JP5464765B2 - Hydroponic culture medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention mainly relates to a medium for hydroponics that is used by being attached to a medium fixing hole provided at a predetermined position of an upper lid (canopy) of a hydroponics tank. In particular, the present invention relates to a hydroponic culture medium suitable for cultivation of plants aimed at high yielding at high speed, such as fruit vegetables, beans, fruit trees, ornamental flowers, trees, and the like.

  In plant factories and the like, cultivation facilities that are already easy to manage and that enable stable harvesting throughout the year are widespread. The plant aims to increase the yield and efficiency of cultivation in LED and fluorescent lamps as the light source, and in a clean environment in the greenhouse.

  On the other hand, automation of leaf vegetable cultivation has progressed and various facilities and machinery have been adopted, but for fruit vegetables with a slightly high risk, high-speed, high-yield fruit harvesting techniques have been established to some extent as a method. The new technology has not been developed yet, and its spread has been delayed.

  With regard to the medium, there is a need for a medium that can grow plants that can grow plants that are strong and capable of high yield, reducing resistance to growth of plants from the medium, promoting root growth, and growing plants. is there. In addition to reducing the resistance caused by the medium, a function of gently inducing the roots in the horizontal direction has been demanded. That is, in order to reduce the resistance of water pressure, it is necessary to grow the roots widely in the horizontal direction in the shallow cultivation tank.

  Next, three conventional examples relating to the culture medium will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 16 shows a first conventional medium. A single sponge-like medium 102, which is a breathable and elastic member, is used for sowing of the plant 100, and the seeds of the plant seeded inside the medium extend downward from the medium to become roots, and extend upward to a stem, It becomes a leaf.

  FIG. 17 shows the medium of the second conventional example. A thin sponge-like medium 104 is used as the medium. The plant 100 is wound around the medium 104, and the wound medium 104 is inserted into the medium hole of the cultivation tank, and the plant is grown in this state.

  FIG. 18 shows a medium of a third conventional example, FIG. 18a is an exploded front view of the medium, and FIG. 18b is an assembled view of the medium. As shown in FIG. 18a, the culture medium 120 includes a plastic or metal lattice case or a medium case 110 on an open mesh, a sponge-like upper medium (seeding medium) 112 that is a breathable and elastic member, It consists of a sponge-like lower medium 114 and an upper lid 116 which are air-permeable and elastic members having a coarse mesh. As shown in FIG. 18 b, the upper medium 112 and the lower medium 114 are assembled by being pressed and fixed by the upper lid 116 in the medium case 110. The upper medium 112 includes a slit for attaching and fixing seeds, and the upper lid 116 has a plant that germinates at the center of the surface pressing the medium and grows upward. A hole is formed to pass through.

  In the culture medium of the first conventional example, the plant is grown by being sown in one culture medium 102, so that the plant cannot be stably maintained. Moreover, the extended root is not stable.

  The medium of the second conventional example is not suitable for plants that grow beyond the diameter of the medium hole because the thin sponge-like medium 104 is inserted into the medium hole of the cultivation tank.

  The medium of the third conventional example does not have the above-mentioned problems associated with the medium of the first conventional example and the medium of the second conventional example, but has the following various problems. In the vicinity of the center of the upper medium 112, the plant germinates from the seed and roots, and then the root extends toward the lower medium 114 in the direction of gravity, but the upper medium 112 and the lower medium 114 are in contact with each other. The roots from the upper medium 112 enter the lower medium 114 as they are. Roots that have grown late, branched roots, and the like continue to enter the lower medium 114 while avoiding the previously grown roots. These subsequent roots are difficult to move upward when avoiding the previously grown roots because of the resistance of the fine upper medium 112. For this reason, roots tend to gather near the center of the upper surface of the lower medium 114, and an unreasonable bend that inhibits growth may occur.

  Furthermore, since it extends downward in the lower culture medium 114 from this location, not only the roots grown in the initial stage, but also the subsequent roots pass through the bottom surface of the culture medium case 110 from the bottom surface of the lower culture medium 114, and the bottom of the cultivation tank A phenomenon that appears in the direction has been confirmed.

  In the hydroponic cultivation tank, the water depth is reduced in order to reduce resistance due to water pressure and improve internal convection, so in most cases, the bottom of the culture medium case 110 and the bottom of the cultivation tank are close to each other. For this reason, the stagnation of the roots is caused by the resistance of the bottom surface perpendicular to the roots, which is a factor that inhibits the growth.

  As shown in FIG. 18, when all the surfaces from which the roots exit from the medium case 110 are in a lattice shape or a net-like shape, the growth of the plants progresses, and the root bundle becomes the size of the lattice or the mesh size. If the roughness of the medium is exceeded, the medium case 110 may be damaged if the roots are broken, or conversely, the case is made of plastic. Moreover, the force which pushes up and opens the upper cover provided in the upper part also works. In such a situation, it is necessary to transplant to a larger cultivation tank in a house where perennial tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc. are temperature-controlled and grown. At that time, the plant is pulled up from the cultivation tank, but the root is caught by the lattice or the net, and is cut or damaged. At the time of transplantation, the medium case 110 cannot be decomposed without damaging the grown plant. Therefore, the medium case 110 itself can only be broken, and the medium case cannot be reused. In addition, the work of transferring to a new medium also gives stress to plants.

Hydroponic medium of the present invention, the medium and the fixed plate, and an upper medium horizontal cross section substantially square located underneath the said medium fixed plate, the upper medium horizontal section disposed below lower said There approximately the lower medium of the square, the fixed member provided detachably on 4 near corners of the upper medium and lower medium to upper medium to fix the lower medium medium fixing plate, and the upper medium In order to provide a space between the culture media, a spacer is provided between the upper culture medium and the lower culture medium .

  According to the present invention, the roots of the plant can be gently spread horizontally without stagnation, and the roots can be grown without being subjected to great stress, and the roots are not damaged even when transplanted to a larger cultivation tank. A hydroponic culture medium that can be decomposed, transplanted and reused is obtained.

It is a figure for demonstrating the growth process of the plant in the culture medium of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the growth process of the plant in the culture medium of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the growth process of the plant in the culture medium of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the growth process of the plant in the culture medium of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the growth process of the plant in the culture medium of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the growth process of the plant in the culture medium of this invention. It is a figure which shows the whole culture medium of Example 1 of this invention, FIG. 7a is the top view, FIG. 7b is the front view. It is a figure which shows the whole culture medium of Example 2 of this invention, FIG. 8a is the top view, FIG. 8b is the front view. It is a figure which shows the culture medium fixing plate in the culture medium of this invention, FIG. 9a is the top view, and FIG. 9b is the front view. It is a figure which shows the culture medium fixing plate of the other Example in the culture medium of this invention, FIG. 10a is the top view, FIG. 10b is the front view, FIG. 10c is the bending state of the culture medium fixing plate in the case of sowing FIG. It is a figure which shows the upper culture medium in the culture medium of this invention, FIG. 11a is the top view, and FIG. 11b is the front view. It is a figure which shows the spacer in the culture medium of this invention, FIG. 12a is the front view, and FIG. 12b is the top view. It is a figure which shows the lower culture medium in the culture medium of this invention, FIG. 13a is the top view, and FIG. 13b is the front view. It is a figure which shows the net-like holding | maintenance board in the culture medium of this invention, FIG. 14a is the top view, and FIG. 14b is the front view. It is a figure which shows the pin used with the stud bolt used with the culture medium of Example 1 and the culture medium of Example 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the culture medium of one prior art example (1st prior art example). It is a figure which shows the culture medium of another prior art example (2nd prior art example). It is a figure which shows another prior art example (3rd prior art example).

Hydroponic medium of the present invention, the medium and the fixed plate, and an upper medium horizontal cross section substantially square located underneath the said medium fixed plate, the upper medium horizontal section disposed below lower said There approximately the lower medium of the square, the fixed member provided detachably on 4 near corners of the upper medium and lower medium to upper medium to fix the lower medium medium fixing plate, and the upper medium A spacer disposed between the upper culture medium and the lower culture medium to provide a space between the culture media ;

  First, the structure and main components of the culture medium of the present invention will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 1. Next, the growth process of the plant sown in the culture medium of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Further, the structure of the culture medium and the details of the components will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 shows the culture medium of Example 1. FIG. In FIG. 1, the culture medium 20 includes a culture medium fixing plate 1, an upper culture medium 4, a spacer 5, a lower culture medium 6, a culture medium holding stud 7, and a net-like holding plate 8.
The upper medium 4, the spacer 5, the lower medium 6, and the net-like holding plate 8 are fixed and held on the medium fixing plate in the state shown in FIG. Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a plant seed 100a is sown in an upper medium 4 and a medium fixing plate 1 is provided at a predetermined position of an upper lid (canopy) (not shown) of a hydroponics tank. It is fixed and held in a hole (not shown). At this time, the level of liquid fertilizer in the cultivation tank is set to reach the seed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, rooting from the seed, the root 100b extends downward in the upper medium. As shown in FIG. 3, the root 100b extends downward, and is rooted (divided root is indicated by 100c) at a substantially space boundary between the upper medium 4 and the lower medium 6 formed by the spars 5 and the root 100b. Extends upward and brings the seed 100a into the air above the culture medium fixing plate 1 through a germination port to be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the divided roots 100c enter the lower medium 6 and extend further. At the same time, the roots extending upward and coming into the air become stems 100d, and the seeds germinate and become leaves 00e. The divided root 100c further extends while spreading in the horizontal direction by the water flow given to the liquid manure. A preferable water flow is provided by a liquid fertilizer injector (not shown) provided below the culture medium and spraying from the lower position in the horizontal direction. On the other hand, in the air, the stem 100d extends further upward and has a large number of leaves 100e. FIG. 6 shows a plant grown on the medium. When the plant is transferred to another cultivation tank in order to grow the plant larger, the medium is easily decomposed without damaging the plant.

  Next, the structure and components of the culture medium will be described with reference to FIG. The culture medium 20 includes a culture medium fixing plate 1 having a circular germination port 2 formed in a substantially central portion, a breathable and elastic member, for example, a relatively fine sponge-like medium 4 with a mesh, a spacer 5, and a breathable structure. The elastic member, for example, a relatively medium sponge-like lower medium 6, a screw holding head 3 at the upper part, a medium holding stud 7 having a bolt function at the lower end, a net-like holding plate 8, and a lower end clamp (nut) 9. Have The culture medium holding stud 7 and the lower end clamp 9 are combined to work as a fixing member. As shown in FIG. 7, the upper medium 4, the spacer 5, the lower medium 6, and the net-like holding plate 8 are fixed to the medium fixing plate 1 in this order by a fixing member including a medium holding stud 7 and a lower end clamp 9. Yes.

  Although the culture medium of Example 1 and Example 2 described later is formed in a square in the horizontal direction, the shape of the culture medium is not limited to a square, and may take any appropriate shape such as a rectangle, a circle, and an ellipse.

  Next, the structure and components of the culture medium of Example 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The culture medium 20 includes a culture medium fixing plate 1 having a circular germination port 2 formed in a substantially central portion, a breathable and elastic member, for example, a relatively fine sponge-like medium 4 with a mesh, a spacer 5, and a breathable structure. The elastic member has, for example, a sponge-like lower medium 6 having a relatively coarse mesh, a medium holding pin 17 having a pin head 13 on the upper part, a net-like holding plate 8 and a lower end cap 19. The medium holding pin 17 and the lower end cap 19 are combined to work as a fixing member. As shown in FIG. 8, the upper medium 4, the spacer 5, the lower medium 6, and the net-like holding plate 8 are fixed to the medium fixing plate 1 in this order by a fixing member including a medium holding pin 17 and a lower end cap 19. .

  9 to 15 show the individual components of the medium described above. In FIG. 9, the large hole formed in the center of the culture medium fixing plate 1 is the germination port 2, and the germination port 2 allows seeds to pass through when seeding in the upper medium, and the plant germinates from the upper medium and faces upward. It is for passing when it grows up. Further, the four (plural) holes on the outside of the germination port 2 are for penetrating the medium holding stud or the medium holding pin described above.

  FIG. 10 shows a culture medium fixing plate of another embodiment. The culture medium fixing plate 1 is composed of divided parts 1a and 1a divided into two (preferably divided in two), and an elastic body 1b such as a rubber and a spring connects both of the divided parts 1a and 1a. . That is, the divided portions are connected so as to be bendable. The upper culture medium 4 is fixed to the lower side of each of the divided portions 1a and 1a of the culture medium fixing plate 1 by a fixing member. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 11, the upper culture medium 4 is formed with slits to a position that is substantially half the depth in a direction substantially crossing the center. For this reason, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 10 c, the upper medium 4 can be spread at the slit portion by pushing the outside of the respective divided portions 1 a, 1 a downward, and the seeds can be expanded substantially in the upper medium 4. Can be seeded easily in the center.

FIG. 11 shows the upper medium. In the upper medium 4, a slit 4 a is formed to a position that is almost half the depth in a direction substantially across the center. In addition, holes (for example, four holes) through which the fixing member is passed are formed in the upper medium 4. Sponge is used as the material of the upper medium, but any material that is breathable and elastic may be used. For example, nylon yarn is irregularly laminated and heat-sealed, multi-layered fabric structure, loofah fiber, etc. have air permeability, germinated buds and roots grow with low friction resistance, fall down or bend Any material may be used for the upper culture medium as long as it is elastic enough to be retained. In addition to providing a slit in the upper medium,
From the center bottom of the upper medium to the center bottom of the crevice, a hole of an appropriate size that matches the size of the seed so that the seed does not fall may be formed to help the seed root growth. . The number of holes is not limited to one, and a plurality of holes may be formed in a direction toward the lower center of the slot. Multiple holes help the roots spread and grow.

  FIG. 12 shows the spacer. The spacer 5 is for making a gap (providing a space) between the upper culture medium 4 and the lower culture medium 6, and the material thereof is plastic, rubber, rubber, sponge, wood, or the like.

  FIG. 13 shows the lower medium. The lower culture medium 6 has holes (for example, four holes) through which the fixing member is passed. The lower medium 6 is made into a shape with less resistance to root growth (rougher than the upper medium 4). Sponge is used as the material of the lower medium, but any material that is breathable and elastic may be used. For example, nylon yarn is irregularly laminated and heat-sealed, multi-layered fabric structure, loofah fiber, etc. have air permeability, germinated buds and roots grow with low friction resistance, fall down or bend Any material may be used for the lower culture medium as long as it is elastic enough to be held.

  FIG. 14 shows a net-like holding plate. The net-like holding plate 8 has holes (for example, four holes) through which the fixing member is passed. The net-like holding plate 8 is a net-like fixing plate having a finer mesh than the lower medium 6. The root grown in the lower medium 6 grows downward in the direction of gravity. In hydroponic culture, the promotion is set shallow so that the roots are not strongly resisted by water pressure, and the emphasis is on growing the roots in a wide range in the horizontal direction. For this reason, the net-like holding plate 8 extends downward from the lower culture medium 6 and slightly resists and suppresses the roots that attempt to come out downward through the net-like holding plate 8 so as to be directed in the horizontal direction. I am doing so. Since the roots that have passed through the mesh do not grow thicker than the mesh size, a suppression effect is obtained.

  The net-like holding plate 8 has a function of strongly holding a soft and elastic upper structure (upper culture medium, lower culture medium, etc.) so as not to destroy the whole culture medium by pressure from the inside during root growth.

  The net-like holding plate 8 is suitably in the shape of a net-like or lattice-like plate, and the material thereof is made of elastic (soft) plastic, vinyl, wood, bamboo, strong plant fiber, or the like. . Further, a metal (such as a wire) coated with these materials may be used. Use a material that has elasticity so that the roots are not damaged when the plant grown from the cultivation tank is pulled up, such as transplantation (replanting) in the middle of cultivation. The net-like holding plate 8 has a function of preventing the entire culture medium from being deformed in the horizontal direction together with the culture medium fixing plate 1.

  FIG. 15 shows the fixing member. In A, a culture medium holding stud 7 and a lower end clamp (nut) 9 used in Example 1 are shown. A screw part is provided at the lower part of the medium holding stud 7, and a nut 9 is engaged with the screw part, and the upper medium 4, the spacer 5, the lower medium 6, and the net-like holding plate 8 are fixed to the medium fixing plate 1. The As the nut, a wing nut, a cap nut, a decorative nut, or the like may be used, and a double tightening structure (double nut) or a lock nut may be used to firmly fix the nut.

  B shows the culture medium holding pin 17 and the lower end cap 19 used in Example 2. When the medium holding pin 17 and the lower end cap 19 are used as the fixing members, it is cheaper and easier to assemble than the medium holding stud 7 and the lower end clamp (nut) 9 fixing member (the lower end cap 19 is attached). Because it is fitted to the lower end of the medium holding pin 17 from below).

20 Medium 1 Medium fixing plate 4 Upper medium 5 Spacer 6 Lower medium 7 Medium holding stud 8 Mesh holding plate 9 Lower end cap 17 Medium holding pin 19 Lower end cap

Claims (6)

A medium fixing plate;
An upper medium having a substantially square horizontal cross section disposed under the medium fixing plate;
A lower medium having a substantially horizontal cross section disposed below the upper medium;
A fixing member detachably provided near the four corners of the upper medium and the lower medium in order to fix the upper medium and the lower medium to the medium fixing plate;
A spacer disposed between the upper medium and the lower medium to provide a space between the upper medium and the lower medium;
A culture medium for hydroponics, comprising: The culture medium for hydroponics according to claim 1 , further comprising a net-like holding plate disposed under the lower medium, wherein the net-like holding plate is fixed by the fixing member. .   2. The culture medium for hydroponics according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member is a combination of a culture medium holding stud and a lower end clamp, or a combination of a culture medium holding pin and a lower end cap.   The culture medium for hydroponics according to claim 1, wherein the culture medium fixing plate is composed of two divided parts, and the divided parts are connected so as to be bendable.   The culture medium for hydroponic cultivation according to claim 1, wherein the upper culture medium is formed with slits to a position at a half depth in a direction substantially across the center. The culture medium for hydroponic cultivation according to claim 2 , wherein the upper culture medium and the lower culture medium are breathable and elastic, the lower culture medium is coarser than the upper culture medium, the net-like holding plate is soft and elastic, and the lower culture medium A medium for hydroponics, characterized by finer eyes.