Snow Globe

Summary:
There is a growing trend in the landscaping world where people are trying to grow cold sensitive plants and trees in colder regions. This product gives consumers a way to help protect their trees and plants from the harshness of winter in an affordable, easy to use enclosure.

Full Description:
A lot of people have plants, trees, and flowers that they would like to be able to grow, or have a hard time growing due to their climates. Many plants, trees, etc. are not able to grow due to harsh, cold, or snowy environments. Every location on the planet is broken down into climate zones. These climate zones tell the average lowest and highest temperatures for any specific region. All plants have a hardiness rating based on what climate zones they can grow in. This tells consumers which plants and trees will grow in their areas and tells retailers which plants and trees they can sell.
There is a growing trend were many people are trying to grow plants and trees that are not suited for the suggested climate zones. This trend is called “zone bending”. “Zone bending” is being amplified by the internet were more and more people can communicate with each other through web forums. They can discuss which plants do ok in certain areas and which plants can break the rules. Many people are also finding out that by using different methods of protection a person can keep a less hardy plant alive in an area where it wouldn’t normally grow. I’ll use palm trees for example. There are many versions of palm trees available. Most are very tropical and no madder what you do to protect them (short of a green house) they won’t tolerate any form of cold. But there are many that do have a tolerance for cold in shorts bursts. There’s even a couple that can handle temperature down into the single digits. If protection is used to help keep these palms warm over the winter they can be grown in places you don’t normally see them.
Protection can come in many forms. The easiest is creating a micro climate. By placing a plant or tree close to a large object (like the house) you can see an increase in temperature by several degrees. The house emits heat at night that has built up over the day. Some people wrap up their plants in frost cloth or plastic wrap. Others add Christmas lights or use other heating sources to help keep the cold away. Some people have gone as far as to build structures around there tender plants or trees to keep them warm. These structures can take a lot of time to set up and cost a small fortune.
The Snow Globe was developed for this reason. The Snow Globe is essentially a portable plant enclosure that can expand in size with the growth of the plant and break down for storage over summer. Each side wall has interlocking grooves that connect the walls together. As the plants grown in size you add panels to increase the diameter of the enclosure. 4 walls make a box, 6 walls make a hexagon, and it expands from there. Installation and take down takes minutes instead of hours or days. And it all breaks down for easy storage for your basement or garage. This portable enclosure protects the plants in four ways.
1.) It protects them from Frost – Frost can kill most fragile plants and trees in one hit. Buy enclosing them, you eliminate the frost factor.
2.) It protects them from snow – Snow can add weight to fragile plants and trees, bending limbs or even breaking them.
3.) It protects them from wind – Wind chill just doesn’t affect humans, it can also damage plants and trees. Buy enclosing them, your plants and trees will be completely protected from it.
4.) Cold – An enclosure alone will not keep plants and trees warm in the winter. When the sun hits it you will get a green house effect and it will keep it warmer in the day time. At night, physics comes into play and the enclosure will try to achieve ambient temperatures. However, this can be rectified by using a heating source, like a heater, spot light, or Christmas lights. Lights emit heat and are often used in this way.

I have enclosed pictures showing what this would look like and how it breaks down for storage. I am looking to sell this idea and can supply drawings, animations, or whatever is needed to sell the product. If you are interested please send me an email at the link provided.
Thank you,
Brian Malmgren

Problem this idea/invention addresses:
The "Snow Globe" helps consumers keep cold sensitive trees and plants protected from the harshness of winter.

Attached files:
Enclosure 2.jpg
Enclosure 3.jpg
Enclosure 4.jpg

Asking price: [CONTACT SELLER]
Available for consultation? Yes

Invention #11320
Date posted: 2009-03-06


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