IHC 291- CIPS

Plant-Control of Fertilizer and Water Movement

James L. Green, Bryan Blackburn, Shaun Kelly, and Mohammed Albahou

Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University, Corvallis. OR 97331-7304, USA 

What is CIPS?

CIPS is a box enclosing the plants’ root systems. The plant’s shoot extends through a seal in the lid. In the root medium within the closed protective box, capillary water movement upward from the water reservoir is plant-driven. Fertilizer diffuses from the fertilizer reservoir within a protected diffusion zone (PDZ).

There is no waste effluent. There is no recycling. Sufficient water and fertilizer for one or more years may be placed initially in the respective CIPS reservoirs. CIPS may be a single or multiple plant system.

Plants from 47 families, 92 genera, have been grown individually and together - - - sharing a common water reservoir in the base of the CIPS and a common fertilizer reservoir at the top of the pouched medium.
	Alternate form of CIPS - The opaque, insulated, moisture impermeable picnic cooler.
Three Japanese maple trees, each in its individual sealed pouch-basket under a common lid, share a water reservoir in the base of the enclosing sealing container.
	The same three Japanese maples after two years outdoors in CIPS.

• Opening upward or downward.
• Different fertilizer salts placed in different Conservers.
• Increased length of protected diffusion zone.