Shipping container for plants

摘要

A shipping container for shipping rooted plantlets and specially designed for accommodating rooted plantlets having the roots and growing media of a particular shape. The container includes a supporting frame, one or more plant frames and a cover, all of which are formed with tongues and grooves to permit nesting of the members in superimposed position to provide a relatively sealed container. Each of the one or more plant frames includes support members extending longitudinally or transversely between the end or side walls of the frame, and a plurality of spaced upright members projecting upwardly from each support member. Adjacent upright members define therebetween an area or compartment in which the rooted plantlets or liners can be positioned, with the upright members defining lateral or side openings through which extend the stem and leaves of the rooted plantlets. The spacing of the support members from each other and from the laterally adjacent walls of the frame are such that the leaves of the plants can be accommodated without damage. By positioning the plantlets generally horizontal in the plant frame, a greatly increased number of plantlets can be accommodated with a minimum of vertical dimension. All of the container components are preferably formed of plastics material, and more preferably are molded so as to minimize production costs and permit the components to be reused.