JP2886529B1 - Cultivation equipment for solution cultivation of plants - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To grow a plant well by controlling the moisture content of a culture medium to an ideal state for cultivation with a simple structure. SOLUTION: The cultivation apparatus 10 includes a cultivation bed 1 and a
And supplied to the cultivation bed 1 by a water supply member 3.
A moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 having flexibility and water absorbability is provided from the inside to the outside of the cultivation bed 1 so as to penetrate the cultivation bed 1. One end of the moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 is connected to the culture medium 2, and the other end is exposed outside the cultivation bed 1. The water supplied to the culture medium 2 is transferred to the outside of the cultivation bed 1 via the water vaporizing and discharging material 6. The water guided to the outside of the cultivation bed 1 is vaporized and removed from the surface of the water vaporizing and discharging material 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of a cultivation device used for plant cultivation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a cultivation apparatus used for solution cultivation of plants, for example, the one shown in FIG. 1 is known. In this cultivation apparatus, a culture medium 2 is accommodated in a cultivation bed 1 which is open upward and has a substantially U-shaped cross section. A water supply member 3 is provided above the culture medium 2. This water supply member 3 is
The cultivated plant 4 planted in the medium 2 is provided with water containing fertilizer. The bottom of the cultivation bed 1 is provided with an opening 1a. Excess water supplied to the culture medium 2 is discharged to the outside of the cultivation bed 1 through the opening 1a and the drain pipe 5.

[0003]

However, it is difficult for the conventional cultivation apparatus shown in this figure to make the moisture content of the culture medium ideal. In particular, the culture medium tends to be humid. This is because it is difficult to sufficiently discharge excess water supplied from the water supply member from the cultivation bed. When the culture medium becomes humid, there is a problem that the roots of the cultivated plants rot or their growth is significantly inhibited. If the amount of water supplied from the water supply member is reduced so that the culture medium does not become humid, the culture medium may be over-dried and adversely affect the plants. Further, if the opening is increased to improve drainage of the medium, there is a problem that the medium leaks. For this reason, it is not possible to control the water content of the culture medium to an ideal state by increasing the opening.

[0004] Further, as a medium used for solution cultivation, for example, in addition to peat or the like, a material obtained by gathering inorganic fibers in a mat shape such as rock wool or glass fiber is used. This type of medium gradually drains as it is used. Therefore, the culture medium tends to become gradually humid, which has the adverse effect of reducing the plant growth environment. This adverse effect necessitates frequent replacement of the medium with a new one, which increases the running cost of the medium. Furthermore, it is difficult to dispose of rock wool and glass fiber used in a culture medium, and in fact, many problems have arisen in disposal.

[0005] Further, the cultivation bed shown in Fig. 1 is installed in a state where the whole is connected for a considerably long time. However, if the cultivation bed is displaced horizontally during installation, the medium in a low part becomes humid. For this reason, when installing, adjust the level accurately,
It is necessary to ensure that the entire medium has a uniform moisture content.
Adjusting and setting the level of a long cultivation bed accurately
In practice, it is extremely troublesome. This is because, even though the farmland where the cultivation beds are installed is almost horizontal in a small area, most of the ground is not exactly horizontal in the area where the cultivation beds are installed, for example, in a range of 1000 square meters. . On non-horizontal grounds, it is necessary to adjust the height of the supporting legs delicately and level the cultivation bed, and the actual situation is that the installation is extremely troublesome.

[0006] The present invention has been developed with the object of eliminating such adverse effects. An important object of the present invention is to provide a medium having an extremely simple structure and reducing the moisture content of the medium to an ideal state for cultivation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cultivation device that can control and improve the growth of plants.

[0007]

A cultivation apparatus for cultivating a plant according to the present invention comprises a cultivation bed 1 containing a medium 2 having water absorption and water retention, and a cultivation bed 2 of the cultivation bed 1.
And a water supply member 3 for supplying water to the water supply device. Water is supplied by the water supply member 3 to the culture medium 2 of the cultivation bed 1 on which the plants are planted, and the plants of the culture medium 2 are grown.

Further, the cultivation apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention,
A plurality of flexible and water-absorbing moisture vaporizing and discharging materials 6 are provided at predetermined intervals from the inside of the cultivation bed 1 to the outside through the cultivation bed 1. One end of the moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 is connected to the culture medium 2, and the other end is exposed outside the cultivation bed 1. The water supplied to the culture medium 2 is transferred to the outside of the cultivation bed 1 via the water vaporizing and discharging material 6. The water guided to the outside of the cultivation bed 1 is vaporized and removed from the surface of the water vaporizing and discharging material 6. Further, excess moisture is dropped from the moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 and removed.

In the cultivation apparatus for cultivating a plant according to the second aspect of the present invention, the moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 is connected to the cultivation bed 1 so that the amount of the material 6 can be adjusted. The amount of water vaporized and discharged from the material 6 is changed to adjust the moisture content of the culture medium 2. When the moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 is drawn out for a long time, the amount of moisture vaporized from the moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 increases, and the moisture content of the culture medium 2 is adjusted to be low.

In the cultivation apparatus for cultivating a plant according to claim 3 of the present invention, the cultivation bed 1 is formed by linearly arranging a plurality of styrofoam boxes 1A formed in an elongated box shape opening upward. I have. A water vaporizing and discharging material 6 is connected to each styrofoam box 1A so that the water content of the culture medium 2 is adjusted independently.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cultivation apparatus for cultivating a plant in solution, wherein the cultivation bed 1 comprises a plurality of styrofoam boxes 1 formed in an elongated box shape having an upper opening.
A is arranged in a straight line, and further, this styrofoam box 1A is provided with a heater groove 7 in an adjacent end face wall. An electric heating wire 8 is provided in the heater groove 7. The electric heating breeder wire 8 heats the culture medium 2 and cultivates plants at an appropriate temperature in winter.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the following examples illustrate a cultivation apparatus for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention does not specify a cultivation apparatus as follows.

Further, in this specification, in order to make it easy to understand the claims, the numbers corresponding to the members shown in the embodiments will be referred to as “claims” and “ In the column of “means”. However, the members described in the claims are not limited to the members of the embodiments.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 17 denotes a vinyl house. The cultivation apparatus 10 is provided in the vinyl house. The cultivation apparatus 10 includes a cultivation bed 1 containing a culture medium 2 for cultivating plants, a gantry 11 on which the cultivation bed 1 is mounted, a water supply device 9 for supplying water to the cultivation bed 1,
And an electric heating wire 8 for heating the cultivation bed 1.

The cultivation beds 1 are arranged in a plurality of rows, and are arranged in parallel with each other so that there is a gap between which the workers can move. The cultivation bed 1 contains a medium 2 in which a plant 4 to be cultivated is planted. The cultivation bed 1 accommodates the culture medium 2 in a shape like a gutter opening upward. The cultivation bed 1 can be provided with partition walls at regular intervals, but can have a structure without partition walls. The cultivation bed 1 having a partition wall is formed by arranging a plurality of heat-insulating boxes in a straight line. The cultivation beds 1 in each row are provided with a water supply member 3 and an electric heating hot wire 8.

The cultivation bed 1 shown in the figure has heat insulating boxes arranged in a line without any gap. The heat insulation box is manufactured by foaming plastic into a box shape. The styrene foam box 1A is most suitable for the heat insulation box. This is because mass production can be performed at low cost. Furthermore, in a general market, a standard styrofoam box 1A marketed as a "fish box" can be used at the lowest cost. However, the heat insulation box can also be manufactured by foaming a plastic other than styrene foam, for example, urethane. As in the case of the styrofoam box 1A, there is no need to lay a non-water-permeable sheet inside a heat-insulated box made of a plastic foam having no water permeability. This is because the insulation box itself does not leak water. A heat-insulating box made of open-cell plastic foam can have a waterproof structure with a non-water-permeable sheet stretched on the inner surface or a non-water-permeable membrane adhered to the inner surface.
Thus, the insulation box can be made of non-permeable plastic foam or water-permeable plastic foam.

As shown in a perspective view of FIG. 6, a styrene foam box 1A, which is a heat insulating box, has heater grooves 7 formed in end walls 12 at both ends. The heater groove 7 has a U-shape, into which a heat-resistant material 13 formed in a U-shape is fitted, and an electric heating wire 8 is disposed inside the heat-resistant material 13. The heat-resistant material 13 is made of a member that can withstand the temperature of the electric heating hot wire 8, for example, a heat-resistant plastic or a metal such as aluminum.

Both sides of the heat-resistant material 13 are fitted into the heater grooves 7 provided in the end wall 12 of the heat-insulating boxes arranged adjacent to each other, and can be used as a connecting material of the heat-insulating boxes. This heat-resistant material 13
Preferably, the total length is twice the thickness of the end wall 12. The heat-resistant material 13 can be fitted into the adjacent end wall 12 with a half of the heat-resistant material 13 to connect the adjacent heat-insulating boxes in an ideal state. The heat-resistant material 13 whose total length is not doubled can also be fitted and connected to the end wall 12 of the adjacent heat-insulating box on both sides. Further, the heat-resistant material 13 may have a length protruding from the inner surface of the end wall 12. Therefore, the heat-resistant material 1 that connects the heat insulation boxes
3 does not necessarily have to be twice as long as the end wall 12, but is shorter or longer.

The cultivation bed 1 that connects the adjacent heat-insulating boxes with the heat-resistant material 13 can efficiently and inexpensively install the long cultivation bed 1. However, the adjacent insulation box is not necessarily made of heat-resistant material 13
It is not necessary to connect with. Adjacent heat-insulating boxes can be bonded and connected, or connected by a rod or the like penetrating the end wall 12, or can be installed on the gantry 11 without being connected to each other.

The heat insulation box has a through hole at the bottom through which a water vaporizing and discharging material 6 for controlling the amount of water in the culture medium 2 passes. The through hole does not have to be open at the bottom,
The bottom is the ideal position. This is because the bottom through-hole can be drained while allowing the water in the heat-insulating box to flow down. The through-hole that is not opened at the bottom corresponds to the moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 placed here.
The medium in the medium 2 is sucked and discharged. The through holes are opened in all the insulation boxes. Each insulation box has one or more through holes.

A moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 is inserted into the through hole. One end of the moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 is connected to the culture medium 2, and the other end is drawn out of the cultivation bed 1 to be exposed outside the cultivation bed 1. The water vaporizing and discharging material 6 includes the water supply member 3.
The excess water supplied to the cultivation bed 1 by the
Discharged from Excess water supplied to the cultivation bed 1 descends in the culture medium 2 to reach the lower part, and is absorbed by the upper end of the water vaporizing and discharging material 6. The water absorbed here moves to the lower part of the water vaporizing and discharging material 6 by a capillary phenomenon.
Since the lower part of the moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 hangs outside the cultivation bed 1, the moisture that has migrated here drops as dripping from the lower end, or the moisture vaporizing and discharging material falls outside the cultivating bed 1. 6 evaporates from the surface. As shown in FIG. 3, the water dropped and dropped can be received by a drain tray 14 disposed below the water vaporizing and discharging material 6. A device with a drain tray 14 receives the received water,
They can be collected and supplied to the cultivation bed 1 again.

The moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 absorbs the moisture of the culture medium 2 and transfers it to the outside of the cultivation bed 1 and is made of a nonwoven fabric. However, the water vaporizing and discharging material 6 is capable of absorbing and transferring moisture by capillary action, for example,
Cloth, plastic foam having open cells, filter paper and the like can be used.

The moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 is connected to the culture medium 2 through a through hole of the cultivation bed 1 so that the length of the drawer can be adjusted. The moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 has such a length that a part thereof can be connected to the culture medium 2 even if it is drawn out long. When the moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 is drawn out from the through hole for a long time, the moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 drains from the culture medium 2 more efficiently. This is because the water vaporizing and discharging material 6 efficiently vaporizes water in a large area outside the cultivation bed 1 and easily collects as a droplet at the lower end of the long water vaporizing and discharging material 6 to efficiently drop the water. Conversely, when the amount of the water vaporized and discharged material 6 withdrawn is reduced, the amount of water discharged from the culture medium 2 is reduced. Therefore, the amount of water vaporized and discharged from the material 6 can be adjusted to adjust the moisture content of the culture medium 2. The moisture content of the culture medium 2 varies depending not only on the length of the moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 but also on the material of the culture medium 2. For example, the culture medium 2 obtained by mixing peat and rock wool is
When the withdrawal amount of the moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 is extended by 1 cm, the moisture content decreases by about 1%.

In general, the medium 2 is clogged with time and the drainage property is deteriorated. Therefore, the medium 2 has conventionally been replaced in about one year. The cultivation apparatus 10 that can adjust the amount of the moisture vaporized and discharged material 6 that can be extracted can lengthen the extraction from the cultivation bed 1 slightly every year, and can prevent the moisture content of the culture medium 2 from increasing. Therefore, the cultivation apparatus 10 can be used for a long period of two to three years without replacing the culture medium 2 while maintaining the culture medium 2 in an appropriate moisture content. This reduces cultivation costs.

The moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 is generally withdrawn from the cultivation bed 1 and the amount of the material to be withdrawn outside the cultivation bed 1 is adjusted. However, the moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 is the cultivation bed 1
It is also possible to adjust the withdrawal amount outside the cultivation bed 1 without having to pull out from the cultivation bed 1. The moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 is, for example, firstly folded and stopped at a lower end of the moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 with a string, rubber, or the like, and then unwrapped and stretched later.

The cultivation bed 1 contains peat and rock wool as a medium 2. As rock wool, fine-grain rock crushed into fine granules is suitable. Cultivation apparatus 1 of the present invention
0 does not specify medium 2 here. As the medium 2, a fiber material, a granular material, a porous material, or the like suitable for plant cultivation can be used alone or in combination. Granular or massive medium 2
Is characterized in that the upper end of the moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6 can be buried and connected so that moisture can be efficiently absorbed. The sheet-shaped culture medium 2 is connected by sandwiching the upper end of the moisture vaporizing and discharging material 6.

The water supply member 3 sprays warm water containing fertilizer from the water supply device 9 onto the culture medium 2 of each cultivation bed 1. The water supply member 3 in the figure is a pipe, and a water supply hole for supplying water to the cultivation bed 1 is opened downward. The electric heating breeding wire 8 is buried in the medium 2 and heats the medium 2 to an appropriate temperature. Further, the electric heating breeder wire 8 is embedded in the culture medium 2 based on a transmission signal from a temperature sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature of the culture medium 2,
Warm the medium 2 to the set temperature.

The cultivation bed 1 is placed horizontally on a gantry 11 as shown in FIGS. The gantry 11 is
A plurality of horizontal rods 16 are fixed to the vertical legs at predetermined intervals, and two vertical rods (pipe) 15 for mounting the cultivation bed 1 are fixed to the horizontal rod 16 in parallel. The vertical rod 15 is fixed horizontally to the horizontal rod 16. The height of the vertical rod 15 fixed to the gantry 11 is located at a height at which the cultivation bed 1 placed on the vertical rod 15 can be easily worked.

[0029]

Industrial Applicability The cultivation apparatus of the present invention has a very simple structure, and has a feature that the growth of a plant can be improved by controlling the moisture content of a culture medium to an ideal state for cultivation of the plant. That is, the cultivation apparatus of the present invention transfers the water supplied to the culture medium to the outside of the cultivation bed through the moisture vaporizing and discharging material, and vaporizes the water guided to the outside of the cultivating bed from the surface of the moisture vaporizing and discharging material. This is because they are removed. The cultivation bed which adjusts the water content of the culture medium in this state has a feature that a large amount of water can be replenished and the state can be automatically and ideally controlled with a water vaporizing and discharging material. Furthermore, even if the cultivation bed is considerably long, there is a feature that all the culture media put in the cultivation bed can be adjusted to an ideal water state. Further, it is also possible to control the moisture content of the culture medium placed in the cultivation bed to be in a uniform state, without setting the long cultivation bed completely horizontally. This is because the moisture content of the culture medium can be adjusted by adjusting the moisture vaporization amount of the moisture vaporizing and discharging material. This is extremely important when setting up long cultivation beds in the fields. This is because long cultivation beds can be easily set up on uneven fields.

Further, the cultivation apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention,
By adjusting the amount of water vaporized emission material withdrawn from the cultivation bed,
There is a feature that the moisture percentage of the medium can be adjusted. The cultivation apparatus having this structure can prevent the fluctuation of the water content of the culture medium by increasing the amount of the water vaporized and discharged material withdrawn even if the water content of the culture medium gradually increases. Therefore, the period during which the medium can be used is extended,
Moreover, there is a feature that the moisture content of the culture medium can always be set to an ideal state for cultivation in the state.

Further, the cultivation bed according to claim 3 of the present invention comprises:
A plurality of styrofoam boxes formed in an elongated box shape having an open upper side are arranged in a straight line to form a cultivation bed, and a water vaporizer is connected to each styrofoam box to independently adjust the moisture content of the medium. Like that. The cultivation apparatus having this structure has a feature that the cultivation bed can be manufactured extremely inexpensively and the culture medium in each styrofoam box can have an ideal moisture content.

Further, in the cultivation apparatus according to claim 4 of the present invention, a plurality of styrofoam boxes are arranged to form a cultivation bed, and an electric heating hot wire is provided in a heater groove provided on an end wall of the styrofoam box. The medium is heated with an electric heating hot wire. The cultivation apparatus having this structure can effectively heat the medium in which the plant roots are buried with extremely little heating energy. Therefore, there is a feature that plants can be effectively grown with little energy when it is cold.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional cultivation apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an arrangement of a cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the cultivation apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the cultivation apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a styrofoam box used for a cultivation bed of the cultivation apparatus shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Cultivation bed 1A: Styrofoam box 1
a ... Opening 2 ... Culture medium 3 ... Water supply member 4 ... Plant 5 ... Drain pipe 6 ... Moisture vaporizing and discharging material 7 ... Heater groove 8 ... Electrical warming wire 9 ... Water supply device 10 ... Cultivation device 11 ... Ground 12 ... End wall 13 ... Heat resistance Material 14: Drain tray 15: Vertical rod 16: Horizontal rod 17: Vinyl house

Continuation of front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) A01G 31/00

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cultivation bed (1) containing a medium (2) having water absorbency and water retention, and a culture medium of the cultivation bed (1)
A water supply member (3) for supplying water to (2) is provided, and water is supplied by the water supply member (3) to the culture medium (2) of the cultivation bed (1) in which the plant is planted, and the plant in the culture medium is supplied. In the cultivation apparatus for growing, a moisture vaporizing and discharging material (6) having flexibility and water absorbability is provided from the inside to the outside of the cultivation bed (1), penetrating the cultivation bed (1). The discharge material (6) has one end connected to the culture medium (2) and the other end exposed outside the cultivation bed (1),
The water supplied to the culture medium (2) is transferred to the outside of the cultivation bed (1) through the water vaporization and discharge material (6), and the water guided to the outside of the culture bed (1) is A cultivation apparatus for solution-cultivating a plant, characterized in that it is configured to be vaporized and removed from the surface of (6). 2. The water vaporizing and discharging material (6) is connected to the cultivation bed (1) so that the amount of water vaporizing and discharging material (6) can be adjusted from the cultivation bed (1), and the amount of water vaporizing and discharging material (6) is changed. Medium
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the water content of (2) can be adjusted.
A cultivation apparatus for performing solution cultivation of the plant described in 1. 3. A cultivation bed (1) is formed by arranging a plurality of styrofoam boxes (1A) formed in an elongated box shape having an open upper side in a straight line.
The cultivation apparatus for solution-cultivating a plant according to claim 1, wherein a water vaporizing and discharging material (6) is connected to (A) to independently adjust the moisture content of the medium (2). 4. A cultivation bed (1) in which a plurality of styrofoam boxes (1A) formed in an elongated box shape having an upper opening are arranged in a straight line, and the styrofoam box (1A) is an adjacent end. A heater groove (7) is provided in the face wall (12), and an electric heating green wire (8) is provided through the heater groove (7), and the medium (2) is applied by the electric heating green wire (8). The cultivation apparatus for solution-cultivating a plant according to claim 3, wherein the cultivation apparatus is configured to warm.