EP4319543A1

EP4319543A1 - An apparatus for maintaining a plant

Info

Publication number: EP4319543A1
Application number: EP22703041.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Pete CLARKE
Original assignee: Lazyscrog Ltd
Current assignee: Lazyscrog Ltd
Priority date: 2021-02-23
Filing date: 2022-01-28
Publication date: 2024-02-14
Also published as: WO2022180353A1; GB202102553D0; GB2604112A; CA3209440A1; GB2604112B

Abstract

An apparatus for maintaining a plant, the apparatus comprising a screen configured to train the growth of a plant engaged therewith; a support for holding the plant beneath the screen such that, in use, the plant engages the screen and a root base of the plant is disposed beneath the support, and a lifting mechanism operatively connected to the support and the screen. The lifting mechanism is configured to lift the screen and the support from a first position to a second position so as to at least partially extract the root base from an external reservoir arranged to receive the root base. The screen and support are held at a pre- determined distance when moving from the first position to the second position.

Description

AN APPARATUS FOR MAINTAINING A PLANT

This invention relates to an apparatus for maintaining a plant, a method for maintaining a plant and a kit of parts for the same.

BACKGROUND

Fruit-bearing or flowering plants require light and nutrients to grow, and by controlling the levels of light and nutrient provided the plant, it is possible to enhance or impede plant growth. Peppers, tomatoes, and strawberries are examples of popular home-grown fruit bearing plants.

Plant growth may be improved using reservoir growing techniques, such as deep water culture (DWC) hydroponics. In DWC hydroponics the roots of the plant are submerged in a liquid growth medium which typically includes water and nutrients to encourage plant growth. As the plant grows, undesirable products, such as mineral salts, can build up on the inner walls of the reservoir which can undesirably impede plant growth. It is therefore necessary to periodically clean the reservoir to avoid this problem. It is also necessary to maintain the roots of the plant which requires raising the roots of the plant from the reservoir which risks damaging the plant and/or root base, which would negatively impact plant growth.

Plant growth may also be improved by using a screen for training the plant to grow in a particular manner. Such a screen is typically arranged above the plant and is designed impede vertical growth of the plant in a controlled manner. Impeding the vertical growth of the plant causes the plant to grow horizontally which increases the exposure all parts of the shoot of the plant to light, increasing the yield of flowering or fruit bearing plants. However, screens are often placed close to the ground, which forces the grower to endure highly uncomfortable positions for prolonged periods of time while maintaining the plant. Furthermore, training such plants with a screen can often result in the plant becoming entangled with the screen as it becomes dependent on the screen for structural stability. This is problematic, as an entangled plant is difficult to separate the screen from the plant without damaging the plant. This means that plants that may benefit from reservoir growing techniques are not compatible with training screens, as the shoots of a plant that has become entangled with the training screen is at particular risk of becoming damaging when extracting the root base from the reservoir. The present invention seeks to address at least some of these problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

According to a first example there is provided an apparatus for maintaining a plant, the apparatus comprising a screen configured to train the growth of a plant engaged therewith; a support for holding the plant beneath the screen such that, in use, the plant engages the screen and a root base of the plant is disposed beneath the support, and a lifting mechanism operatively connected to the support and the screen and configured to lift the screen and the support from a first position to a second position so as to at least partially extract the root base from an external reservoir arranged to receive the root base, wherein the screen and the support are held at a pre-determined distance when moving from the first position to the second position.

This advantageously provides a device that overcomes the incompatibility of training screens and reservoir growing techniques by maintaining a pre-determined distance between the root base and the training screen as the support and the screen are lifted to extract the plant root base from the reservoir. The present device is therefore able to raise the root base from within an external reservoir whilst minimising the risk of damage to the plants engaged with the screen, thus utilising the respective advantages of growing techniques that use training screens and reservoir growing techniques to provide enhanced plant growth compared to these techniques in isolation. Further advantages of the present device include maximizing the light footprint of the plant, increasing the yield per unit area of the plant and reducing the number of plants to maintain while achieving an increased yield. Where the seeds of the plant or the nutrients are more expensive, this can considerably reduce the cost of producing the flowers or fruit from a plant. The reservoir, and any equipment therein, can also be cleaned and maintained in the conventional manner, and the root base can be accessed for maintenance when the plant is raised using convention techniques. There is the additional advantage that the plant can be lifted to a height which makes root maintenance, canopy defoliation and tucking and training, and any other plant maintenance possible at an ergonomic height. The lifting mechanism may comprise a pulley system. The screen and support may be suspended from the pulley system. The pulley system may comprise a plurality of ropes or cables connected to the screen and the support.

The lifting mechanism may be manually operated by the user. This is advantageous as the device can be operated without powered lifting equipment, and therefore can be installed in a wide range of indoor or outdoor locations.

The support may comprise one or more apertures for egress of the root base therethrough. This advantageously reduces the risk of the root base growing around a closed container in a constricted pattern and becoming rootbound. The apertures allow the roots of the root base to be air pruned in the absence of high humidity when lifted from the reservoir, which causes the plant to constantly produce new and healthy branching roots, further encouraging plant growth. The support may comprise an aerated pot or and aerated fabric smart pot. The support may have a side wall including one or more apertures for the roots to extend through. The support may be arranged to hold a porous medium, or substrate for supporting the root base.

The external reservoir may be part of a hydroponics system. The hydroponics system may be a deep water culture hydroponics system.

The support may be suspended below the screen. This provides a simple way to maintain the pre-determined distance between the screen and the support. The support may be suspended using cables. In some cases the support is held at the pre-determined distance from the screen by one or more rigid support structures. In some cases the support and the screen are secured to the lifting mechanism. In some cases, the lifting mechanism is connected to only one of the support or the screen. In some cases the lifting mechanism is arranged to maintain a pre-determined distance between the screen and the support.

The support may be suspended above a ground-surface. This is advantageous as the plants can be grown with air pruning techniques. A further advantage is that water can drain freely from below the support to prevent water-logging. In some cases, the support is permanently suspended from the ground, providing airflow to a bottom surface of the support. The support may be connected to the screen by an adjustable connector arranged to maintain a user-defined distance between the screen and the support. This is advantageous as the user-defined distance between the screen and the support can be adjusted to accommodate plant growth or different plants, for example once a plant is to be harvested and separated from the root base, the existing support can be secured to a new screen ready for a new plant while the harvested plant dries on the original screen.

The screen may comprise a tubular frame. This advantageously provides a lightweight structure. The tubular frame may have a circular cross-section or a square cross-section. A square cross-section is particularly advantageous as it provides greater resistance to buckling compared to a tubular frame having a circular cross-section.

The screen may comprise a plurality of inter-engaging elements. The inter-engaging elements are preferably tensile elements, such as cord or rope. The screen may comprise a net, or a mesh, or similar structure.

The distance between the first position and the second position may be between 1 m and 3 m.

The screen configured to train the growth of a plant engaged therewith may be a first screen. The apparatus may further comprise a second screen secured above the first screen. The upper second screen may be configured to support, in use, a part of the plant extending from the first screen to the second screen. The lifting mechanism may be operatively connected to the second screen such that the first screen and the second screen are held at a second pre-determined distance when moving from the first position to the second position. Providing an upper screen is advantageous for providing support to upper parts of the plant. For example, this may be beneficial to support fruit-bearing plants.

The apparatus may comprise a container for containing the root base. The support may be configured to provide an air-tight seal with the support. When secured to the support, the container and support may be arranged to provide a cavity for containing the root base. The container may be hermetically sealed to maintain a pre-determined growing condition within the cavity. The growing condition may be a level of humidity. This is advantageous as the container is able to keep the root base in a humid environment when the plant is raised for prolonged periods, for example during plant and/or reservoir maintenance. According to a second example there is provided a grow tent comprising the aforementioned apparatus. The grow tent advantageously provides a sealable covering within which the present device can be assembled and operated. Additional apparatus for controlling growing conditions, such as lighting, temperature, humidity and nutrient levels may also be installed within the grow tent to provide optimum growth conditions for the plants contained therein.

According to a third example there is provided a method of maintaining a plant, the method comprising providing the aforementioned apparatus, providing a reservoir for receiving a root base of a plant, introducing a growth medium into the reservoir, securing the plant to the support such that the plant engages the screen and the root base of the plant is at least partially submerged within the growth medium, operating the lifting mechanism to raise the support and screen such that the root base is raised above the growth medium disposed within the reservoir while a pre-determined distance between the screen and the support is maintained. A majority of the root base may be submerged within the growth medium in the first position.

According to a fourth example there is provided a kit of parts comprising a screen, a support and a lifting mechanism configured to operate as an apparatus according to the aforementioned apparatus. This advantageously provides a modular system from which the present device can be assembled.

According to a fifth example there is provided a support rig comprising the aforementioned apparatus. The support rig comprises a shelf for supporting the external reservoir below the screen, and wheels for providing manoeuvrability to the support rig.

BREIF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The apparatus for maintaining a plant will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic of the apparatus, wherein the screen and support are arranged in a first position; Figure 2 is a schematic of the apparatus, wherein the screen and support are arranged in a second position;

Figure 3 is a schematic of the screen of the apparatus;

Figure 4 shows the support and reservoir of the apparatus;

Figure 5 shows the lower pulley part of the lifting mechanism of the apparatus; Figure 6 shows the upper pulley part of the lifting mechanism of the apparatus;

Figure 7 shows the figure-of-eight device of the lifting mechanism of the apparatus;

Figures 8A & 8B show the support connectors of the lifting mechanism of the apparatus;

Figure 9 shows the three-way swivels of the lifting mechanism of the apparatus; Figure 10 shows another example of the apparatus with two screens;

Figure 11 shows connectors for connecting the two screens together;

Figure 12 shows an aerated pot used in place of the support and reservoir in the apparatus;

Figure 13 shows the aerated pot of Figure 9 suspended beneath the screen;

Figure 14 shows a grow bag used in place of the support and reservoir in the apparatus, suspended below the screen; and

Figure 15 shows a schematic of the apparatus located in a mobile support rig.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown an apparatus 1 for maintaining a plant P. The apparatus 1 comprises a screen 2 for training the growth of plant P when engaged with the screen 2, and a support 3 for holding the plant P beneath the screen 2. In use, the plant P engages the screen 3 which allows a grower to train the plant P grow horizontally by topping the plant, or breaking down the main shoot of the plant, and using a series of Low- Stress-Training (LST) techniques to grow the plant P below the screen 2, until shortly into the flowering period. As shown in Figure 4, the support 3 includes a receptacle 33 for holding a porous medium, or substrate, for example clay pebbles, coco coir or perlite. The receptacle 33 has walls, each of which has a number of apertures which allow the root base R to grow out of the apertures of the receptacle 33, resulting in air pruning of the roots. As illustrated in Figure 1 , the shoot of the plant P extends towards the screen 2 and engage the screen 2 in a vertical direction.

Referring now to Figure 3, there is shown a schematic of the screen 2 in plan. The screen 2 is made from tubular frame 21 and a net of pre-weaved elasticated nylon cord 23. In this example, the tubular frame 21 is constructed using four pieces of aluminium tubing which are interconnected by polyvinyl chloride (PVC) elbows. In this example the aluminium tubing of the tubular frame 21 has a circular cross-section and the elbows are polyvinyl chloride (PVC) elbows secured to the tubular frame 21 using aluminium tape. Alternatively, the tubular frame may be constructed using aluminium tubing having a square cross- section, as shown in the example of Figures 10 and 11 , secured by elbow connectors. In some cases, the tension in the cord 23 that is needed to engage certain plants to act as a training screen is sufficiently high that there is a risk of buckling when using circular tubular frame. In this case, a screen made of square tubular frame is able to provides greater buckling resistance when the cord 23 is under high tension. A further advantage of a square tubular frame is that adhesive or tape is not necessary to secure the tubular frame 21 to the elbow connectors. The net is secured to the tubular frame 21 using a plurality of hook and loop straps. The spacing between the individual sections of cord 23 is approximately 100 mm, but it would be apparent this was merely exemplary and that other spacing would be suitable depending on the specific application. For example, the spacing may be between 50mm and 150mm, or between 80mm and 120mm. Similarly, while nylon cord 23 is described, it would be apparent that cord made of other materials may be used with the present device. Similarly, while a cord is used to form a series of inter-engaging elements, other structures may be used to engage the plant as required. The apparatus 1 has a reservoir 4 which contains a growth medium of water (not shown) and appropriate nutrients to promote healthy plant growth. The reservoir 4 is a part of a deep water culture (DWC) hydroponics system and so contains DWC equipment (not shown) such as a pump for replacing water and replenishing nutrients into the reservoir 4. While a DWC hydroponics system is described, it would be apparent that this was merely one type of hydroponics system suitable for use with the present apparatus 1 , and that other hydroponics systems may be used. Similarly, a hydroponics system is merely one examples of a suitable reservoir growing technique suitable for use with the present apparatus 1 , and other reservoir growing techniques would be suitable with the present apparatus 1. The support 3 is releasably secured to the reservoir 4 so that the root base R can be easily raised from the reservoir 4. The support 3 is also secured to the reservoir 4 in a manner which provides an air-tight seal between the support 3 and the reservoir 4. While a circular support 3 and a circular reservoir 4 are shown, it would be apparent that this was merely exemplary and that other configurations of support 3 and reservoir 4 would be able to form an air-tight seal. Similarly, a sealing element, such as a gasket or O-ring or other resiliently deformable element, may be provided to provide the seal between the reservoir 4 and the support 3. When the support 3 is secured to the reservoir as shown in Figure 1 , at least part of the root base R is submerged in the water in the reservoir 4. During use, debris such as mineral salts may accumulate on the inner surfaces of the reservoir 4, as well as on any equipment inside of the reservoir 4. In order to remove the debris, the support 3 and plant P are raised to a second, raised, position shown in Figure 2. The apparatus 1 comprises a lifting mechanism 5 which is operatively connected to the support 3 and the screen 2. The lifting mechanism 5 is configured to lift the screen 2 and the support 3 from a first position where the root base R is disposed within the reservoir 4, to a second position where the root base R is raised from the reservoir 4. In the raised position, a user can access the inside of the reservoir 4 because the support 3 is spaced from the reservoir 4, along with the attached receptacle 33 and root base R. The screen 2 and support 3 are arranged to maintain a pre-determined distance D when moving from the first position to the second position so as to minimise damage to the plant or root base when lifting the root base to the raised position. As shown in the Figures, this can be achieved by suspending the support 3 below the screen 2. However, it would be apparent this was not essential, and the support 3 may be held below the screen 2 at a pre-determined distance without suspending the support 3 using cables. The distance between the first and second positions is controlled based upon the requirements of the user, but is typically between 1 m and 3 m.

The lifting mechanism 5 comprises two pulley systems 51 which may be manually operated by a user. A pulley system 51 is located on each of two opposing sides of the screen 2 (see Figure 11). The illustrated apparatus 1 utilises a double block-and-tackle pulley system, comprising four 6mm double pulley blocks 51a, 51b. Cables 53 connect each pulley system 51 to respective corners of the screen 2. Thus, the four corners of the illustrated screen 2 are supported by four cables 53 that extend from the two pulley systems 51. Each cable 53 is connected to the screen 2 by a carabiner 55 secured to the screen 2. While a carabiner 55 is described, it would be apparent other fixing means would be suitable for connecting the cable 53 to the screen 2.

The support 3 is suspended under the screen 2 by cables and an adjustable connector 57. The adjustable connectors 57 between the screen 2 and the support 3 allow the distance between the screen 2 and the support 3 to be adjusted as required. For example, different plants may grow to different heights before becoming fruit-bearing or flowering, and therefore it is advantageous to be able to adjust the connector 57 to accommodate plant growth. Similarly, when a plant P is ready for harvesting, the shoot attached to the screen may be separated from the root base R, and the support 3 may be simply attached to a new screen to start growth of a new plant. Thus, a wide variety of plants can be accommodated for with the adjustable connector 57. A turnbuckle is shown as the adjustable connector 57 in Figure 8A, and a rope ratchet is shown as the adjustable connector 57 in Figure 8B. Using a rope ratchet provides a greater range of adjustability of the distance between the screen 2 and the support 3 compared to the turnbuckle. Rope ratchets are also easier to adjust, and have a lower mass, further aiding the manual lifting of the screen and support. It would be apparent these were merely two examples of adjustable means to vary the distance between the support 3 and the screen 2. The adjustable connector 57 provides approximately 75 mm of adjustability in order to maintain a user-defined distance D between the screen 2 and the support 3. However, it would be apparent this was merely exemplary and that suitable adjustable connectors may be used to provide the required pre-determined distance and adjustability between the screen 2 and the support 3. The rope ratchet advantageously allows the user to select any distance D between the screen 2 and support 3. While the adjustable connector 57 is operated manually by a user, it would be apparent the apparatus 1 could include a controller operatively connected to the adjustable connector 57 using a wired or wireless connection, and configured to actuate a motor to adjust the adjustable connector 57. This would be particularly advantageous where multiple apparatus 1 were set up to grow a large number of plants in parallel.

Referring now to Figures 5-9, there is a double pulley 51aat the upper end and lower end of each pulley system 51. Each pulley system 51 also has a polypropylene rope extending between the upper 51b and lower 51a pulleys. However, it would be apparent that rope made of other materials would be suitable. It would also be apparent that a rope is only one example of a suitable tensile element suitable for operating the pulley system 51. Each upper pulley 51b is suspended from above, in this example via a carabiner. One end of the rope is tied to the respective upper pulley 51b. The end of each rope extends from their respective upper pulley 51b and are releasably secured by winding the ropes around a waist of a figure-of-eight device 52. When tension is applied to the end of one of the ropes, the respective lower pulley 51a moves upwards towards the upper pulley 51b. By pulling both ropes simultaneously, both lower pulleys 51a can be raised at the same time to raise the screen 2 and support 3 in a level manner without damaging the plant. Cables 53 are connected to each lower pulley 51a at one end, and to a three-way swivel 59 at the other end. Each three-way swivel 59 is connected to one of the carabiners 55 connected to the screen and one of the adjustable connectors 57 suspending the support 3. The connection between each three-way swivel 59 and each cable 53, carabiner 55 and adjustable connector 57 is independently pivotable. Each carabiner 55 is fastened to the tubular frame 21 of the screen 2 via a stainless steel eyelet screwed into a respective PVC elbow of the tubular frame 21. Each eyelet is connected to the respective three-way swivel 59 by the carabiner 55. The three-way swivels 59 avoid undesirable torsional loads accumulating in any of the cables 53, carabiners 55, or adjustable connectors 57. It will be appreciated that cables, carabiners and adjustable connectors are merely exemplary and other connectors would be suitable for use with the present apparatus 1.

The cables are preferably 3 mm PVC coated, stainless steel wire rope. Loops are provided in the ends of the cables using 3 mm zinc-plated duplex steel wire rope grips. In order to clean or maintain the inside of the reservoir 4, and any equipment therein, the screen 2, support 3 and plant P are lifted to the second position. This is achieved by using the figure-of-eight device 59 to pull the ropes downwards to lift the screen 2, support 3 and plant P. Once the support 3 and screen 2 are raised to the second position, the figure-of- eight device 59 is used to secure the ropes to maintain an equilibrium in the tension of the two ropes to hold the screen 2, support 3 and plant P at the desired height. It will be appreciated that the figure-of-eight device 59 may be replaced by any suitable releasable locking mechanism to achieve the described function. It would also be appreciated that the lifting mechanism may utilise a powered device, such as a winch for lifting and holding the support 3 and screen 2 in the raised position for maintaining the reservoir 4 and/or the plant shoot or root base R. The lifting mechanism may also include one or more pneumatic or hydraulic lifting mechanisms. This would be particularly advantageous where multiple apparatus 1 are installed in parallel and a number of screens 2 need to be lifted together. Alternately, the figure-of-eight device 59 may be omitted completely, and the ropes secured by tying to a fixed object.

Once in the second position the reservoir 4, and any equipment therein, can be removed for cleaning and maintenance, or cleaned and maintained in-situ. Any cleaning and maintenance to the root base R may also be performed while the root base R is raised. The root base R may also be protected, whilst in the second position, by securing a container (not shown) to the support 3 to contain the root base R. As the container need not contain any nutrients or liquid, it is much lighter than the reservoir 4, and can be easily lifted by a user and secured to the support 3 while the root base R is extracted from the reservoir 4 and outside the growth medium. The container provides a hermetically sealed cavity for containing the root base R, which avoids unintended air pruning of the root base R, which can occur during the prolonged periods when the root base R may be exposed to ambient air while the reservoir 4 or plant canopy is being maintained. While a hermetic seal is desirable, it would be apparent this was not essential. It would also be apparent that the container may include one or more devices for maintaining one or more environmental conditions within the cavity the container. This is particularly useful if the root base will be raised for a prolonged period of time.

The second position is also suitable for maintenance of the shoot of the plant P, such as by pruning. This is beneficial if, in the second position, the shoot is at a more ergonomic height than in the first position. Once cleaning and maintenance are complete, the reservoir 4 and equipment therein is replaced, the figure-of-eight device 59 is disengaged from the ropes and the screen 2, support 3 and plant P are lowered to the first position, where the root base R is returned to the growth medium within the reservoir 4.

If harvesting of the plant P requires the removal of the root base and drying of the shoot, then the screen 2, support 3 and plant P are raised to the second position, as described above. When in the second position, the root base R is cut from the plant P, and the support 3 and root base R are removed from the apparatus 1 by disconnecting the carabiners 55 from the three-way swivels 59. The screen 2 and plant P engaged therewith can then be inverted to more effectively dry the plant P. Inversion of the screen 2 is possible due to the lower pulley 51a having a pivotable connection with the connector cables 53.

In some cases, the apparatus 1 is provided as part of a grow tent or greenhouse (as shown in Figures 4 to 12). In this case the upper pulleys 51b are connected to a frame of the grow tent or greenhouse. The screen 2 is sized so that it can still move between the first and second positions within the grow tent or greenhouse. The grow tent or greenhouse may contain other equipment to enhance growing of the plant P, such as one or more heaters, lights, fans and/or humidity control devices. The grow tent preferably includes a covering 61 made from a material which enhances the growing conditions. Such materials are known in the art and will not be repeated here, but may comprise a thermally insulating material.

Referring now to Figures 10 and 11, another example of the apparatus 1 is shown. In this example the apparatus 1 comprises two screens, a lower screen 201 and an upper screen 203. The lower screen 203 acts as a training screen, as described above. The upper screen 201 provides support to upper sections of a maturing plant that have grown through the openings in the lower screen 201. Each screen 201 , 203 is preferably arranged in the same manner as screen 2 of the previous example, but it would be apparent this was not essential. The modular nature of the apparatus advantageously allows further screens to be added at any stage of the plant’s growth in a convenient manner. In this example the aluminium tubing of the screens 201 , 203 has a square cross-section, but a circular cross- section could be used. The upper screen 203 and lower screen are connected to respective cables 53 via a three- way swivel 59. This allows the lower screen 201 to be suspended below the upper screen 203. It would be apparent this was not essential, and that in some cases it may be desirable to suspend the lower screen 201 directly from the upper screen 203. The lower screen 201 is suspended by cables 205 connected to eyelet hooks secured to the elbows of the lower screen 201. The support 3 is supported with adjustable connectors 57 in the form of rope ratchets, but it will be appreciated that turnbuckles, or any other suitable adjustable connector, may be used. As in the previous example, when tension is applied to the free ends of the ropes of the pulley systems 51, the lower pulleys 51a and three-way swivels 59 are pulled upwards. Therefore, the screens 201, 203, which are connected to the three-way swivels 59, and the support 3 are all pulled upwards together. This means that the screens 201, 203 and the support 3 can be moved substantially synchronously between a first and second position with minimal risk of damage to the plant, as the pre-determined distance between the screens 201 , 203 is maintained while the distance between the support 3 and the lower screen 203 is maintained. It would be apparent that the pre-determined distance between the support 3 and the lower screen 201 may be different to the distance between the upper screen 203 and lower screen 201.

Referring now to Figure 12 and 13, another example of the apparatus is shown. In this example the support is an aerated pot 6. The aerated pot 6 is a cylindrical container with an open top and walls which have a series of holes through which the roots of the plant can grow, and eventually be air pruned. The aerated pot 6 contains a mixture of soil and porous medium and the root base R of the plant P. The porous medium may be, for example clay pebbles, coco coir or perlite. In this example, the reservoir 4 is omitted.

The adjustable connectors 57 are connected to sidewalls of the aerated pot 6. The screen 2 and aerated pot 6 can be lifted to the second position in the same manner as described above. This may be, for example, for cleaning or maintenance of the aerated pot 6, or for pruning of the plant P. As with the previous examples, the aerated pot 6 and screen 2 are lifted while maintaining a predetermined distance D therebetween. Furthermore, when using an aerated pot 6, it is possible to permanently suspend the aerated pot 6 from the ground, which allows air circulation to the bottom of the pot 6. This also aids in water draining from the aerated pot 6. The aerated pot 6 and the screen 2 are shown in the second position in Figure 10.

Referring now to Figure 14, another example of the apparatus is shown. In this example the support comprises a felt aerated fabric smart pot 7. The smart pot 7 contains a mixture of soil and a porous medium and the root base R of the plant P. The porous medium may be, for example clay pebbles, coco coir or perlite. The reservoir 4 is omitted in this example.

The adjustable connectors 57 are fastened to the smart pot 7 via eyelets formed in the smart pot 7. The screen 2 and the smart pot 7 can be lifted to the second position in the same manner as described above. This may be, for example, for cleaning or maintenance of the smart pot 7, or for pruning of the plant P. As with the previous examples, the smart pot 7 and screen 2 are lifted while maintaining a predetermined distance D therebetween. Furthermore, when using a smart pot 7, it is possible to permanently suspend the smart pot 7 from the ground, which allows air circulation to the bottom of the pot 7. This also aids in water draining from the smart pot 7. The smart pot 7 and screen 2 are shown in the second position in Figure 11.

Whilst the examples of Figures 12-14 are shown with a single screen 2, the aerated pot 6 or smart pot 7 could be used in the apparatus of the example shown in Figures 10 & 11 , which uses two screens 201 , 203. Also, the adjustable connectors 57 of these examples are shown as turnbuckles, but rope ratchets, or any other suitable adjustable connector, may be used instead.

Referring now to Figure 15 there is shown an example where the apparatus 1 is provided in a mobile support rig 8. The apparatus 1 may be that of any of the previous examples. The support rig 8 has a frame 81 formed of frame members 81a, 81b, 81c connected to one another. In this example the frame members 81a, 81b are 25 mm square metal (e.g. aluminium or mild steel) box section. The frame members 81c, in this example, are 25 mm square metal (e.g. aluminium or mild steel) box section having lips (not shown) to support a shelf 82 located at the bottom of the support rig 8. Whilst the frame members 81a, 81b, 81c of this example are made of metal, it will be appreciated that any suitable material could be used. The shelf 82 supports the reservoir 4, aerated pot 6 or smart pot 7. In this example the shelf 82 is a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) coated rigid steel mesh, although any shelf 82 which supports the reservoir 4, aerated pot 6 or smart pot 7 can be used. Wheels, or casters, which may be lockable, are attached to the bottom of the support rig 8 In this example, the wheels are connected to three-way connectors that connect frame members 81c and 81a, for providing manoeuvrability to the support rig 8. While four wheels are shown attached to the support rig 8 it would be apparent that more or fewer wheels may be added depending on the specific requirements of the support rig 8. While a cuboid frame 81 has been illustrated, it would be apparent that this was merely exemplary and that other shapes of frame 81 are suitable for use with the present apparatus 1.

The upper pulleys 51b of the lifting mechanism 5 are connected to upper frame members 81a. The screen 2 is sized so that it can move between the first and second positions within the support rig 8 to operate the apparatus 1 as described previously. The support rig 8 may contain other equipment to enhance growing of the plant P, such as one or more heaters, lights or fans.

Any of the examples described herein may have a light source (not shown) configured to illuminate the plant. The light source may be light emitting diode (LED) strip lighting. The strip lighting may be mounted to one of the screens 2, 201, 203. More specifically, strip lighting may be mounted to the lower side of the upper screen 203, such that the parts of the plant between the two screens 201 , 203 are illuminated. The strip lighting may be mounted to the frame of the grow tent, greenhouse or support rig 8. Strip lighting may be attached via any suitable fastener, such as screws, rivets, ties, adhesive. Strip lighting advantageously allows the plant to be illuminated from multiple directions, to improve light exposure to all parts of the plant, thus further enhancing plant growth.

It would be apparent that while a single apparatus 1 has been described, an arrangement of multiple of such apparatus 1 could be operated to grow one or more plants. This would enable enhanced plant growth on a commercial scale, as well as on a domestic scale.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that several variations to the aforementioned embodiments are envisaged without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the screen may be of a suitable size for a plurality of plants to engage therewith. Each plant may be held by a respective support, which is connected to a common lifting mechanism for the screen and the other supports for plants engaged with the same screen. Alternatively, a common support may be provided for all of the plants engaged with the same screen. The reservoirs may be interconnected in a flow system, whereby nutrients and water are circulated. Otherwise there may be a common reservoir for the plurality of plants.

It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any number of combinations of the aforementioned features and/or those shown in the appended drawings provide clear advantages over the prior art and are therefore within the scope of the invention described herein.

Claims

1. An apparatus for maintaining a plant, the apparatus comprising: a screen configured to train the growth of a plant engaged therewith; a support for holding the plant beneath the screen such that, in use, the plant engages the screen and a root base of the plant is disposed beneath the support, and a lifting mechanism operatively connected to the support and the screen and configured to lift the screen and the support from a first position to a second position so as to at least partially extract the root base from an external reservoir arranged to receive the root base and a growth medium, wherein the screen and the support are held at a pre-determined distance when moving from the first position to the second position.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism comprises a pulley system.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lifting mechanism is manually operated by a user.

4. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the support comprises one or more apertures for egress of the root base therethrough.

5. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the external reservoir is part of a hydroponics system.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the hydroponics system is a deep water culture hydroponics system.

7. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the support is suspended below the screen.

8. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the support is connected to the screen by an adjustable connector arranged to maintain a user-defined distance between the screen and the support.

9. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the screen comprises a plurality of inter-engaging elements.

10. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the distance between the first position and the second position is between 1 m and 3 m.

11. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the screen configured to train the growth of a plant engaged therewith is a first screen, wherein the apparatus further comprises a second screen secured above the first screen, wherein the second screen is configured to support, in use, a part of the plant extending from the first screen to the second screen, and wherein the lifting mechanism is operatively connected to the second screen such that the first screen and the second screen are held at a second pre-determined distance when moving from the first position to the second position.

12. An apparatus according to any preceding claim comprising a container for containing the root base, wherein the container is configured provide an air-tight seal with the support, and wherein, when secured to the support, the container and support provide a cavity for containing the root base.

13. A grow tent comprising an apparatus according to any preceding claim.

14. A method of maintaining a plant, the method comprising: providing an apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 12 providing a reservoir for receiving a root base of a plant and a growth medium, introducing the growth medium into the reservoir, securing the plant to the support such that the plant engages the screen and the root base of the plant is at least partially submerged within the growth medium, operating the lifting mechanism to raise the support and screen such that the root base is raised above the growth medium disposed within the reservoir while a pre-determined distance between the screen and the support is maintained.

15. A kit of parts comprising a screen, a support and a lifting mechanism configured to operate as an apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 12.