JP4048259B2 - Hydroponics float - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hydroponics float, and more particularly, to a hydroponics float for holding a plant pot suspended in a culture solution when performing liquid-type hydroponics.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In submerged hydroponics, in which plant roots are soaked in a culture solution, as shown in FIG. 4, hydroponics cultivation is performed in order to hold the plant P on the liquid level of the culture solution L stored in the water tank 1. Float 2 is used. This hydroponics float 2 is formed by drilling a number of holding holes 22 in a mat-like float body 21. When hydroponics is performed using the hydroponics float 2, the plant pot 3 holding the plant P is fitted and held in the holding hole 22 of the hydroponics float 2 floated in the culture medium L. Let As shown in FIG. 5, the plant pot 3 is made of a porous material such as urethane foam. As shown in FIG. 4, the root P ₁ of the plant P held in the plant pot 3 grows downward in the plant pot 3 and is immersed in the culture solution L.
[0003]
6 (1) to 6 (3) are cross-sectional views of the hydroponics float and pot of each configuration.
The holding hole 22a in the hydroponics float 2a in FIG. 6 (1) has an inner periphery that is the same as or slightly smaller than the outer periphery of the plant pot 3. In this hydroponics float 2a, by inserting the plant pot 3 into the holding hole 22a, the plant pot 3 is fitted and fixed to the holding hole 22a by strong fitting.
[0004]
Moreover, the holding hole 22b in the hydroponics float 2b in FIG. 6 (2) has an inner circumference that is the same as or slightly smaller than the outer circumference of the plant pot 3, and the inner circumference of the opening end portion is widened. . In the hydroponics float 2b, the plant pot 3 is fixed in the same manner as the hydroponics float 2a shown in FIG. Moreover, the plant pot 3 can be easily fitted into the holding hole 2b by widening the inner periphery of the opening end portion.
[0005]
Furthermore, the holding hole 22c in the hydroponics float 2c of FIG. 6 (3) has an inner circumference that is slightly larger than the outer circumference of the plant pot 3, and the inner circumference of the upper end portion of the opening is widened. A mounting portion 24c having an inner peripheral hole 23c that is slightly smaller than the outer periphery of the plant pot 3 is extended to the lower end of the holding hole 22c. In this hydroponics float 2c, the plant pot 3 fitted in the holding hole 22c is held in a state of being placed on the placement portion 24c.
[0006]
Here, in each of the hydroponics floats described above, a plurality of holding holes are provided at predetermined intervals suitable for the type of plant to be cultivated.
[0007]
In addition, although illustration is omitted here, in order to improve the amount of light received by cultivated plants and to save energy in hydroponics, there is also a configuration in which a reflective film is pasted on the upper surface of the mat-shaped float body is there. As this reflection film, a film is used in which a metal is deposited on a film material to form a reflection surface.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, these hydroponics floats have the following problems.
That is, in the hydroponics float 2a of FIG. 6 (1) and the hydroponics float 2b of FIG. 6 (2), the holding hole 22a is fitted in the plant pot 3 fitted and fixed in the holding holes 22a and 22b. , 22b is pressurized from the entire inner periphery. For this reason, it interferes with this pressure, it becomes difficult for the plant root P ₁ to grow in the horizontal direction in the plant pot 3, and the rooting of the plant P becomes difficult. Furthermore, the supply of oxygen to the plant root P ₁ in the plant pot 3 is also delayed, and the growth of the plant root P ₁ is inhibited. This can lead to necrosis of the plant.
[0009]
In addition, the hydroponics float 2b of FIG. 6 (2) and the hydroponics float 2c of FIG. 6 (3) have complicated holding holes 22b and 22c. The processability at the time of manufacturing is poor and the manufacturing cost is high.
[0010]
Moreover, in the hydroponics float 2c of FIG. 6 (3), a gap is formed between the plant pot 3 and the inner wall of the holding hole 22c when the plant pot 3 is fitted in the holding hole 22c. Therefore, the amount of transmitted light that reaches the lower part of the plant pot 3 and the lower part thereof increases. Here, in the state where the plant pot 3 is held in the hydroponics float 2c suspended in the culture solution, the culture solution L is sucked to the lower side of the plant pot 3 by capillary action, and the lower portion of the plant pot 3 is moistened. It becomes a state. For this reason, when this wet part is irradiated with transmitted light, the generation and growth of algae (Aoko) occur. And since oxygen is absorbed in the growth process of algae, the supply of oxygen to the plant root P ₁ grown below the plant pot 3 is delayed and the growth of the plant root P ₁ is inhibited. Thereby, the plant P may be necrotized.
[0011]
Furthermore, each hydroponics float as described above lacks versatility because a plurality of holding holes are provided at predetermined intervals suitable for the variety of plant to be cultivated, and a plurality of types of hydroponics corresponding to cultivated plants. It is necessary to prepare a float for cultivation. This is a factor that causes an increase in equipment cost. Furthermore, when cultivating multiple types of cultivated plants repeatedly, it is necessary to replace the hydroponics float every time the variety changes, but since the float body has a thickness, unused hydroponics A considerable space must be secured to store the cultivation float, which is also a factor in increasing the equipment cost.
[0012]
Accordingly, the present invention provides a float for hydroponics that can promote the growth of a plant without inhibiting the supply of oxygen to the plant root, is inexpensive, excellent in durability, and can save space. With the goal.
[0013]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention for achieving such an object is a hydroponics float for holding a plant pot suspended in a culture solution, and includes a floating mat and a reflector placed above the floating mat. It consists of The floating mat is provided with an insertion hole having an inner circumference larger than the outer circumference of the plant pot. Moreover, the said reflecting plate is provided with the fitting hole for fixing the said plant pot. The reflecting plate is placed on the floating mat with the reflecting surface facing upward and the center of the insertion hole of the floating mat and the center of the fitting hole being aligned.
[0014]
In the hydroponics float having such a configuration, since the plant pot is fitted and fixed to the fitting hole of the reflecting plate, the fitting hole of the reflecting plate is in close contact with the outer periphery of the plant pot. The plant pot portion below is kept shielded from light. For this reason, generation | occurrence | production and growth of the algae in this plant pot part are suppressed. Furthermore, since the center of the insertion hole of the floating mat is coincident with the center of the fitting hole, the lower part of the plant pot fitted and fixed in the fitting hole is inserted into the insertion hole of the floating mat. . Since the inner circumference of the insertion hole is larger than the inner circumference of the plant pot, a gap is formed between the plant pot inserted into the insertion hole and the insertion hole. For this reason, pressure from the floating mat is not applied to the lower part of the plant pot inserted into the insertion hole, and oxygen is sufficiently supplied to the roots of the plant held in the plant pot. .
[0015]
The floating mat in the hydroponics float has the insertion holes arranged at a first pitch and a second pitch, and the reflection plate has the fitting holes at the first pitch or the second pitch. Are arranged.
[0016]
In the hydroponics float having such a configuration, when the plurality of insertion holes provided in the reflection plate are made to coincide with the plurality of insertion holes provided in the floating mat, the attachment holes of the reflection plate are different. The insertion holes of the floating mat arranged at the pitch are blocked by the reflecting plate. For example, when the fitting holes are arranged at the first pitch in the reflecting plate, the insertion holes arranged in the floating mat at the second pitch are closed by the reflecting plate. For this reason, the plant suitable for cultivation with the pitch (for example, 1st pitch) of the fitting hole in a reflecting plate comes to be cultivated. Therefore, by preparing a reflecting plate in which fitting holes are arranged at the first pitch and a reflecting plate in which fitting holes are arranged at the second pitch, and using the reflectors by replacing them, different varieties of plants can be obtained. It will be cultivated.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of a hydroponics float to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.
Drawing 1 is an important section sectional view of the float for hydroponics of an embodiment. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and demonstrated to the component similar to the past.
The hydroponics float 4 is used to hold the plant pot 3 in a state of being suspended in the culture solution L, and includes a floating mat 5 and a reflector 6 placed on the floating mat 5. It consists of
[0018]
The floating mat 5 is made of a foam material made of polyester, for example, and has an insertion hole 51 formed therein. The insertion hole 51 has an inner periphery that is slightly larger than the outer periphery of the plant pot 3 fixed by the hydroponics float 4 and is formed in, for example, a cylindrical shape or a polygonal cylindrical shape.
[0019]
The reflection plate 6 is made of a plate material (including a film material) that is sufficiently thinner than the floating mat 5, has a fitting hole 61, and has a reflection surface 62 on one surface side of the plate material. . The reflecting surface 62 is a surface formed by, for example, finishing one surface side of a plate material into a mirror surface. The fitting hole 61 is provided for fitting and holding the plant pot 3 fixed by the hydroponics float 4, and has a circular or multi-circular shape having an inner circumference slightly smaller than the outer circumference of the plant pot 3. It is molded into a square shape. The inner periphery of the fitting hole 61 is made of a porous material and is in close contact with the outer periphery of the plant pot 3 that is elastically deformed.
[0020]
Then, the reflective surface 62 of the reflecting plate 6 is directed upward, and the reflecting surface 6 is reflected on the floating mat 5 with the center of the insertion hole 51 of the floating mat 5 and the center of the fitting hole 61 of the reflecting plate 6 aligned. A plate 6 is placed.
[0021]
When the hydroponics float 4 having such a configuration is used in a plant cultivation factory, the insertion holes 51 and the fitting holes 61 are provided at an appropriate interval corresponding to the cultivated plant variety. Then, the reflecting plate 6 is placed on the floating mat 5 so that the respective fitting holes 61 are arranged in a state where the centers coincide with the respective insertion holes 51, and water that can hold a plurality of plant pots 3 The float 4 for cultivating cultivation shall be comprised.
[0022]
In order to perform hydroponics using the hydroponic culture float 4, the hydroponic culture float 4 is floated on the culture solution L with the reflective surface 62 facing upward, and is inserted into the fitting hole 61 of the reflector 6. The plant pot 3 holding the plant P is inserted. At this time, the plant pot 3 is fitted into the fitting hole 61 on the inner circumference that is slightly smaller by narrowing the side surface of the plant pot 3. Then, the plant pot 3 is fitted into the fitting hole 61 and the lower portion of the plant pot 3 is inserted into the insertion hole 51, and the height of the plant pot 3 is adjusted so that the plant pot 3 does not touch the culture solution L. And fix. As a result, the root P ₁ of the plant P held in the plant pot 3 grows downward in the plant pot 3 and is immersed in the culture solution L.
[0023]
In the hydroponics float 4 having such a configuration, the plant pot 3 is fixed by fitting the reflector 6 into the fitting hole 61, so the inner circumference of the fitting hole 61 with respect to the outer circumference of the plant pot 3. Are in close contact with each other, and the portion below the reflector 6 is shielded from light. For this reason, generation | occurrence | production of the algae below the plant pot 3 hold | maintained by the float 4 for hydroponics can be prevented.
[0024]
Further, the lower part of the plant pot 3 fitted and fixed in the fitting hole 61 of the reflecting plate 6 is inserted into the insertion hole 51 of the floating mat 5. Since the inner circumference of the insertion hole 51 is larger than the inner circumference of the plant pot 3, a gap is formed between the plant pot 3 inserted into the insertion hole 51 and the insertion hole 51. For this reason, the pressure from the floating mat 5 is not applied to the lower portion of the plant pot 3 inserted into the insertion hole 51, and below the plant pot 3 held by the hydroponics float 4, It becomes possible to supply oxygen sufficiently.
[0025]
As a result, the hydroponics float 4 can hold the plant pot 3 in a state where oxygen can be sufficiently supplied to the root P _{1 of the} plant P. At this time, since generation of algae in the plant pot 3 can be prevented, oxygen of the plant P is not intercepted. Therefore, in the hydroponics using this hydroponics float 4, the rooting of the plant P becomes good and the growth of the plant P is promoted. Further, as shown in the enlarged sectional view of FIG. 2 an enlarged portion A of FIG. 1, in a high humidity atmosphere between the plant pot 3 and the culture solution L, vigorously occurs root hairs P _2, the growth of the plant P Will be promoted.
[0026]
Further, the cylindrical insertion hole 51 provided in the floating mat 5 and the fitting hole 61 provided in the reflecting plate 6 have a cylindrical shape with a constant opening shape, so that the processing is simple and the manufacturing cost is low. It is possible to suppress it.
[0027]
And since the reflective surface 61 of the reflecting plate 6 is orient | assigned upwards, the light reception amount of a cultivated plant rises 20 to 30%. For this reason, while being able to increase the kind of plant which can be grown by hydroponics, in hydroponic cultivation using artificial light, it becomes possible to reduce light irradiation amount and to save energy. In addition, in a structure in which a reflective film formed by vapor-depositing metal is attached to the upper surface of the mat body as described in the prior art, the reflective surface deteriorates due to metal corrosion, and there is a problem in the durability of the reflective surface. It was. However, as described above, by using the reflecting plate 6 having the reflecting surface 61 in which one surface side of the plate material is finished in a mirror shape, the deterioration of the reflecting surface 61 is prevented and the resistance of the reflecting surface 61 is obtained. be able to. As a result, it is possible to reduce equipment costs in hydroponics.
[0028]
In FIG. 3, the top view explaining other embodiment of the float for hydroponics used in a plant cultivation factory is shown.
The floating mat 5 ′ of the hydroponics float 4 ′ is provided with a plurality of sets of a plurality of insertion holes 51, 51 ′ arranged at respective pitches corresponding to cultivated plants of each variety. That is, in the floating mat 5 ′, the plurality of insertion holes 51 arranged at the first pitch a corresponding to the cultivated plant and the second pitch b corresponding to another cultivated plant different from the cultivated plant are arranged. A plurality of insertion holes 51 ′ are formed. Furthermore, a plurality of insertion holes arranged at the third pitch and the fourth pitch corresponding to other cultivated plants may be provided. Here, it is assumed that the insertion holes 51 and 51 ′ are arranged at two pitches. The shape of each insertion hole 51, 51 ′ is the same as the insertion hole of the floating mat described with reference to FIG.
[0029]
The reflector 6 placed on the floating mat 5 ′ is provided with a plurality of fitting holes 61 at the first pitch a (or the second pitch b). Then, the centers of the plurality of insertion holes 51 arranged at the first pitch a in the floating mat 5 ′ and the centers of the plurality of fitting holes 61 arranged at the first pitch a in the reflecting plate 6 are matched. In the state, the reflection plate 6 is placed on the floating mat 5 ′.
[0030]
In the hydroponics float 4 ′ having such a configuration, the insertion holes 51 ′ arranged at the second pitch b in the floating mat 5 ′ are closed by the reflector 6. For this reason, only plants suitable for cultivation at the first pitch a are cultivated.
[0031]
Therefore, although illustration is omitted here, a reflecting plate in which fitting holes are arranged at the second pitch b (further, the third pitch and the fourth pitch) is prepared and placed on the floating mat 5 ′. By exchanging the reflector 6 with this reflector to form a hydroponics float, the hydroponics float is used for cultivation at the second pitch b (or the third pitch, the fourth pitch). Only suitable plants will be cultivated.
[0032]
As described above, since the floating mat 5 ′ is versatile, it is possible to apply a plurality of types of plants to hydroponics by preparing a plurality of types of reflectors corresponding to the cultivated plants. become. Here, the reflection plate is thinner than the floating mat 5 ′. For this reason, even if it is a case where it does not use for hydroponics, it becomes possible to store in a small space. Therefore, the equipment cost can be reduced by saving the equipment space.
[0033]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the float for hydroponics according to claim 1 of the present invention, a fitting hole for fixing the plant pot is provided in the reflector on the floating mat, and the floating mat portion under the fitting hole is provided. By providing an insertion hole having an inner circumference larger than the outer circumference of the plant pot, the plant pot part below the reflector can be kept in a light-shielded state, and the insertion hole is provided in the plant pot part below the reflector. It is possible to prevent pressure from being applied from the inner wall. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the growth of algae below the plant pot, to prevent the oxygen supply to the plant roots from being pressurized under the plant pot, and to promote the growth of the plant held in the plant pot. It becomes possible. Furthermore, since the fitting hole and the insertion hole do not have a special processing shape, a hydroponics float can be obtained at low cost.
[0034]
Moreover, according to the float for hydroponics according to claim 2 of the present invention, the insertion holes are arranged at a plurality of pitches on the floating mat, and the fitting holes are formed at a pitch equal to one of the pitches on the reflector. With the arrangement, it is possible to cultivate plants of different varieties only by replacing a thinner reflector without replacing the floating mat. For this reason, when cultivating plants of different varieties repeatedly, it is necessary to secure a space for storing the hydroponics float itself when using a conventional hydroponics float, while reflecting It is only necessary to secure a space for storing the plates, and it is possible to save the space for the equipment.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a float for hydroponics according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating hydroponics using the hydroponics float according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a plan view for explaining another embodiment of a hydroponics float used in a plant cultivation factory.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining submerged hydroponics.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a plant pot used for hydroponics and a plant held in the plant pot.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a conventional hydroponics float.
[Explanation of symbols]
3 ... Plant pot, 4, 4 '... Hydroponics float, 5, 5' ... Floating mat, 6 ... Reflector plate, 51, 51 '... Insertion hole, 61 ... Insertion hole, 62 ... Reflection surface, a ... 1st pitch, b ... 2nd pitch, L ... culture solution

Claims (2)

A hydroponics float for holding the plant pot suspended in the culture solution,
A floating mat provided with an insertion hole having an inner circumference larger than the outer circumference of the plant pot;
A fitting hole for fixing the plant pot is provided, and is mounted on the floating mat in a state where the reflection surface faces upward and the center of the insertion hole of the floating mat coincides with the center of the fitting hole. The float for hydroponics characterized by comprising the reflecting plate placed. In the float for hydroponics according to claim 1,
In the floating mat, the insertion holes are arranged at a first pitch and a second pitch,
The float for hydroponics, wherein the fitting holes are arranged at the first pitch or the second pitch on the reflector.

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