DESC:HYDROPHILIC GROWTH MEDIA COMPOSITE AND METHOD THEREOF

Field of the Invention
This invention in general relates to a field of horticulture. More particularly, the present invention provides an improved stable growth media composite manufactured employing waste material, structural matrix of said growth media and method thereof.

Background of the Invention
Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the present invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

There are various works that have been done in developing growth media for the plants. Howev-er, all of these processes developed are found to be cumbersome and time consuming, cost ex-tensive and labor intensive, require skilled personnel and find difficulty to scale up to industrial applications. It also has to satisfy plant specific; climate specific & use specific needs of vegeta-tion. Further the strength of that product is not satisfactory for the application in forming larger size installations. Moreover, plugs were having a high concentration of binder and tend to be too soft & therefore it does not possess optimum strength to hold the desired shape. Water retaining capacity is high, but it amounts to inflation of volume & higher deformation with higher water content. The water movement within the formed foam is poor & therefore does not possess re-quired capillary ability.

Below are the few prior arts relevant to this invention:

US4365025 discloses Flexible polyurethane foams are made from isocyanate containing prepol-ymers where the isocyanate is a mixture of diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and polymeric forms of MDI. The isocyanate mixture has a functionality greater than 2.0. The prepolymer is an isocyanate capped polyol or mixture of polyols where the polyols are diols or triols having at least 50% by weight oxyethylene groups. The foams are made by reacting water with the prepolymer and fire-retardant materials can be added to the reaction mixture to produce fire retardant foams. The foams have improved physical properties and flammability resistance.
US6322734 discloses process for producing hydrophilic growing media, preferably plugs, provid-ing growing media having improved properties and a minimal amount of binding agent. The method forms a resilient, integral, dimensionally stable cohesive, homogeneous mass by con-tacting an aggregate with a hydrophilic urethane prepolymer and water. Upon curing, the prepol-ymer binds the aggregate material together. The mixing of the aggregate, prepolymer and water is conducted under Specific, carefully controlled conditions, which enables the use of less pre-polymer than would otherwise be necessary to obtain a given Strength and Stable air space. As result, trays can be filled without necessity of retooling.

US 20090199473 discloses a horticultural growing medium is made up of composted bark, a carbon-based fibrous material, a hydrophilic polymer, sea solid, and beneficial bacte-ria/fungicide. The materials are formed into a solid substrate having structural stability, with both micro and macro interconnecting pores. The addition of a controlled release fertilizer provides for a perfect combination of nutrients, water retention, and pest and fungus control.

US8701344B2 discloses a plant cultivating substrate which satisfies e.g. the water absorptivity required for plant cultivation, shape retentivity and flexibility and a method of manufacture there-of. In the plant cultivating substrate and the method of its manufacture, at least water-retentive filling material, water, urethane prepolymer and polyol are reacted with each other.

In none of the above patent prior arts, there is a composition or method disclosed for developing a growth media which is optimum for supporting diverse plants and sustain for a long period of time. Thus, there is an imperative need to develop an improved growth composite for Media which is structurally stable, physically none spilling, strong enough to hold itself in any position, ability to take any regular or irregular shapes, with optimum aeration and capillary capacity was not available. Arriving at the proportions of ingredients, selection and preparation of mix is done. Designing mechanical reinforcement was also required to hold the media in place against gravi-ty. Also, the method of producing such media that is simple, economical and converts waste ma-terial instantly to useful product while maintaining environmental standards.

Summary of the Invention
In accordance with one of the objectives of the present invention, there is provided a hydrophilic media composite for different varieties of plants, wherein the plants used herein are outdoor or indoor plants.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a composition for growth media devel-oped by employing an innovative method of solid waste management, wherein the method comprising using scrap material naturally found in the nature to make the preparation eco-friendly in a cost-effective manner.

In accordance with further objective of present invention to develop a growth media composite and structurally construct in such a way as a matrix to have reinforcement within so as to hold itself on its own in any hanging position or otherwise to provide solution to innovative planting de-sign.

In accordance with further objective of present invention to develop a growth media composite and structurally construct in such a way to have better water retention and water movement within the media which makes the irrigation effective and avoid frequent irrigation. Further, said design of the media also help making water soluble nutrient available to plants, wherein said ma-trix is developed by synergistic arrangement of thin layer net and capillary and a water reservoir which enable to provide long water retention, self-irrigation system along with long term soil bind-ing strength.

In accordance with another objective of the present invention, wherein there is provided a hydro-philic open cell foam for growing plants, which function as substrate or growing medium and also stores exactly the right balance of water and air to optimize plant growth and can be rehydrated.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a composition for growth media having an ability to stay intact by being structurally stable and protected from the harmful rays, wherein the shape of the growth media is capable of getting molded according to the requirement.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a composition for growth media capable of self-watering and maintaining the moisture content of the media.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a composition for growth media having high water retention capacity and optimum degree of aeration according to plant specific require-ments.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a composition for growth media that does not require any kind of supporting container for growth and storage.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a hydrophilic growth media composite that prevents soil erosion on sloping roofs.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a hydrophilic growth media composite that adapts itself in such a shape that it holds water from within and also form air cavities, wherein the shape is designed in the shape of a mat to hold other types of growth medias, even in loose form.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a composition for growth media capable of hanging in bare condition against the gravity without getting eroded.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a method for preparing a growth media that requires minimum effort.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a composition for growth media that enhanc-es the structural strength.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a composition for growth media that has a better capillary action.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a composition for growth media having an ability to increase air and water holding capacity.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a composition for growth media capable of getting optimized to any shape, be it round, square, green carpet or any irregular shapes and the like.

The above and other objectives of the invention will become more fully apparent when the fol-lowing detailed embodiments of description is read with the accompanying explanation and ex-emplary applications.

According to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a heteroge-neous soil composition made from carbon based organic fibers and inorganic material for the preparation of growth media bound with each other at the molecular level with the help of binding agents.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the selection of binding agent and ratio used of the binding agent with other components is essential for the homogenous mixing and desired outcome of the composite, wherein said binding agent used herein a prefera-bly prepolymer and wherein said prepolymer is unique reactive liquid which simply require the addition of an active hydrogen containing compound to produce hydrophilic foam and gels.

According to the present invention, in the method for developing growth media, lowering the vis-cosity of binding agents plays an important role while mixing the same with other organic and inorganic materials, as on high viscosity & high speed of reaction it difficult to mixing binding agent with other material. Hence in present invention selection of viscosity lowering agent is one of important aspects in the various exemplary embodiments.

According to one of the exemplary embodiments a solvent is used in method selected from or-ganic solvent which includes but not limited to acetone which shows a good effect of lowering the viscosity of used binding agent herein in the present invention, which enable homogeneous mixing of the components used for growth media.

According to one of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method to form a growth media composite by preparing a mixture from an effective concentra-tion of coco chips, peat moss, charcoal, perlite, and mixing said mixture with an effective amount of polyol without damaging the ingredient size and shape of the resultant mixture, where-in said resultant mixture is stirred with a predetermined amount of isocyanate for an optimum period of time, which is further left to allow the resultant final mixture to get intact and gelled for a favorable period of time, under an influence of optimum pressure applied for a specific period of time during the preparation of the growth media composite.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a hydrophilic plant growth media composite comprising a heterogeneous matrix comprised of organic fibers and inorganic material blend, a binding agent added along with active hydrogen containing com-pound to produce hydrophilic foam and gels capable of holding the matrix intact at the molecular level enabling the media composite retain its structure, shape and size irrespective of the exter-nal or internal disturbances, a viscosity reducing agent added to strengthen the binding of organic fibers and inorganic material enabling a complementary particle-based mixing in the heteroge-neous matrix and any other component to form the media composite, an aqueous solution in an effective amount which is capable of stabilizing the formed composite growth media and where-in said hydrophilic plant growth media composite is having a structure formed by a wire, pipe sleeve and mesh inserted into the heterogeneous matrix during the preparation of the growth media under an influence of optimum pressure for enabling the formation of rigid and stabilized structure and further providing means for the uniform aeration and capillary action within the media composite.

In accordance with just above embodiment of the present invention, wherein the growth media composite has a predetermined stabilized shape and structure having a water reservoir embed-ded in it for natural controlled water release in order to maintain the overall water content of the media, wherein the binding agent is preferably a reactive prepolymer liquid requiring an addition of just an active hydrogen containing compound and mixing with the matrix to form the media composite having sufficient strength for root anchorage, structural stability, effective capillary absorption, high water retentive capacity, controlled draining capacity and effective aeration through a plurality of uniformly distributed air cavities of size less than or equal to 2 mm formed during the preparation such that the formed growth media composite does not require any sup-port from outside for being intact and stable and remain protected from UV rays for the growth of plant irrespective of the external disturbances, wherein the insertion of pipe sleeve, wire and mesh into the matrix enables reducing the quantity of binding agent to be used initially for rein-forcing the formation of the stabilized structure.

In accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the organic fibers and inorganic material are selected from Coco chips, Peat moss, Charcoal, Perlite, slur-ries and recycled shredded HR Polyurethane foam or their combination, wherein the proportion of said Coco Chips ranges from 20-60%, Peat moss ranges from 15-50%, Charcoal ranges from 0-60% and Perlite ranges from 0-50% of the media composite.

In accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein said growth media composite comprises of recycled shredded HR Polyurethane foam ranging between 2000-3000 ml, peat moss of particle size ranging from 1-10 mm and concentration ranging be-tween 1500-2500 ml and coco chips ranging between 3000-5000 ml, aqueous solution ranges between 2500-3500, a selected binding agent ranging from 400-800 gm and a ketonic com-pound ranging from 450-500gm.

In accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein said growth media composite comprises of recycled shredded HR Polyurethane foam ranging between 5000-7000 ml, peat moss ranging from 1500-2500 ml and an aqueous solution ranges from 3000-5000 ml, water ranges from 1500-2500 ml, a selected binding agent ranging from 600 to 1000 gm and a ketonic compound ranges between 450-500 gm.

In accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein said growth media composite comprises of a slurry having 1500-2500 ml of peat moss mainly comprising carbon fibers having particle size between about 1-10 mm and containing 20-40% of moisture, and an added 750-1250 ml of aqueous solution and a fixed amount of binding agent depending upon the requirement, wherein the organic fibers and inorganic material used in the media com-posite are having mesh size ranging between 1-10 mm.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, wherein said binding agent is se-lected from hydrophilic urethane prepolymers, a polyol (preferably poly-oxyethylene polyols), polyurethane prepolymer containing poly-isocyanates, hydrophilic poly-isocyanate-polyol based polymer (preferably a mixture of diphenylmethane diisocyanate and polyether glycol), polyeth-ylene poly-phenyl isocyanate, mixtures ketonic compound and isocyanate or their combination thereof, wherein said viscosity lowering agent comprises of organic and inorganic solvent for lowering the reaction temperature and ensuring that the reaction proceeds slowly as per the suit-ability of the desired formed growth media.

In accordance with one of the above embodiments of the present invention, wherein said opti-mum pressure ranges between 10-35 grams per cubic inches depending on the kind of plant for which the growth media composite is developed.

Detailed Description of the Invention

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method for the preparation of a hydrophilic plant growth media composite comprises preparing a mixture by blending organic fibers and inorganic material, mixing said mixture with a binding agent along with a hydrogen containing compound, a viscosity reducing agent and an organic compound to form a resultant mixture without damaging its mesh size and shape for enhancing the binding strength among organic fibers and inorganic materials of the media composite, adding an aque-ous solution for stabilizing the resultant mixture, stirring said resultant mixture with an isocyanate to form a final mixture and leaving and allowing the final mixture in isolation for a favorable peri-od of time to get intact and gelled in order to form the foamed hydrophilic growth media compo-site, wherein the method for the preparation of the hydrophilic plant growth media further com-prises of inserting a wire, pipe sleeve and mesh into the final mixture and applying an optimum pressure during the preparation for enabling the formation of rigid and stabilized structure and further providing means for the uniform aeration and capillary action within the media composite and also enabling the reduction of the quantity of binding agent to be used initially for reinforcing the formation of the stabilized structure, wherein the optimum pressure ranges between 10-35 grams per cubic inches depending on the kind of plant for which the growth media composite is developed, wherein the organic and inorganic materials forms 65-90%, binding agent forms 1-4%, pre-polymer forms 1.55-4% and viscosity lowering agent forms 2.5-4% of the growth media. The formed resultant foamed growth media composite accommodates about 20 – 50 % of horti-culture composition by volume of foam.

In accordance with the another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method to form a foamed growth media composite by preparing a mixture from coco chips ranging from about 20-60%, Peat moss ranging from about 15-50%, charcoal ranging from about 0-60% and Perlite ranging from about 0-50%, and mixing said mixture with definite amount of polyol de-pending upon the requirement, and without damaging the ingredient size and shape of the result-ant mixture, wherein said resultant mixture is stirred with a required amount of isocyanate for a period of about 1 minute or till the reaction starts to occur, which is further left to allow the result-ant final mixture to get intact and gelled for a period of about 5-15 minutes.

According to one other exemplary embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method to form a growth media composite by preparing a mixture from an effective concentra-tion of prepolymer and aqueous solution followed by their stirring using stirrer and left stationary without any disturbance in isolation to form foamed growth media for an optimum period of time.

In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method to form a foamed growth media composite by preparing a mixture from a selected prepolymer and aqueous solution in the required amount preferably 100gm of Prepolymer + 100ml tap water, the same is stirred for next about 15-30 seconds and then kept aside stationary without disturbing for its formation for next about 1 minute and kept for around about 1-2 minutes to form a tact free foam media. The formed resultant foamed growth media composite is soft, flexible and moder-ately elastic with an ability to expand in volume and minimize the capillary suction against gravi-ty.

In accordance with one of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method to form a foamed growth media composite by preparing a mixture from a prepolymer and a ketonic compound, both taken as per the requirement, preferably about 100gm of prepol-ymer and about 50gm of ketonic compound are mixed to form the mixture, wherein required amount of aqueous solution is added to said mixture, preferably about 100 ml of water is added to said mixture and the same is stirred for next about 15-30 seconds using stirrer at minimum about 1000 rpm and maximum at about 2500 rpm, which is further kept aside away from any disturbance for around 2-4 minutes to allow the growth media foam formation. The formed growth media having foam cell are capable of expanding even a little more than the pure foam.

According to one of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method to form a growth media composite as a peat foam by preparing a mixture from a slurry by using a definite required amount of peat moss with a very small size particles containing moisture significantly, to which a fixed volume of aqueous solution is added as per the require-ment, wherein said mixture is further mixed with a fixed amount of prepolymer depending upon the requirement, followed by manual mixing for some time and natural completion of reaction cycle thus leading to the formation of growth peat foam media.

In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method to form a foamed growth media composite as a peat foam by preparing a mixture from a slurry by about 1500-2500 ml of peat moss mainly comprises of carbon fibers having particle size between about 1-10 mm and containing about 20-40% of moisture, to which about 750-1250 ml of aque-ous solution, preferably water is added, wherein said mixture is further mixed with a fixed amount of prepolymer depending upon the requirement followed by manual mixing for next about 20-40 seconds and it takes approximately about 1-2.5 minutes for natural completion of reaction cycle manually for some time followed by natural completion of reaction cycle thus leading to the formation of growth peat foam media. The formed resultant media is having small air spaces and are of one type and cannot hold specific shape and structural stability is missing, holds water excessively than required. The foam is exceptionally soft and good for few varieties having thin roots, good for white roots but anchorage of tap roots is not supported it means that foam is good for plant growth but lack structural strength. Also, the quantity of prepolymer used is more & therefore the foam is costlier.

According to one of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method to form a growth media composite by preparing a heterogeneous mixture of horticulture considering both its chemical and physical components using recycled shredded HR Polyure-thane and peat moss having favorable particle size, which is further added to aqueous solution till it becomes stable and mixed manually to form a resultant mixture, wherein loosened coco chips fibers of selected size is mixed with said resultant mixture along with a considerable amount of water in peat until they form a stable composition. To the above mixture, a certain amount of se-lected prepolymer and a ketonic compound is added along with a chemical mixture followed by manual mixing for some time and weight is applied for the formation of even cell structure to hold optimum air cavities.

In accordance with just above embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method to form a foamed growth media composite by preparing a heterogeneous mixture of horticulture considering both its chemical and physical components using about 5000-7000 ml of recycled shredded HR Polyurethane and peat moss having favorable particle size between about 1-10 mm, which is further added to about 3000-5000 ml of aqueous solution till it becomes stable and mixed manually to form a resultant mixture, wherein loosened coco chips fibers of selected size in an optimum amount is mixed with said resultant mixture along with water ranging from about 1500-2500 ml in peat until they form a stable composition. To the above mixture, about 600-1000gm of selected prepolymer as binding agent and about 450-500gm of ketonic compound is added along with a chemical mixture followed by manual mixing for about 40-80 seconds and weight is applied for the formation of even cell structure to hold optimum air cavities. The formed growth foam sheet media is having enough strength for root anchorage and has optimum air spaces & holds optimum quantity of water.

According to one of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method to form a growth media composite by preparing mother foam and shred it to desirable size to form a first mixture, an effective amount of recycled shredded HR Polyurethane foam is added with a favorable amount of fine size peat moss, and a considerable amount of water is well mixed to form second mixture, an optimum amount of coco chips and water is added to form the third mixture. An effective amount of first mixture, second mixture and third mixture are well mixed to form a resultant mixture. A mix of certain amount of selected prepolymer and Ke-tonic compound is prepared. Mesh, pipe sleeve & Wire is inserted into the obtained mixture and mixed in different stages to hold the formed shape in hanging position in the air in mold. Then, said mix is added to the resultant mixture manually and filled in it and the mold is closed. In case there is an absence of facility to close the mold, pressure is applied on the mold lead cover so that the foam formed uniform and has uniform strength.

In accordance with just above embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method to form a foamed growth media composite by preparing mother foam and shred it to desirable size to form a first mixture, about 2000-3000 ml of recycled shredded HR Polyurethane foam is added with around 1500-2500 ml of peat moss of size ranging from about 1-10 mm and well mixed with water ranging from about 2500-3500 ml to form second mixture, about 3000-5000 ml of cocoa chips and water is added to form the third mixture. About 2000-3000 ml of first mixture, effective amount of second mixture and third mixture is well mixed to form a resultant mixture. A mix of selected prepolymer as binding agent ranging from about 600 to 800 gm and about 450-500 gm of Ketonic compound is prepared. Mesh, pipe sleeve & Wire is inserted into the obtained mixture and mixed in different stages to hold the formed shape in hanging position in the air in mold. Then, said mix is added to the resultant mixture manually and filled in it and the mold is closed. In case there is an absence of facility to close the mold, pressure is applied on the mold lead cover so that the foam formed uniform and has uniform strength.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method to form a foamed growth media composite comprises of using the prepolymer to form the hydro-philic foam, crushing said hydrophilic foam to the required particle size to form hydrophilic foam flakes using the prepolymer, mixing a binding agent along with a viscosity lowering agent to said flakes to form a higher level hydrophilic foam and, crushing said higher level hydrophilic foam, wherein the higher level crushed hydrophilic foam along with other fibers, organic and inorganic growth media ingredients, with or without charcoal forms the foamed growth media composite with optimum aeration, air cavities, good binding and better water holding capacity, wherein the binding agent is just an another adhesive, whereas the prepolymer is used along with a viscosity lowering agent that serves for lowering the viscosity, wherein said method reduces the usage of prepolymer to a great extent, hence saving the cost in manufacturing the growth media compo-site.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method to form a foamed growth media composite comprises of using the prepolymer to form the hydro-philic foam, crushing said hydrophilic foam to the required particle size to form hydrophilic foam flakes using the prepolymer, mixing a binding agent along with a viscosity lowering agent to said flakes to form a higher level hydrophilic foam and, crushing said higher level hydrophilic foam, wherein the higher level crushed hydrophilic foam along with other fibers, organic and inorganic growth media materials, with or without charcoal forms the foamed growth media composite with optimum aeration, air cavities, good binding and better water holding capacity, wherein the binding agent is just an another adhesive, whereas the prepolymer is used along with a viscosity lowering agent that serves for lowering the viscosity, wherein said method reduces the usage of prepolymer to a great extent, hence saving the cost in manufacturing the growth media compo-site, wherein the organic fibers and inorganic material comprises of peat ranging between 20-35%, recycled crushed foam ranging between 20-35%, coco fiber chips ranging between 25-35%, wherein, binding agent used ranges between 1.55-4% and the prepolymer used ranges be-tween 1-4%, and the viscosity lowering agent for lowering the viscosity ranges between 2.5-4%, wherein, said method reduces up to 70% of the prepolymer used than in the conventional meth-ods.

In one of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method to form a foamed growth media composite comprises of using the prepolymer to form the hydro-philic foam, crushing said hydrophilic foam to the required particle size to form hydrophilic foam flakes using the prepolymer, mixing a binding agent along with a viscosity lowering agent to said flakes to form a higher level hydrophilic foam and, crushing said higher level hydrophilic foam, wherein the higher level crushed hydrophilic foam along with other fibers, organic and inorganic growth media ingredients, with or without charcoal forms the foamed growth media composite with optimum aeration, air cavities, good binding and better water holding capacity, wherein the binding agent is just an adhesive, whereas the prepolymer is used along with a viscosity lowering agent that serves for lowering the viscosity, wherein the concentration of prepolymer is 2.554%, peat is 33.602%, recycled crushed foam is 26.882%, coco fiber chips is 33.602% and viscosity lowering agent is 3.360%.

In the present invention, criticality lies in the selection of specific viscosity lowering agents and binding agents used in a proportionate ratio and mixed for a certain period of time for a particular kind of plant, wherein said selection, ratio and mixing time decides the media density and its abil-ity to stay intact and stable even under extreme conditions and for a long period of time. The de-veloped media may lose its shape, nutrients, and overall stability, if the specific viscosity lower-ing agent and binding agent used are not mixed properly for an optimum period of time required by different kinds of plants. The viscosity of the binding agent may help in increasing time for formation/settling time to enable molding to desired shape and density. The usage of the binding agent along with organic fibers and inorganic material in a particular proportion to enable the formation of foamed growth media under an optimum pressure synergistically determines the porosity, water holing capacity, size and shape of cavities of the formed media.
For different kinds of plant, the relative proportion of organic fibers, inorganic material, binding agent and the optimum pressure and molding time for the development of the growth media may vary, as different plants have different requirements from the growth media for their growth.
In one of the examples, most epiphytes like orchids need good aeration and it’s unfavorable for them to get submerged or flooded. Usually, they grow on the bark in the nature and get food and water from air itself. Therefore, in the present invention, for plants such as orchids, the relative proportion of organic fibers, inorganic material, binding agent and the optimum pressure and molding time for the hydrophilic growth media, are optimized in a manner such that the formed media provides support as well as air by using more fibrous, large particles and higher viscosity under the application of less pressure, wherein the volume of the air cavities formed in this case varies between 100-200 cubic mm.
In another example, plants like ferns need smaller cavities but lesser aeration, more density than as required by other plants. Therefore, in the present invention, for such plants, the relative pro-portion of organic fibers, inorganic material, binding agent and the optimum pressure and mold-ing time for the hydrophilic growth media, are optimized in a manner such that the formed media provides good water and air holding capacity in media but smaller air cavities, wherein the vol-ume of air cavities formed in this case varies between 8-150 cubic mm.

In another example, plants like Ficus (Pot Garden varieties), there is a requirement of high densi-ty, optimum water holding capacity and smaller air pockets in the formed growth media. There-fore, in the present invention, for such plants, the higher strength of media is achieved by apply-ing high pressure while forming and using more fibrous ingredients with longer fibers, wherein the volume of air cavities formed in this case varies between 50-200 cubic mm.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the hydrophilic growth media composite foam prepared by any of the above embodiments, wherein said foam may hold up to 300-350% by weight additional water, when it is fully saturated with water, wherein the cavities formed may occupy 40-60% volume of the formed hydrated foam, wherein the volumetric size of a single air cavity may vary between 8-250 cubic mm, and depending on the requirement by different plants, the total volumetric size of air cavities may safely be increased up to 400 cubic mm of the formed foam for different kinds of plants

The various objectives of the invention is achieved by further working on the mesh size and structure of the media particle, usage of specific ratios of different components in the growth media, preferential addition of reducing agent for viscosity, temperature and reaction rate for en-suring the components to turn out into the desired layered growth media and amalgamating all the required components of the media in a definite amount at a specific temperature and other external environmental conditions for a predetermined period.

In the present invention, the binding agents and the prepolymers used, the applied self-weight of media with water, applied external pressure during formation, the configuration of media ingredi-ents with respect to each other and the air cavities formed in the media are as per the require-ment of the root size and their types for a specific plant, and they all together impact the media strength and life span of the formed media. Even after a long-term usage of the same media, the plant root decays and later help in uniform water spreading and enhancing capillary action. Hence, effectively extending the life span of the media.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a hydrophilic plant growth media composite prepared by a method comprising preparing a mixture by blending organic fibers and inorganic material, mixing said mixture with a binding agent along with a hy-drogen containing compound, a viscosity reducing agent and an organic compound to form a resultant mixture without damaging its mesh size and shape for enhancing the binding strength among organic fibers and inorganic materials of the media composite, adding an aqueous solu-tion for stabilizing the resultant mixture, stirring said resultant mixture with an isocyanate to form a final mixture and leaving and allowing the final mixture in isolation for a favorable period of time to get intact and gelled in order to form the foamed hydrophilic growth media composite, wherein the method for the preparation of the hydrophilic plant growth media further comprises of inserting a wire, pipe sleeve and mesh into the final mixture and applying an optimum pres-sure for enabling the formation of rigid and stabilized structure and providing means for the uni-form aeration and capillary action within the media composite and also enabling the reduction of the quantity of binding agent to be used initially for reinforcing the formation of the stabilized structure, wherein the optimum pressure ranges between 10-35 grams per cubic inches depend-ing on the kind of plant for which the growth media composite is developed, wherein said growth media composite is having a structure formed by a wire, pipe sleeve and mesh inserted into the final mixture enabling the formation of rigid and stabilized structure and providing means for the uniform aeration and capillary action within the media composite.

In accordance with just above embodiment of the present invention, wherein said growth media composite has a predetermined stabilized shape and structure having a water reservoir embed-ded in it for natural controlled water release in order to maintain the overall water content of the media, wherein the binding agent is preferably a reactive prepolymer liquid requiring an addition of just an active hydrogen containing compound and mixing with the matrix to form the media composite having sufficient strength for root anchorage, structural stability, effective capillary absorption, high water retentive capacity, controlled draining capacity and effective aeration through a plurality of uniformly distributed air cavities of size less than or equal to 2mm formed during the preparation such that the formed growth media composite does not require any sup-port from outside for being intact and stable and remain protected from UV rays for the growth of plant irrespective of the external disturbances.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a hydrophilic plant growth media composite prepared by a method comprising preparing a mixture by blending organic fibers and inorganic material, mixing said mixture with a binding agent along with a hy-drogen containing compound, a viscosity reducing agent and an organic compound to form a resultant mixture without damaging its mesh size and shape for enhancing the binding strength among organic fibers and inorganic materials of the media composite, adding an aqueous solu-tion for stabilizing the resultant mixture, stirring said resultant mixture with an isocyanate to form a final mixture and leaving and allowing the final mixture in isolation for a favorable period of time to get intact and gelled in order to form the foamed hydrophilic growth media composite, wherein the method for the preparation of the hydrophilic plant growth media further comprises of inserting a wire, pipe sleeve and mesh into the final mixture and applying an optimum pres-sure for enabling the formation of rigid and stabilized structure and providing means for the uni-form aeration and capillary action within the media composite and also enabling the reduction of the quantity of binding agent to be used initially for reinforcing the formation of the stabilized structure, wherein the optimum pressure ranges between 10-35 grams per cubic inches depend-ing on the kind of plant for which the growth media composite is developed, wherein said growth media composite is having a structure formed by a wire, pipe sleeve and mesh inserted into the final mixture enabling the formation of rigid and stabilized structure and providing means for the uniform aeration and capillary action within the media composite, wherein the insertion of the wire, pipe sleeve and mesh into the final mixture enables reducing the quantity of binding agent initially to be used for reinforcing the formation of the stabilized structure, wherein the organic fibers and inorganic material are selected from Coco chips, Peat moss, Charcoal, Perlite, slur-ries and recycled shredded HR Polyurethane foam or their combination, wherein the organic and inorganic materials form 65-90%, binding agent forms 1-4%, pre-polymer forms 1.55-4% and viscosity lowering agent forms 2.5-4% of the growth media.

Further, the used organic solvent is capable of lowering the reaction temperature and ensuring ensure that the reaction proceeds slowly which the present invention have found result in a de-sirably product having a suitable air space.

The insertion of wire, pipe sleeve and mesh into the matrix enables reducing the quantity of bind-ing agent to be used initially for reinforcing the formation of the stabilized structure in order to save the cost of excess binding agent

The advantage of the developed growth media according to the present invention provides better aeration to the root, good water holding, required dry density / wet density.

The matrix structure of said growth media according to the present invention provides good drain point, better capillary absorption capacity, and protection from UV rays and better reinforcement strength to the media without using planters.

Referring the accompanying drawings are provided herein illustrating the further understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this complete specifica-tion. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, however, the same will be further expanded within the scope of the disclosure and serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

It is obvious that the embodiments to be described are only a part rather than all the embodi-ments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by persons skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.
,CLAIMS:We Claim:

1. A hydrophilic plant growth media composite comprises:
a heterogeneous matrix comprised of organic fibers and inorganic material blend;
a binding agent added along with active hydrogen containing compound to produce hydrophilic foam and gels capable of holding the matrix intact at the molecular level enabling the media composite retain its structure, shape and size irrespective of the external or internal disturbances;
a viscosity reducing agent added to strengthen the binding of organic fibers and inorganic mate-rial enabling a complementary particle-based mixing in the heterogeneous matrix and any other component to form the media composite;
an aqueous solution in an effective amount which is capable of stabilizing the formed composite growth media; and
wherein said hydrophilic plant growth media composite is having a structure formed by a wire, pipe sleeve and mesh inserted into the heterogeneous matrix during the preparation of the growth media under an influence of optimum pressure for enabling the formation of rigid and stabilized structure and further providing means for the uniform aeration and capillary action within the media composite.

2. The growth media composite as claimed in claim 1, wherein the composite growth media has a predetermined stabilized shape and structure having a water reservoir embedded in it for natu-ral controlled water release in order to maintain the overall water content of the media.

3. The growth media composite as claimed in claim 1, wherein the binding agent is preferably a reactive prepolymer liquid requiring an addition of just an active hydrogen containing compound and mixing with the matrix to form the media composite having sufficient strength for root an-chorage, structural stability, effective capillary absorption, high water retentive capacity, con-trolled draining capacity and effective aeration through a plurality of uniformly distributed air cavities of size less than or equal to 2 mm formed during the preparation such that the formed growth media composite does not require any support from outside for being intact and stable and remain protected from UV rays for the growth of plant irrespective of the external disturb-ances.

4. The growth media composite as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insertion of pipe sleeve, wire and mesh into the matrix enables reducing the quantity of binding agent to be used initially for reinforcing the formation of the stabilized structure.
5. The growth media composite as claimed in claim 1, wherein the organic fibers and inorganic material are selected from Coco chips, Peat moss, Charcoal, Perlite, slurries and recycled shredded HR Polyurethane foam or their combination.

6. The growth media composite as claimed in claim 5, wherein the proportion of said Coco Chips ranges from 20-60%, Peat moss ranges from 15-50%, Charcoal ranges from 0-60% and Perlite ranges from 0-50% of the media composite.

7. The growth media composite as claimed in claim 1, wherein said growth media composite comprises of recycled shredded HR Polyurethane foam ranging between 2000-3000 ml, peat moss of particle size ranging from 1-10 mm and concentration ranging between 1500-2500 ml and coco chips ranging between 3000-5000 ml, aqueous solution ranges between 2500-3500, a selected binding agent ranging from 400-800 gm and a ketonic compound ranging from 450-500gm.

8. The growth media composite as claimed in claim 1, wherein said growth media composite comprises of recycled shredded HR Polyurethane foam ranging between 5000-7000 ml, peat moss ranging from 1500-2500 ml and an aqueous solution ranges from 3000-5000 ml, water ranges from 1500-2500 ml, a selected binding agent ranging from 600 to 1000 gm and a ketonic compound ranges between 450-500 gm.

9. The growth media composite as claimed in claim 1, wherein said growth media composite comprises of a slurry having 1500-2500 ml of peat moss mainly comprising carbon fibers having particle size between about 1-10 mm and containing 20-40% of moisture, and an added 750-1250 ml of aqueous solution and a fixed amount of binding agent depending upon the require-ment.

10. The growth media composite as claimed in claim 1, wherein the organic fibers and inorganic material used in the media composite are having mesh size ranging between 1-10 mm.

11. The growth media composite as claimed in claim 1, wherein said binding agent is selected from hydrophilic urethane prepolymers, a polyol (preferably poly-oxyethylene polyols), polyure-thane prepolymer containing poly-isocyanates, hydrophilic poly-isocyanate-polyol based polymer (preferably a mixture of diphenylmethane diisocyanate and polyether glycol), polyethylene poly-phenyl isocyanate, mixtures ketonic compound and isocyanate or their combination thereof.

12. The growth media composite as claimed in claim 1, wherein said viscosity lowering agent comprises of organic and inorganic solvent for lowering the reaction temperature and ensuring that the reaction proceeds slowly as per the suitability of the desired formed growth media.

13. The growth media composite as claimed in claim 1, wherein said optimum pressure ranges between 10-35 grams per cubic inches depending on the kind of plant for which the growth me-dia composite is developed.

14. A method for the preparation of a hydrophilic plant growth media composite comprises:
preparing a mixture by blending organic fibers and inorganic material;
mixing said mixture with a binding agent along with a hydrogen containing compound, a viscosity reducing agent and an organic compound to form a resultant mixture without damaging its mesh size and shape for enhancing the binding strength among organic fibers and inorganic materials of the media composite;
adding an aqueous solution for stabilizing the resultant mixture;
stirring said resultant mixture with an isocyanate to form a final mixture; and
leaving and allowing the final mixture in isolation for a favorable period of time to get intact and gelled in order to form the foamed hydrophilic growth media composite,
wherein the method for the preparation of the hydrophilic plant growth media further comprises of inserting a wire, pipe sleeve and mesh into the final mixture and applying an optimum pres-sure during the preparation for enabling the formation of rigid and stabilized structure and further providing means for the uniform aeration and capillary action within the media composite and also enabling the reduction of the quantity of binding agent to be used initially for reinforcing the formation of the stabilized structure, wherein the optimum pressure ranges between 10-35 grams per cubic inches depending on the kind of plant for which the growth media composite is devel-oped.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the organic and inorganic materials form 65-90%, binding agent forms 1-4%, pre-polymer forms 1.55-4% and viscosity lowering agent forms 2.5-4% of the growth media.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said organic fibers and inorganic materials are selected from coco chips, peat moss, charcoal and perlite, slurries, recycled shredded HR Poly-urethane foam or their combination in an effective concentration.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the effective concentration of coco chips rang-es between 20-60%, Peat moss ranges between 15-50%, charcoal ranges between 0-60% and Perlite ranges between 0-50% of the growth media.

18. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said composite growth media comprises of re-cycled shredded HR Polyurethane foam ranging between 2000-3000 ml, peat moss of favorable size of 1-10mm ranging between 1500-2500 ml and coco chips ranging between 3000-5000 ml, water ranging between 2500-3500, a selected binding agent ranging between 600-1000 gm and ketonic compound ranging between 450-500gm.

19. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said composite growth media comprises of re-cycled shredded HR Polyurethane foam ranging between 5000-7000 ml, peat moss ranging be-tween 1500-2500 ml and aqueous solution ranging between 3000-5000 ml, water ranging be-tween 1500-2500 ml, a selected binding agent ranging between 600 to 1000 gm and a ketonic compound ranging between 450-500 gm.

20. The method as claimed in claim 14 and 15, wherein said preparing the mixture may further comprise of shredding and adding the HR Polyurethane foam.

21. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said binding agent is selected from hydrophilic urethane prepolymers, a polyol (preferably poly-oxyethylene polyols), polyurethane prepolymer containing poly-isocyanates, hydrophilic poly-isocyanate-polyol based polymer (preferably a mixture of diphenylmethane diisocyanate and polyether glycol), polyethylene poly-phenyl isocy-anate, mixtures ketonic compound and isocyanate or their combination thereof.

22. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said stirring the resultant mixture with the isocy-anate takes place at equal to or less than 2500 rpm for atleast 1 minute or till the reaction starts to occur.

23. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said mixture is prepared from a slurry having 1500-2500 ml of peat moss mainly comprising carbon fibers having particle size between about 1-10 mm and containing 20-40% of moisture followed by adding 750-1250 ml of aqueous solu-tion, further mixing the mixture with a fixed amount of binding agent depending upon the re-quirement for next 20-40 seconds to form the resultant mixture and leaving and allowing the re-sultant mixture for 1-2.5 minutes without any disturbances for natural completion of reaction cy-cle leading to the formation of growth foamed media composite.

24. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the method for preparation of plant growth me-dia composite further comprises of preparing a mixture from 100gm of the selected binding agent and 100ml of aqueous solution, stirring the same for next 15-30 seconds, keeping aside the mixture stationary without disturbing for the formation of resultant mixture for next 1 minute and keeping the resultant mixture for another 1-2 minutes to form the tact free foamed compo-site growth media, which is soft, flexible and moderately elastic with an ability to expand in vol-ume and minimize the capillary suction against gravity.

25. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the method for preparation of foamed compo-site growth media further comprises of preparing a mixture by mixing 100gm of the binding agent and 50gm of the ketonic compound, adding 100 ml of aqueous solution to said mixture to form the resultant mixture, stirring the resultant mixture for next 15-30 seconds at 1000 – 2500 rpm, keeping the resultant mixture aside away from any disturbance for next 2-4 minutes for al-lowing the formation of growth foamed composite media capable of expanding more than the pure foam.

26. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said method further comprises using the prepol-ymer to form the hydrophilic foam, crushing said hydrophilic foam to the required particle size to form hydrophilic foam flakes using the prepolymer, mixing a binding agent along with a viscosity lowering agent to said flakes to form a higher level hydrophilic foam and, crushing said higher level hydrophilic foam to the required particle size, wherein the higher level crushed hydrophilic foam along with other fibers, organic and inorganic growth media ingredients, with or without charcoal forms the foamed growth media composite with optimum aeration, air cavities, good binding and better water holding capacity, wherein the binding agent is just an another adhesive, whereas the prepolymer is used along with a viscosity lowering agent that serves for lowering the viscosity, wherein said method reduces the usage of prepolymer to a great extent, hence saving the cost in manufacturing the growth media composite.

27. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the organic fibers and inorganic material com-prises of peat ranging between 20-35%, recycled crushed foam ranging between 20-35%, coco fiber chips ranging between 25-35%, wherein, binding agent used ranges between 1.55-4% and the prepolymer used ranges between 1-4%, and the viscosity lowering agent for lowering the viscosity ranges between 2.5-4%, wherein, said method reduces up to 70% of the prepolymer used than in the conventional methods.

28. A hydrophilic plant growth media composite prepared by a method comprising:
preparing a mixture by blending organic fibers and inorganic material;
mixing said mixture with a binding agent along with a hydrogen containing compound, a viscosity reducing agent and an organic compound to form a resultant mixture without damaging its mesh size and shape for enhancing the binding strength among organic fibers and inorganic materials of the media composite;
adding an aqueous solution for stabilizing the resultant mixture;
stirring said resultant mixture with an isocyanate to form a final mixture; and
leaving and allowing the final mixture in isolation for a favorable period of time to get intact and gelled in order to form the foamed hydrophilic growth media composite,
wherein the method for the preparation of the hydrophilic plant growth media further comprises of inserting a wire, pipe sleeve and mesh into the final mixture and applying an optimum pres-sure for enabling the formation of rigid and stabilized structure and providing means for the uni-form aeration and capillary action within the media composite and also enabling the reduction of the quantity of binding agent to be used initially for reinforcing the formation of the stabilized structure, wherein the optimum pressure ranges between 10-35 grams per cubic inches depend-ing on the kind of plant for which the growth media composite is developed.

29. The hydrophilic plant growth media composite as claimed in claim 28, wherein said growth media composite is having a structure formed by a wire, pipe sleeve and mesh inserted into the final mixture enabling the formation of rigid and stabilized structure and providing means for the uniform aeration and capillary action within the media composite.

30. The hydrophilic plant growth media composite as claimed in claim 28, wherein said growth media composite has a predetermined stabilized shape and structure having a water reservoir embedded in it for natural controlled water release in order to maintain the overall water content of the media

31. The hydrophilic plant growth media composite as claimed in claim 28, wherein the binding agent is preferably a reactive prepolymer liquid requiring an addition of just an active hydrogen containing compound and mixing with the matrix to form the media composite having sufficient strength for root anchorage, structural stability, effective capillary absorption, high water reten-tive capacity, controlled draining capacity and effective aeration through a plurality of uniformly distributed air cavities of size less than or equal to 2mm formed during the preparation such that the formed growth media composite does not require any support from outside for being intact and stable and remain protected from UV rays for the growth of plant irrespective of the external disturbances.

32. The hydrophilic plant growth media composite as claimed in claim 28, wherein the insertion of the wire, pipe sleeve and mesh into the final mixture enables reducing the quantity of binding agent initially to be used for reinforcing the formation of the stabilized structure.

33. The hydrophilic plant growth media composite as claimed in claim 28, wherein the organic fibers and inorganic material are selected from Coco chips, Peat moss, Charcoal, Perlite, slur-ries and recycled shredded HR Polyurethane foam or their combination.

34. The hydrophilic plant growth media composite as claimed in claim 28, wherein the organic and inorganic materials form 65-90%, binding agent forms 1-4%, pre-polymer forms 1.55-4% and viscosity lowering agent forms 2.5-4% of the growth media.