydrogel mixture inside the container 10 is typically accomplished by using small gardening shovels, particularly when the growing is on a small-scale level. The Applicant has determined that only very small amounts of slow-release fertilizer need to be added to the mixture periodically: approximately ½ tsp every six months.
To operate the hydrogel planter at full capacity for one year (365 days), only eight watering events of 11 gallons each are required (using 88 gallons of water versus 156 gallons for a regular planter) and two applications of fertilizer at half of the normal amount (½ tsp twice per year), conserving water, saving time and labor, reducing costs and benefiting the environment with less water use and less fertilizer use and run off. Unrestrained fertilizer run off damages marine ecosystems and is responsible for uncontrolled growth of certain invasive marine algae and vegetation.
The hydrogel planter actually uses 75% less fertilizer than a conventional planter, even though it uses only half as much fertilizer, in view of that the fertilizer actually used lasts twice as long. Normally you need to add fertilizer every three months, but the hydrogel planter only requires it every six months, in addition to using only half the regular amount. So half of the amount of the fertilizer lasts twice longer than in a conventional planter, which would require 2 grams of fertilizer every three months for a total of 8 grams for every 12 months. The hydrogel planter according to the present invention only requires 1 gram every six months, or just 2 grams of fertilizer versus 8 grams for the conventional planter during the same 12 months.
By mixing the components, a mixture is obtained. In the commercial growing environment, where large batches of soil and hydrogel mixture must be prepared, shaking or vibrating the mixture on commercially available shakers or mixers ensures that the mixture is homogeneous. In the smaller-scale or home growing, the mixture can be mixed and homogenized by hand or with common garden tools.
The novel self-watering containers of the present invention may also be used in larger-size and more elaborate forms than those conventionally used for containers. Although a 13-gallon container is described in this application as the preferred embodiment, other size containers may be used. The 13-gallon container is commonly available, is easy to ship and store, and can accommodate even the large plants. However, it would be easy to use a container of a different size and to calculate the exact dimensions of the other system elements and the ratios of the soil and hydrogel mixture using the disclosure of the present invention.
The above description of the disclosed preferred embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the principles described herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention and the subject matter of the present invention, which is broadly contemplated by the Applicant. The scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments that may be or become obvious to those skilled in the art.