Abstract: A plant growth bed for growing plants includes a bag formed of a relatively thin plastic sheet material impervious to passage of liquids and air therethrough with a relatively high loft bedding of crimped textile fibers substantially filling the bag. The major portion of the crimped textile fibers are hydrophobic staple fibers and the remaining minor portion of the crimped textile fibers are hydrophilic fibers intermixed or blended together. The high loft of the textile fibers provides open spaces around the fibers to allow for optimum air for proper root development and plant growth. The bedding is readily compressible as for compact shipment to about 1/5 the thickness of the uncompressed high loft bedding. In an uncompressed condition the bedding has an overall thickness of at least about 3 inches and a density of 0.5 to 2 pounds per cubic foot. The bedding of fibers has the ability to retain amongst the fibers forming the bedding at least about four times its weight of a liquid.

Abstract: An evaporative cooler pad has opposing faces and is formed from a substantially noncompressible batt of substantially uniformly distributed natural cellulosic lightweight elongate segments such as aspen wood shavings. The segments are oriented in generally horizontal planes and extend in various directions with respect to each other to form interconnecting interstices and passageways throughout the pad. A preformed hydrophilic foam directly coats substantially all the surfaces of the individual segments. The coating is substantially less than the thickness of the segments so as to increase the cross-section of the segments without interconnecting the segments to each other and without bridging between the segments so that the interstices and passageways throughout the batt remain substantially intact. The foam has a minute cellular structure so that when contacted by water, the foam serves to wick the water along the surfaces of the pad and significantly increase the evaporative efficiency of the pad.