GB2129664A

GB2129664A - Plant protection devices

Info

Publication number: GB2129664A
Application number: GB08232172A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kenneth John Garrett
Original assignee: MOBILE MOTOR SERVICES Ltd
Current assignee: MOBILE MOTOR SERVICES Ltd
Priority date: 1982-11-11
Filing date: 1982-11-11
Publication date: 1984-05-23

Abstract

A plant protection device comprising a sheet 10 of flexible transparent plastics material provided with a plurality of pairs of holes 13, 14 adjacent opposite edges. The sheet is wrapped round to form a sleeve which is temporarily retained in the right position by rings 19, 20 and 21 and thereafter tubes 22 to 25 are inserted through the apertures and under the bridges 17 formed between pairs. Thereafter a rod passed through the tubes, having been stuck in the ground and the tubes can then be moved away from under the bridges so that the rod retains the assembly in place. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Plant protection devices The present invention relates to plant protection devices. A number of plant protection devices have been devized, particularly for protecting young trees for a few years afterthey have been planted. Very recently, these plant protection devices have included a sheet of generally transparent material bent round to form a sleeve. One particular arrangement involves a corrugated polypropylene plastics material which is folded round and is secured to a wooden stake by wires, the corrugated material being secured to itself, to form the sleeve, by staples or by welding.Another construction involves a PVC tube which is secured to a stake and the edges ofthe PVC material are secured to one anotherto form the sleeve by means of staples and a similar arrangement has been applied when the plastic material is a mesh reinforced polyethylene.

None ofthese devises have proved satisfactory particularly because the material tends to tear at the location ofthe staples and the construction has been found to be not at all robust.

It is now proposed, according to the present invention,to provide a plant protection device comprising a sheet of flexible plastics material having adjacent each oftwo opposite edges a plurality of aligned pairs of apertures therein, so positioned that, whenthesheetisformed into a sleeve with the edges overlapping, the holes of each pair adjacent one edge overlie the holes of each pair adjacent the opposite edge, the holes of each overlying pair having formed therebetween a bridge ofthetwo superimposed layers of sheet material, a separate tube insertable under each bridge and a rod which can be passed through all of the aligned tubes so inserted, the rod being capable of being forced into the ground to hold the device in place around a plant.

With such a structure it is very easy for the man in the field to form the protection device even in unpleasantweather conditions and with gloves on.

Thetubescan readily be inserted intotheapertures and once the tubes are in position it is a relatively easy job to slide the rod through the aligned tubes.

Of course, instead of using simply a single rod and a single sheet of material itispossibletousemore sheets to surround a larger plant. Thus, according to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a plant protection device comprising a plurality of sheets offlexible plastics material, each having adjacent each of two opposite edges a plurality of aligned pairs of apertures therein, so positioned that when the edges of two sheets are placed so that they are overlapping,the holes of each pair adjacent the edge of one sheet overlie the wholes of each pair adjacent the edge of the other sheet, the holes of each overlapping pair having formed therebetween a bridge of the two superimposed layers of sheet material, a separate tube insertable under each bridge to hold the edges of adjacent sheets together and to form all of the sheets into a sleeve, and a separate rod which can be passed through each set of aligned tubes so inserted, the rods being capable of being forced intothe ground to hold the device in place around a plant.

With either type of construction, the tubes are preferably capable of being moved axially of the associated rod, afterthe rod has been passed through all ofthe adjacent tubes, so that the tubes are disengaged from under the bridges. This has the advantage that while the tubes are very useful in inserting the rodsthrough the apertures,theytend somewhatto buckle the sheet material and when they are removed underthe bridges, they assist in holding the sheets in place.

Advantageously, the apertures are all D-shaped, the straightedgesofa pairofapertures being adjacent one anotherso as to define substantially parallel sides ofthe bridges. By having the apertures D-shaped, one facilitatestheinsertion ofthetubesthroughthem and underthe bridges, and one also ensures that there is little likelihood ofthe plastics material tearing.

In orderto make considerably easierthe alignment ofthe apertures, preformed axially spaced rings are preferably provided which can be positioned around the sleeve to define the shape of the sleeve. The sleeve will then spring back outwardlywhen it has been inserted the rings to the shape defined by the rings, which is usually circular, so that a cylindrical plant protector sleeve is provided. The rings may be formed of a plastics material which can preferably betranspa- rent as also is the sheet material itself.

In orderthatthe invention may more readily be understood, the following description is given, merely by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa plan view of one embodiment of sheet material suitable for use in forming a plant protector according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the plant protector during its construction; and Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the plant protector in place around a plant.

In Figure 1 there is illustrated a sheet 10 of flexible, transparent, plastics material such as that sold under the registered Trade Mark "Melinex" The sheet is generallyrectangularand has opposite side edges 11, 12 and adjacent these side edges are a plurality of axially spaced pairs of apertures 13, 14 and 15,16. The apertures are in the form of D-shaped holes defining therebetween ridges 17,18.

In use of the sheet material one folds the sheet round to a generally cylindrical form and inserts the sleeve thus formed into two or preferably three rings 19,20,21. These rings are preferably formed of a rigid transparent plastics material which is of circularform initially. They could, on the other hand, be formed of flexible material, which will naturally take the form of a circle when the material 10 is inserted therewithin.

Tubes of a very small diameter and indicated by the reference numerals 22, 23, 24, 25 are inserted under the bridges formed by the superimposed two layers of bridge material 17. The tubes 22, 25 thus hold the sheet material in this form accurately and the insertion of the tubes cna be carried out very simply, even in unpleasantwetmuddy conditions andwith gloves on.

Having assembledthe arrangementlikethis, one then inserts into the ground 30 a support rod 31 which is of an external diameter less the internal diameter of the tubes 22 to 25. The sleeve 32 which has been formed by the flexible material 10 and the tubes 22 to 25 is then offered upto the rod 31 and the tubes 25,24, 23 and 22 are pased in turn over the rod. This is the arrangement shown in Figure 2. Thereafter, the tubes 25,24and 23 are moved upsothattheyare disengaged from the bridges 17 and lie against the plastics material. The top tube 22 can be taken away.

The thus formed arrangement fits very well around the plantwhich has been indicated generally by 33 and has been installed in a very simple manner. Because of the D-shape ofthe holes 13 to 16, there is little tendencyforthe plastics material to rip or tear in use.

If one wishes to make a larger plant protector, one can use two or more sheets and adjacent sheets can be assembled in like mannerto that described above, but the total assembly is formed into a ring to form a larger sleeve.

Claims

1. A plant protection device comprising a sheet of flexible plastics marterial having adjacent each of two opposite edges a plurality of aligned pairs of apertures therein, so positioned that, when the sheet is formed into a sleeve with the edges overlapping, the holes of each pair adjacent one edgeoverliethe holes of each pair adjacentthe opposite edge, the holes of each overlying pair having formed therebetween a bridge ofthe two superimposed layers of sheet material, a separate tube insertable under each bridge and a rod which can be passed through all ofthe aligned tubes so inserted, the rod being capable of being forced into the ground to hold the device in place around a plant.

2. Aplantprotection device comprising a plurality of sheets of flexible plastics material, each having adjacent each of two opposite edges a plurality of aligned pairs of apertures therein, so positioned that when the edges oftwo sheets are placed so thatthey are overlapping, the holes of each pair adjacent the edge of one sheet overlie the holes of each pair of adjacent the edge ofthe other sheet, the holes of each overlapping pair having formed therebetween a bridge of the two superimposed layers of sheet material, a separate tube insertable under each bridge to hold the edges of adjacent sheets together and to form all of the sheets into a sleeve, and a separate rod which can be passed through each set of maligned tubes so inserted, the rods being capable of being forced into the ground to hold the device in place around a plant.

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tubes can be moved axially of their associated rod, afterthe rod has been passed through all of the aligned tubes, so that the tubes are disengaged from underthe bridges.

4. A device according to claim 1,2 or 3, wherein the apertures are D-shaped,the straight edges of a pair of apertures being adjacent one anotherto define substantially parallel sides of the bridges.

5. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein preformed axially spaced rings are posi tionedaroundthe sleeveto definethe shape ofthe sleeve.

6. Adeviceaccordingtoclaim 5, whereinthe rings are formed of a rigid material.

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein the rings arecircular.

8. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each flexible sheet is formed of a transparent plastics material.

9. A device according to claim 5,5 or 6 and according to claim 7,whereinthe rings are formed of a transparent plastics material.

10. A plant protection device substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.