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[0002] Growing plants in potting containers is widely practiced in the gardening and nursery industries. Growing individual plants in separate potting containers has several horticultural advantages. The potting containers prevent the plant from rooting into the ground. In addition, a potted plant will “air pune” its own root system (roots will not grow and extend outside soil) and stay contained within the potting container. Consequently, growing individual plants in potting containers eliminates transplant shock and simplifies harvest. This is particularly important for large plants, such as trees and shrubbery. Saplings and young shrubbery are often grown in potting containers in outdoor fields. Potted saplings and shrubs in outdoor fields are often toppled by wind and rain. The weight of the soil and width of the potting container often does not provide a sufficient base to prevent the potted plant from being accidentally or inadvertently knocked over. Obviously, the plants can be damaged when a potted plant is toppled.
[0003] Heretofore, a variety of stands have been developed to secure potting containers and support potted plants; however, none have been ideally suited for outdoor commercial use. In the nursery industry, potted trees and shrubbery are grown in large outdoor fields and are exposed to the elements. Wind and rain can easily topple and damage potted plants in a growing field, particularly saplings and shrubs. What is needed is a reusable device, which supports potting containers in field applications, and can be used with potting containers of various sizes and dimensions. In addition, such a device must be cost effective for use in large numbers and in outdoor commercial nursery applications.
[0004] The field stand of this invention is used to support potting containers and prevent accidental toppling of potted plants in outdoor field applications. The stand uses a two piece detachable design, which includes a tubular metal boot and a detachable wire basket. The tubular metal boot is designed to be driven into the soil as an anchor for the detachable wire basket. The metal boot has an elongated tubular body with a pointed bottom end and an open top end for receiving the wire basket. The wire basket is constructed of three individual strands of a resilient metal wire, which are bent from the body of the basket and whose ends are bundled together to form an elongated neck. The neck extends into the open end of the boot to securely seat the basket atop the boot.
[0005] This invention also includes a specialized tool (boot driver) for driving the boots of the stand into the soil. The boot driver is similar in design and operation to a conventional hand operated post driver used to drive fence posts into the ground. The boot driver includes a weighted tubular sleeve and an elongated ram. The ram has a head adapted for engaging the open end of the boots. The ram head includes an axial shank and an annular flange, and acts as a guide for driving the boot into the soil and prevents the side walls of the boot from flaring under the impact of the driver.
[0006] Accordingly, an advantage of the field stand of this invention is that the field stand is well suited for supporting potted plants and preventing accidental toppling of potted plants in outdoor commercial field applications.
[0007] Another advantage of the field stand of this invention is that it includes a tubular boot, which is driven into the soil to anchor the stand and a detachable basket for supporting a potting container.
[0008] Another advantage of the field stand is that the detachable basket is interchangeable with different boots, which allows convenient relocation of the baskets and potted plants between different boots in the field.
[0009] Another advantage of this invention is that the stand is constructed of a metal wire lattice and rolled metal, which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and very durable for outdoor commercial use.
[0010] Another advantage of this invention is that the field stand can be easily employed in an outdoor field application using a specialized handle tool, which is easy to operate.
[0011] Other advantages will become apparent upon a reading of the following description.
[0012] The preferred embodiments of the invention have been depicted for illustrative purposes only wherein:
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[0019] The preferred embodiment herein described is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is chosen and described to best explain the invention so that others skilled in the art might utilize its teachings.
[0020] This invention comprises a field stand
[0021] As shown in the figures, field stand
[0022] Basket
[0023] As illustrated in the figures, boot
[0024] FIGS.
[0025] One skilled in the art will recognize several advantages of the design and operation of the field stand and boot driver of this invention. The two piece design of the field stand provides a more versatile and convenient potting container support for outdoor field applications. Driving the boot into the soil provides a secure anchor for the detachable basket, which supports the potting containers. The length of the boot is suitable for providing a secure anchor in the soil for the basket and a potted plant. The boot can also be manually pulled from the soil with relative ease for relocation and reuse. Since the boots and baskets are detachable, the field stands are very convenient for large field applications. The boots can be implanted in various configurations and locations and individual baskets can be moved between multiple boots as desired to relocate the potted plants within a field. This feature is often convenient for irrigation, lighting and display purposes. The boots can be left permanently in the soil, while the baskets can be collected for seasonal storage. Alternatively, the boots can be easily pulled up and collected for reuse in the following growing season. Since the basket is constructed of simple metal wire strands and the boot of a rolled sheet metal, the field stands are relatively inexpensive and durable for heavy commercial use.
[0026] One will also note the advantage of the boot driver. Although the boots can be driven into the soil using a hammer or other manual tools, the boot driver provides a convenient tool for driving the boots into the soil. The shank and flange of the ram head act as a guide and prevent the side walls of the boots from collapsing and being damaged as the boots are driven into the soil.
[0027] It is understood that the above description does not limit the invention to the details given, but may be modified within the scope of the following claims.