This invention is in the field of silviculture and agriculture systems and plant production, and more specifically is in the field of live storage of plants for extended periods of time.

Background: Northern hemisphere countries encounter high costs in the live indoor storage of perennial plants such as trees, bedding plants, perennial forms, and vegetables. As a result, many nurseries producing plants in indoor facilities typically attempt to sell all their plant stock between the start and the end of seasonal planting. What is not sold at a regular price is typically discounted or discarded. If it were possible to create a method of long-term multi-season and multi-year live plant storage costs could be saved, and waste reduced.

In certain applications, some plant nurseries transfer seedlings and other plants into outdoor above-ground planting pots for live storage. This conventional system requires regular top irrigation to each individually potted plant, especially during hot weather.

In alternate applications, outdoor bare root field production of plants cannot typically be live stored for multiple years in the field without the plants overgrowing, making older plants cumbersome for harvesting, handling and shipping. Also, most field-ready bare-rooted seedlings cannot be transplanted successfully during the growing season since they often experience transplant shock and die when transplanted in full leaf unless the more costly method is used of harvesting the seedling for transplant with inordinate amounts of soil. Therefore, in

conventional applications, seedlings grown as bare root field plants can typically only be transplanted in the dormant seasons of early spring or fall, after photosynthesis has slowed or stopped.

The restrictions on bare root planting and transplantation, i.e. that bare root plants once lifted must be replanted while the plant remains dormant, present a significant restriction. The general advantage of a container root plant system over a bare root system is these plants can be transplanted to permanent locations at any time during the growing season, so long as adequate field moisture conditions exist. If a system could be devised that would easily convert bare root seedlings to container root seedlings, end of season surplus stock of bare roots could take on all the advantages of container rooted plants including the ability to be live stored and not discarded. It would be optimal if a system could be devised to be able to long-term live store field ready bare root trees without them overgrowing.

One of the key problems of storing container rooted plants outdoors is the high maintenance in labour or labour replacement technology cost for top irrigation. Many nurseries close down operations for a part of the year or discard previous year stock to make way for new crop starts. However, the same nurseries that throw out excess plant material at the end of one season can suffer shortages of the same varieties by the end of subsequent seasons. Many North American tree nurseries for example which endure sub-zero winters purposefully try to plan their plant production, so they run out of all or most of their seedling tree and perennial plant varieties by mid-June of each year due to high costs climate controlled live storage in greenhouses past the prime marketing season. This practice often eliminates the possibility of mid and late summer sales and sales for fall planting. Greenhouses that start their production cycle from zero stock each year have to try and accurately predict how much of each variety will be selling. This restricts their sales if they underproduce, and causing waste if they overproduce.

There have been no successful earlier attempts at the provision of low-cost, multi-year live storage systems for container root seedlings. If a system could be devised for low-cost outdoor multi-season and multi-year live storage in a way that plants would not overgrow, with almost no infrastructure, labour nor conventional irrigation technology, nurseries could accumulate live tree and other plant stock many times the capacity of the greenhouse itself with negligible extra cost. This would end the necessity to greatly discount and discard end of season tree and other perennial plant stock, end the stress of gambling on trying to accurately predict next year’s consumer variety needs and end the practice of restarting from zero all plant production required for each season. A system of sub-irrigation storage would be beneficial for this purpose.

If it were possible to design a low-cost, long-term live storage system that could also survive months of severe outdoor sub-zero temperatures in the same location as they were sub-irrigated in the summer, then the expensive logistics of moving to winter storage would be eliminated and excess perennial plant production could be live stored for marketing or use in later years without ever having been moved or stored in a building/warehouse because the production fields can also become the warehouse. Nurseries would not only not have to discard excess plant production of the end of a planting season but could purposefully grow vast quantities of excess production to be placed in low-cost storage to serve the needs of their customers later in a growing season for summer and fall planting and in subsequent years. Growing operations could be undertaken more strategically, without the need to restart with zero inventory on a myriad of plant species each year. In addition, tree nurseries which pack out all their tree stock in the fall for winter storage in climate controlled warehouses would no longer have to do so. Container root trees and other perennial plants could be harvested the very day they are required for sale directly from their live storage area. In many less developed regions of the world, deforestation has had devastating effects on the local environment. In the same regions, typical nursery practices involve live storage of plants and trees in cumbersome containers requiring immense land space, soil and large labour contingents to irrigate and maintain them. If a system could be devised that used a fraction of the soil, water, land space and labour, then this lower-cost tree production could help tree supply catch up to demand for timber while lessening the environmental burden. Similarly, any method for live storage of plants that reduces water requirements would be desirable.

Many middle eastern countries suffer permanent water shortages and have resorted to high tech desalination programs converting seawater into freshwater and pumping the same lOOs of km inland. If a live plant storage system would be devised that used a fraction the water requirement of current outdoor and indoor live plant storage system this would be highly sought after in arid regions of the world. Greenhouses production of perennial plants in various climatic zones including those that do not experience freezing temperatures is limited to the physical capacity of the greenhouse itself. If a system could be devised that allowed for long-term, multiyear outdoor storage of plants with negligible maintenance and infrastructure costs, this could multiply many fold the plant holding capacities of nurseries that have access to outdoor space that could be converted to low-cost live plant storage space. This will result in lower cost plant production, greater profits to plant producers and stable year-round plant supply at potentially lower retail cost to consumers.

A low-cost, long-term live storage system would have a significant beneficial commercial impact on the logistics of plant production. If such a system could be devised that would also allow for substantial water conservation, then savings in the production and storage of plant material would have significant additional commercial benefits.

Summary of the Invention:

The invention provides a method for the year round and multi-year storage of live plants in tropical, temperate and sub-arctic climates to allow repetitive harvesting of plant parts or until the eventual transplantation of plants to their final growing locations.

The invention, a method of multi -seasonal storage of live plants comprises the step of placing plants for storage in storage apertures of a multi-aperture plant storage block with a plurality of storage apertures and the block designed with a buoyancy such that the plant-filled block with or without soil medium remains ideally 30% or more above the water surface allowing the plant to self-regulate water uptake without plants drowning or becoming waterlogged. Each plant storage aperture has a top opening on a top surface of the plant storage block and a bottom opening on a bottom surface of the plant storage block. In a next step once the plants are placed with soil in the storage apertures, the multi -aperture plant storage block is placed in a containment holding water, so the bottom openings of the storage apertures are in contact with the water in the containment. The plant storage block is made of a material providing insulation to plant roots allowing also for long-term storage through annual seasons of sub-zero temperatures. Snow or ice which may abut or encase the roots of tree seedlings and perennial plants, provide additional insulation against the cold, thereby enhancing live plant preservation.

Various containments capable of holding water can be used in association with the method of the present invention, including an above-ground manufactured containment, an in-ground manufactured containment, or an in-ground natural water body. Many types of permanent, semi- permanent and portable water holding containments or water bodies could be used all of which are contemplated within the scope of the present invention.

During plant storage, water level within the containment is maintained such that the bottom of the plant storage block and bottom apertures thereon continue contact with the water most of the time. It is allowable for the soil in the planting blocks to dry out occasionally but not so long that drought stress harms the plants. In sub-zero winter storage of dormant plants, it is optimal for plant filled storage blocks to be in contact with frozen or unfrozen water or humid ground surface. Natural snow cover and humid winter air typically protects such containerized plants to be safe against dehydration of the roots. Harvesting of seeds, leaves or stems can occur as required during live storage. When desired to use the stored plants for field planting or sale, they can be removed from their respective storage apertures in the plant storage block, but the option exists to market the plants in the planting blocks as an entirety as well. Plants can be selectively harvested, removing only the largest seedlings for example and leaving the remainder to continue to grow during storage.

In certain embodiments of the method of the present invention, the plant storage block might be buoyant so that it would float on the water in the containment. In other embodiments, it may not be buoyant, and it may simply be set on the bottom of the containment with a very shallow water layer beneath or around it.

In certain embodiments of the method of the present invention the plants placed in the storage apertures could be a seedling of a few days old, a year old field ready seedling or a several year old plant so plants can be placed at any age of seedling whose roots fit comfortably within the storage apertures and can be stored in the block until ready to be sold, used or permanently planted. In other embodiments of the method of the present invention, the plants placed in the storage apertures could be placed as cuttings to grow to a field ready container root plant within the storage apertures. Finally, as in the case of both infant to field ready bare root seedlings, they can be placed within the storage apertures to convert over several weeks into container root plants with all the advantages thereof.

In certain embodiments, plants might be stored in the storage apertures with or without soil media. If they are stored without soil media, the root ball of the plant could grow or expand during live plant storage within the plant storage aperture in the plant storage block. In the case of cuttings placed in air-filled apertures, cuttings may preferentially be placed in the air apertures with lesser diameter at the top and the greater aperture opening at the bottom of the storage block. Bare root trees planted as‘air trees’ for sub-irrigation storage are typically planted in the apertures with narrower opening on the bottom, i.e., the same apertures used for plants with soil medium.

Typical multiyear storage embodiments involve the storage of trees with soil medium but without the addition of fertilizers. First season trees live stored without soil medium grow from cuttings to field ready container root seedlings within three to four months of growing season without the aid of fertilizer. The taller the cutting, the faster the conversion to a field ready container root seedling. For example, if a one-meter willow or poplar cutting is planted into a sub-irrigation storage block, it would be a field ready sapling within the shortest period of as little as ten weeks.

The same live stored trees have only nominal growth in year two unless growth stimulants such as fertilizer is administered. Tree seedlings typically stabilize and live store with minor to no further growth from year three if given no growth stimulants till they are field planted at which time they typically grow at and sometimes above the rated growth rate for that species of that seedling size. This zero growth during storage is desirable for keeping the plants of ideal size for ease in harvesting, packaging transport and field planting.

Certain embodiments of the method of the present invention might comprise the additional step of applying growth stimulants to the plants while in storage in the plant storage block when desired for example to hyper-grow the seedlings as per some customer preference to a greater size over a shorter period. For example, if a producer wishes to market extra-large seedlings after the plants are live stored for two years, then he/she can add conventional fertilizer or other growth stimulant to stimulate the plants to hyper-grow over a short period of time till they reach the size desired.

In another embodiment, during storage of the plants in the plant storage block, the water, solids or semi-dissolved solids and compounds in the contents of the containment can be cleaned or remediated by the plants therein. As such the method of the present invention can be a phytoremediation method for water within a containment when plants stored are or are not carefully chosen for their ability to neutralize, accumulate, metabolize or otherwise remediate the particular contaminants in the water, dissolved soils or semi -dissolved soils within the containment. In this embodiment contaminants may be naturally occurring in the water or soil beneath the containment or the contaminant-laden water or soil may be administered to the containment for the express purpose for the trees or plants to phytoremediate by various means including but not limited to metabolization or phytoaccumulation of the contaminants. For example, hydrocarbon saturated soils could be added to the bottom of the containment so that select plants known to metabolize hydrocarbons can be live stored on top of the containment to neutralize the hydrocarbons from soils immediately in contact with the water in the containment and typically, but not always in direct contact with the roots of the live stored plants.

The overall method of live plant sub-irrigation storage encompasses the use of one or more plant storage blocks within a containment to store plants. Each plant storage block consists of a plurality of storage apertures in a block typically measuring two or more square feet in surface area. It is explicitly contemplated that the plant storage blocks might individually include one to several hundred plant storage apertures and may contain a similar number of air apertures to make the blocks lighter and to regulate buoyancy when live storage is a water body deeper than a couple inches. Many of these plant storage blocks can then be used within a water holding containment to store many plants in a minimized surface area. In typical embodiment, a single plant storage aperture in a plant storage block under the method contains only a single plant. In non-typical embodiment, more than one plant could be stored within a single storage aperture.

In a typical embodiment involving several hundred or more plant storage blocks being placed in a smaller water body such as a small pond or excavated water pan, the invention contains several options for floating corrals and dividers to contain the tree or other plant inventory by variety to keep the floating inventory in a generally fixed location. In one embodiment the floating dividers and floating parameter including but not limited to floating wood planks or air-filled poly planks or pipes the long floatation devices can be tethered to opposing shorelines. In a variation of this embodiment, in a larger open water body where tethering a floating corral to two opposite shorelines is not possible, then a floating perimeter corral may include but not be limited to floating beams created around the entire floating field and an anchor such as a boat may utilize be attached to the floating field and dropped to the bottom of the water body to keep the floating field stationary, so it does not float away. A similar floating perimeter fence around a floating field of plant storage blocks is important to stop the blocks from beaching out of the water during daily wind or water currents. In another embodiment, one or more plant storage blocks are typically anchored in a row of storage blocks near the edge of the shoreline to act as a shoreline protector or erosion control to break the waves that would otherwise erode the shoreline.

In certain embodiments of this same method of the present invention, the plants live stored plant blocks could be placed close enough to the ground level that they are allowed to root into the bottom of the containment or into the shoreline itself. Once the plants reach a predetermined size, the plant storage blocks could be destructively removed, rather than removing the plants from the storage blocks, leaving the full-sized plants in their positions to continue growth on the shoreline of the containment or harvested later as a bare root plant and moved to an alternate location. This is considered utile for example where daily tides prevent the planting of unprotected seedlings onto a shoreline that experiences inundations by daily tides. This is also utile for shorelines requiring stabilization through tree planting where the tree planting area might be several feet depths of liquid mud. The floating tree storage block permits the roots of the tree or other plants to extend from the block down through the liquid mud and to fix permanently into the stable soils at the bottom of the liquid mud shoreline. Other examples of this embodiment obvious to those experienced in the science are contemplated under this embodiment.

There is also disclosed a multi -aperture plant storage block for the multi-seasonal storage of live plants, with a plurality of storage apertures each having a top opening on a top surface of the block and a bottom opening on a bottom surface of the block. The plant storage block could be placed in a containment holding water, so the bottom openings of the storage apertures are in contact with the water contained therein, and the plant storage block would be made of the material providing insulation to plants stored so the root systems of the plants can survive extended storage in subzero temperatures in frozen water bodies or on top of frozen ground surfaces. In water containments with floating plant climates with moderate winters which typically form less than six inches of ice on water surfaces a floating field of buoyant plant storage blocks can inhibit the formation of ice altogether leaving the plant roots in unfrozen water all winter. In other cases of extreme cold, the roots of the live stored plants in and below the planting blocks are encased in solid ice without detrimental effect on plant health.

The method disclosed allows for the storage of plants having a number of different characteristics including the following:

a) Conditioned cuttings from one cm to 100 cm in length;

b) Conditioned cuttings from 2 mm to 600 mm in diameter;

c) Container root plants produced in the plant storage area;

d) Container root plants transferred from another nursery;

e) Days old bare-root seedlings in partial leaf to full leaf; and

f) Dormant bare root seedlings up to several years in age. The method outlined herein represents a number of other advancements or advantages over conventional greenhouse tree and live plant storage processes and practices, including the following:

a) Minimum of 70% less water consumption while plants in full leaf live storage; b) Minimum of 70% less labour while plants in full leaf live storage;

c) Minimum of 70% less irrigation technology while plants in full leaf live storage;

d) Circa 70% less water quality control technology while plants in full leaf live storage; e) Eliminates need for refrigerated warehousing; and

f) Trees and perennial plants can be live stored for multiple years at stable size

The method also represents an advancement over conventional bare root tree field live storage including the following aspects:

a) Minimum of 80% less weed control costs;

b) Zero cultivation requirement;

c) Can live store plants at pre-determined stable height without plants over growing;

d) Can live store plants for several years without decreasing field transplanting viability; e) No requirement to shave tops and root bottoms on older live stored field plants;

f) Eliminates the need for climate-controlled warehouses to keep harvested trees viable; and g) Plants can be harvested for viable field planting anytime of the year.

Additionally, the method of the present invention has a number of advantages over conventional southern hemisphere riverside outdoor above ground container root tree and plant life storage nurseries including the following:

a) Minimum 80% less water consumption;

b) Minimum 80% less labour;

c) Minimum 80% less land space requirement; and d) Minimum 80% less soil requirement.

It will be understood that any modifications or deployments of the system and method of present invention for these general purposes are encompassed within the scope of the present invention.

Description of the Drawings:

To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced. The drawings enclosed are:

Figure l is a flow chart demonstrating the steps of a first embodiment of the method of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a flow chart demonstrating the steps of a second embodiment of the method of the present invention, including a fertilization step;

Figure 3 is a flow chart demonstrating the steps of a third embodiment of the method of the present invention, where the plant storage blocks are destructively removed from the plants when permanent planting of the plants is desired; Figure 4 is a flow chart demonstrating the steps of a further embodiment of the method of the present invention, in which a plurality of plant storage blocks is used for shoreline erosion control in a natural water body; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a plant storage block in accordance with one

embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6 is a cutaway side view of the plant storage block of Figure 5, along line 6-6; Figure 7 is a schematic view of one embodiment of the system of the method of the present invention;

Figure 8 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the system used to practice the method of the present invention comprising a plurality of plant storage blocks mounted in a shoreline erosion control configuration within a natural water body containment; and

Figure 9 is a schematic view of a plurality of plant storage blocks corralled and anchored within a large water containment.

Detailed Description of Illustrated Embodiments: The present invention comprises a method for the streamlined long-term life storage of plant material in all climatic zones. The ability to store plants in a sub-irrigated plant storage block, through all seasons and for multiple years will be beneficial in the economics of plant and tree production everywhere.

Method overview:

The invention comprises a low cost long-term live storage method for plants, resulting in the ability to store containment root plants for up to many years before the final planting of these plants in their final desired locations. Storage of the plants within the plant storage blocks and under the method of the present invention provides significant cost savings for plant nurseries.

Figure 1 shows a flowchart of a first basic embodiment of the method of the present invention. The first step in the method of the present invention, shown at 1-1, is the placement of plants or plant material in storage apertures within at least one plant storage block. The plant storage block comprises any block of material with a plurality of storage apertures each having a top opening in a bottom opening extending between a top surface and a bottom surface of the plant storage block with sufficient buoyancy to permit the ability of plants to self-regulate water uptake through sub-irrigation and sufficient insulation qualities to permit for safe wintering of the root systems of plants. Plants placed within the storage apertures of the plant storage block could be placed in the storage apertures as cuttings, container root plants, or bare root plants. Where cuttings or bare root plants are placed into the storage apertures for live storage, the cuttings and bare roots convert to highly fibrous containment root seedlings after several weeks of growing.

Following placement of the plants in the plant storage block, the plant storage block is placed in a containment which holds water. This is shown in step 1-2. Placement of the plant storage block in a water holding containment effectively allows for subirrigation of the plants within the storage apertures while they are stored throughout the seasons.

Once the plant storage block is placed in a containment containing water, storage of the plants in the plant storage block is commenced and as outlined above the plants can be stored in such a fashion for up to many years. During the storage of the plant storage block within the containment, the water level in the containment must be monitored and maintained - this is shown at step 1-3. Little water is required in the containment - only trace water below the bottom surface of the plant storage block or blocks is required though plants can just as adequately live stored when floated in the same buoyant blocks on the surface of containments with a water depth of several feet. Optimal water levels may be considered to be six to twelve inches of water where water levels can easily be controlled as this creates ease in access for harvesting, handling and when required, pest control.

During the winter season in northern climates, the plant-filled plant storage blocks can be live- stored outdoors as dormant plants, with air temperatures dipping as low as -50°C in the same locations as outdoor summer production and summer live storage took place. During the first winter and later winters, the plant storage blocks will in most embodiments be frozen in place in the containment, in the same water they were floating or otherwise sub-irrigated in the summertime. Dependent upon the insulation value of the material of manufacture of the plant storage block, plant storage block can also be used to live store dormant perennial plants out of the water of the containment on frozen or snow-covered landscapes during winter months.

Finally, when desired to transplant the plants from the plant storage block into permanent planting locations, the plants are removed from the storage apertures in the plant storage block for transplantation or permanent planting. The removal/transplantation of the plants from storage to permanent locations are shown at step 1-4.

The plant storage block is manufactured of a material that ensures sufficient buoyancy of the planting blocks when the containment for live storage is more than a few inches in depth such that typically one third or more of the plant-filled buoyant block is above the water surface such that plants can adequately self-regulate water update to attain optimal health through sub- irrigation. The same construction of the blocks that creates buoyancy insulates the root system of plants stored to enhance their capacity to survive seasonal weather extremes including freezing for months at a time. Testing of the method of the present invention by placing plants for storage in a plant storage block such as outlined above has been conducted and has indicated the efficacy of the plant storage block approach to provide plant storage within the storage apertures for up to several years. Plants can be stored within the storage apertures of a plant storage block as outlined hereinbefore the eventual transplantation to permanent locations, or in other embodiments of the method, early-stage plants or plant material that require further growth could also be planted in the storage apertures of a plant storage block in accordance with the remainder of the present invention in anticipation of their growth to full-size before transplantation to permanent locations. Both such approaches are contemplated within the scope of the present invention.

Plants could be stored within various sizes of apertures and in different number of apertures within a single plant storage block. For example, a single plant might be placed in storage block containing a single storage aperture while in other cases, a single plant is placed for storage in a planting block containing a few dozen to several hundred apertures. In a nontypical case, multiple plants could be stored within the single apertures and plants of different sizes or levels of maturity could be stored within different apertures within the same plant storage block. All such approaches are contemplated within the scope of the present invention.

The containment could comprise a manufactured containment in an above-ground or in-ground application or might also constitute a natural water body. Any type of a containment capable of holding at least one plant storage block by the remainder of the method of the present invention is understood to be within the scope of the present invention. As will also be understood, a plurality of plant storage blocks could be used in the practice of a larger implementation of the method of the present invention - multiple plant storage blocks could be used in a single water containment, to provide for a larger set of long-term plant storage. Figure 2 is a flowchart demonstrating the steps in a further embodiment of the plant storage method of the present invention, in which fertilizer or other nutrients can be applied to plants during the storage process. As shown in Figure 1, plants are placed in storage apertures in the plant storage block shown at 2-1. Following the placement of the plants in the storage apertures of the plant storage block, the plant storage block would be placed in a containment with water, shown at 2-2. During the long-term storage of the plants within the plant storage block, shown at 2-3, the water level within the containment would be monitored and maintained to ensure the continued availability of water to the roots of the plants contained within the storage apertures, through the bottom openings thereof, of sufficient water to maintain the growth or survival of these plants. Irrigation of the plants within the plant storage blocks require the presence of only millimetres water in the containment. However, most typical in containments that are filled by humans, water levels are automatically maintained at any desired depth from six to 18 inches of depth by use of a simple float valve control. In other instances without the use of float valves, containments are filled to their desired depth and then not refilled till water levels reduce to an inch or less or in some instances until plants show early signs of drought stress from their container roots being completely dry from the containments being without water for short periods of time.

In many cases, it will be desirable to store plants within the plant storage having a stable size, i.e., without size increase, by practicing the method without adding growth stimulants which include but are not limited to fertilizers, growth hormones, select minerals, trace metals and nutrient soils. If it is desired during a growing season to create rapid growth of the plants stored within the plant storage block under the remainder of the present invention, the applications of growth stimulants can be used to do so. Depending upon the form of growth stimulant, it can be provided to plants stored within the plant storage block by direct application via the top surface of the plant storage block or by the introduction of such stimulants to the water within the containment. Applying growth stimulants is shown at 2-4. Another option to provide stimulants to the plants within the plant storage block would be to draw down the water level within the containment to allow the plant roots, through the bottom openings of the storage apertures, to come into contact with nutrients in soils naturally found or placed in the bottom of the water containment. The risk in this application however is that the plant root can protrude out of the bottom of the storage block into the soils at the bottom of the containment making harvesting more difficult by manual uprooting each block of trees.

Finally the plants can be removed from the storage apertures of the plant storage block for transplantation, or permanent plantation as required, shown at step 2-5. The method demonstrated in Figure 3 varies by the alteration of the transplantation step at the end of the method, insofar as in this particular method the plants 7 when desired to be permanently located at the same location as the plants were stored in the storage block 1, the plants are allowed to grow out the bottom of the planting block and into the ground surface, and the plant storage block 1 is then destructively removed from the plants 7 to allow the plants to be left in location where originally stored. This is shown in Step 3-4.

Shoreline erosion control: Insofar as one of the key anticipated implementations of the method of the present invention is the use of a large natural body of water as the containment 8 within which the plant storage blocks 1 would be used, it is explicitly contemplated that one of the ancillary benefits or aspects of the long-term live storage method of the present invention is that the actual storage of the plant storage blocks 1 could be a shoreline erosion control method. The plant storage blocks 1 could be anchored in place around the perimeter of the containment 8, is a natural water body, so dependent upon the type of plants contained within the plant storage blocks 1, freshwater and saltwater environments could be used to establish or store freshwater or saltwater trees and plants. An anchoring system which would allow for buoyant plant storage blocks 1 to go up and down with tides or with water levels in the containment 8 while maintaining a stationary horizontal position will be understood. In some cases, once the plants stored within the plant storage blocks 1 was properly anchored to the floor of the shoreline of the containment 8 with supportive root structures and strong enough stands, the buoyant plant storage blocks could be removed or cutaway to result in freestanding trees or plants. Such might be the case to re- establish mangrove forestation along active tide ocean coastlines. Even greater benefits can sometimes accrue through natural attenuation where the establishment of a few plants leads to natural proliferation and colonization of the space by the establishment of a few plants.

Alternatively, the plants might be removed for transplantation to other locations.

Phytoremediation and other applications: In certain cases, the method of the present invention could be used in a phytoremediation context. Specifically, the water or other contents of the containment holding the plant storage blocks could benefit from the proximity of the plants within the plant storage block either from the plants cleaning the water in the containment or otherwise. Plants stored in plant storage blocks under the plant storage method of the present invention could remove nutrients or other materials from the water within the containment, such as nitrogen or phosphorus from the water, etc. Heavy metals, hydrocarbons or other mobile elements can also be removed from the water or the soil below in the containment. Sometimes the plant storage method of the present invention might even be practiced in a containment area in which soil or other materials containing contaminants all such as

hydrocarbon saturated soils requiring removal are delivered to the containment of plant storage blocks filled with plants having phytoremediation ability. Similarly, plant storage blocks containing such plants can be delivered to a containment already containing contaminants to be remediated, such as municipal lagoons or factory effluent ponds where plant storage can take place simultaneous to phytoremediation taking place.

Phytoremediation could be conducted where plants vicariously remove certain contaminants from the containment soil or water, or the plants to be stored within the plant storage block might also be selected based upon their known ability to absorb, remove, neutralize or otherwise remediate specific contaminants or compounds from the soils or water in the containment. Any approach to using the method of the present invention not only as a means of long-term storage of selected plants before their eventual transplantation to permanent planting locations, but also during the storage timeframe to use those plants to remove contaminants or materials of some variety from the containment soil or water will all be understood to those skilled in the art and are contemplated within the scope of the present invention. Any modifications to the general method for optimizing the method for this context are contemplated within the scope of the present invention.

Besides phytoremediation and the other ends of the method outlined above, the method of the present invention could also be used where the primary purpose of the method was to: a) Decrease evaporation from water surfaces (where plant growth and storage is or is not the primary objective); b) Cool the area beneath the nursery (building rooftops for example); c) Culturing of marine animals and plants; d) Beautification and landscape aesthetics and entertainment and eco-tourism included but not limited to stationary or rotating floating gardens; and e) Therapeutic treatment for individuals involved in the practice of the method included but not limited to milieu therapy and boating in floating field.

It will be understood that any modifications or deployments of the system and method of present invention for these general purposes are encompassed within the scope of the present invention. Where containment 8 of sufficient size was used, fish, turtles or other marine animals or plants could be cultured in the water 9 in the containment 8 along with the holding of the plant storage blocks 1. Plant storage block:

As understood from the remainder of the disclosure herein, the plant storage block contemplated for use in the method of the present invention could take many shapes and sizes, so long as storage block is constructed of a material having the necessary buoyancy and when necessary, the insulating qualities outlined. The plant storage block would contain one or more storage apertures, typically from 5 ml to 10,000 ml each, but most typically being between 15 ml and 5,000 ml and the average aperture being typically 100 ml with depth of 15 cm with aperture extending from a top surface through to a bottom surface of the plant storage block where the bottom opening of the aperture is of reduced diameter to inhibit the loss of soil. Each plant storage aperture would include a top opening, through the top surface of the plant storage block and through which the leaves of the upper body of a plant in storage in the block would extend, and a reduced bottom opening through the bottom surface of the plant storage block through which the root system of plants stored within the aperture could be sub-irrigated by accessing the water below the bottom surface of the plant storage block. A similar number of air holes which can be similar in construction to an inverted plant storage aperture can be built into the storage block to reduce block weight and to create desired buoyancy. Figures 5 and 6 show an example of a plant storage block 1 under the method of the present invention. Here, the plant storage block 1 is a rectangular block of buoyant material such as polystyrene or the like, with a plurality of storage apertures 2 extending therethrough. The plant storage block 1 has a top surface 3 and a bottom surface 4, and each of the storage apertures 2 has a top opening 5 in the top surface 3 of the block 1, and bottom opening 6 in the bottom surface 4 of the block 1. The storage apertures, in cross-section, might either be columnar with top and bottom openings of the same size or the storage apertures might be tapered from a larger top opening to a smaller bottom opening. Also contemplated is any design, shape or size of air cavities within the storage block typically intended to reduce the weight of the storage block for ease in handling and for the purpose to achieve ideal buoyancy of the storage block filled with plants or plants and soil. Any interior profile or shape of the storage apertures within the plant storage block is contemplated within the scope of the present invention.

Plants 7 are inserted into the storage apertures 2 for long-term live storage under the method.

The number and size of the storage apertures could vary depending upon the type or number of plants it was desired to store under the long-term live storage method of the present invention within a particular plant storage block and it will be understood that any plant storage block having the buoyancy and when necessary, the insulating qualities outlined and having a plurality of storage apertures of sufficient size to conduct live storage of plants under the remainder of the present invention are contemplated within the scope hereof. The plant storage block could be made of a buoyant material, so they would float in water within the containment such that typically 30% or more of the planting block remains above the water surface. In other embodiments, the plant storage block might be manufactured of a non-buoyant material so that it would settle to the bottom of the containment with the water in the

containment therearound not exceeding a typical water depth of a few millimetres. Both such approaches are contemplated within the scope of the present invention.

Containment:

The containment 8 in which the plant storage block 1 will be placed can either be a manufactured above-ground or in-ground containment 8, or could be a natural feature that is filled through human controlled water transfer, or could be a natural reservoir or water body such as a pond, slough, or lake, or could be a manufactured portable container or may be an indoor containment. Containment may be used having an earthen lining, a vegetative lining, manufactured fabric or film lining, a cement, concrete or composite lining or any other lining that creates an imperious or nonimpervious containment adequate for the purpose. Any containment 8 capable of containing a layer of water 9 which can engage the bottom surface 4 of the plant storage blocks 1 are contemplated within the scope of the present invention. Insofar as the method of the present invention is anticipated to be typically used for large-scale, long-term live storage of plants most typically in an outdoor setting through multiple seasons in any of the world’s climatic zones that support plant life including months of winter freezing temperatures in sub-arctic climates. It is contemplated that the containment 8 might be a natural water body of significant size so multiple plant filled storage blocks 1 could store many plants.

Containments may, as required have natural water holding capacity or may require remedies to enhance the water holding capability of the containment including but not limited to prepared clay lining, plastic membrane and application of chemicals to containment soils to enhance water holding capability. Any above-ground or in-ground natural or manufactured containment or container capable of accomplishing the objectives of containing a water layer 9 in the base thereof as well as one or more plant storage blocks 1 by the remainder of the present invention is contemplated within the scope of the present invention.

Figures 7 and 8 show two embodiments of the system for the practice the method of the present invention with one or more plant storage blocks 1 placed within a containment 8, which containment 8 contains water 9 in the base thereof. The embodiment of Figure 7 shows a single plant storage block 1 in an above-ground manufactured containment 8. The embodiment of Figure 8 shows a plurality of plant storage blocks 1 anchored in a natural water body 8 in a shoreline erosion control application as outlined elsewhere herein. Figure 9 shows a further embodiment of the system of the present invention in which a plurality of plant storage blocks 1 are corralled in the centre of a containment 8.

These are three basic embodiments demonstrating some options of how the method of the present invention can be practiced - it will be understood there are many other physical configurations of the containment and the plant storage blocks that would not depart from the intended scope of the invention outlined and any such modifications as are obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be within the scope of the present invention as claimed.

It will be apparent to those of skill in the art that by routine modification the present invention can be optimized for a wide range of conditions and application. It will also be obvious to those of skill in the art there are various ways and designs with which to produce the apparatus and methods of the present invention. The illustrated embodiments are therefore not intended to limit the invention, but to provide examples of the apparatus and method to enable those of skill in the art to appreciate the inventive concept. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the scope of the appended claims.