The present invention relates to a heeling-in and transplanting means for easy inducing and cutting of roots. In the conventional transplantation, it is inevitable to form considerable damage to the saplings which require, therefore, a quite long period of tending to recover their normal growing condition. In addition, the transplant survival percentage is largely varied depending on the transplanting season, quality of transplantation personnel, etc. It is especially important in the cutting and lifting of roots which usually requires skilled workers or serious harm might be caused to the plants and brings unimaginable lose. The critical points for successful transplanting of saplings include the clod carried by roots which should have dimensions suitable for the particular plant, and the safe transfer of saplings to the planting place.
In addition, the soil texture of stocking place, the lack of skilled workers, and the factors in seasons, climate, etc. all have important influences on the efficient operation and accurate quality control of culturing and transplanting of saplings. Due to these problems, the quality of landscaping plants can not be significantly upgraded.
To solve problems existed in the conventional transplanting of saplings, there are many pretty useful articles invented and commercially available in the market for this purpose. Such articles can be generally divided into two categories:
1. Hardware for use above ground: This may includes pot, trough, box, and pan made of wood, plastic, FRP, steel or other metal sheet, and precast concrete with adequate strength and being used above ground, as exemplified in FIG. 1. PA1 2. Means for use under ground: This mainly includes cylindrical bags made of anticorrosion nonwoven cloth with a bottom made of water-impervious plastic sheet, etc. To use such bags, first dig a planting hole on the ground according to the desired dimensions of transplanting bag and then place the latter into the planting hole before a sapling is planted in the bag, as exemplified in FIG. 2A. PA1 1. Since nutrient is supplied within the bag, more serious entangling of roots is found in the transplanting bag, as seen in FIG. 2B: PA1 2. The sapling cultured in the nonwoven cloth transplanting bag has inferior growth and weather-resistant ability after being transplanted from the bag:
In both of the above two categories, the culturing articles are used as barriers to limit the roots of plants therein lest the roots should extend downward and laterally. The common characteristic of these two categories of articles is that all the roots of the plant grow within the articles. The disadvantages of pot, trough, etc. that are used above ground include inconvenience in management, entangled roots and poor growth condition of plants, and high cost of culturing. Since these are known drawbacks, they are not repeatedly discussed herein.
In the practical application, the transplanting bag for use under the ground utilizes the tight but finely porous texture of the nonwoven cloth to effectively limit the roots in the bag while the inside and outside of the bag are mutually communicable to allow proper exchange of soil, water, and nutrient thereof. Even if there are any roots extending out of the bag, they are delicate hair roots that can be easily extracted from the soil during transplanting.
That is, the damage in plant roots can be minimized if a nonwoven cloth transplanting bag is used. However, this advantage is limited to the short term use of a nonwoven transplanting bag. For some plants, such as Ficus, a longer term of culturing of seedling about six to eight months is required, following problems are found in such transplanting bag and need improvement:
It is a nature of the roots to turn or wind or form lateral roots when they are stopped from extending during the course of growth. So, the entangled roots of a plant is actually a response of strong struggling for living. If there are not effective means or ways to solve the natural need of plants to extend their roots, the entangled roots is inevitable.
Except the finely porous structure, the transplanting bag is substantially the same as those pot, trough, pan, etc. in the limited space and function it provides. That is, the nonwoven cloth transplanting bag does not have the necessary and effective means to prevent the forming of entangled roots in the bag. The nonwoven transplanting bag is, on the one hand, capable of limiting the roots within the bag, maintaining good exchange of water and nutrient inside and outside the bag, lowering the management cost, and assisting in good growth of the sapling, it on the other hand causes the sapling therein to have quicker growth speed and thicker roots than a sapling growing in the general pot or pan, etc. due to good supply of nutrient to the sapling therein, especially at the peripheral portion of the transplanting bag. The longer the sapling is cultured in the bag, the thicker and the more serious entangling of the roots will be which will speed the aging of the roots.
To many people's surprise, when a big tree is felled or transplanted, the roots thereof do not vertically and deeply extend into the ground but spread radially and horizontally. This phenomenon can be generally attributed to the following factors:
A. Due to changes in the soil and hardness of the terrane:
The critical hardness for the roots of plants to extend into the ground is about 25 mm (a value measured with a hardness meter) while the soil horizon of most regions having this hardness has a depth about 10 cm to serveral meters only. Under the circumstances, the roots of plants, when reach this depth under the ground, will keep extending along the soil horizon having this suitable hardness.
B. Being induced by suitable soil temperature and nutrient:
The richest nutrient and the best soil texture are contained in the top soil of terrane. Therefore, the plants, being induced by the nutrient and under the instinct of seeking for foods, will extend their roots into the top soil to a proper depth and then spread radially and horizontally to increase the absorption of nutrient and water and get good growth. In addition, the extensive grip of soil by the roots extending in a radial direction also makes the plants firmly and stably stand to pass the test of weather.
From the growth of plants in the natural environment, it can be clearly seen that only when the roots of a plant reach a proper depth and are permitted to have lateral roots, the plant can grow in a natural and healthy way. That is why an experienced planter often properly cut the unnecessary roots for the transplanted plant, because the lateral roots can be properly stimulated to grow in a more lively and more strong manner, just like the top buds are removed for the purpose to stimulate the growing of side buds.
From the above description, it can be seen that both the above two conventional heeling-in and transplanting means shall cause the entangled and early aged roots due to the limited space they could provide. Although the roots will not be damaged during transplanting if these means are used, the roots of transplanted plants usually have slowed growth and do not well radially extend, and therefore, the transplanted plants shall have poor weather-resistant ability and tend to be easily ruined by wind or rain.