JP7523047B2 - Plant Growing Pot - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a plant growth pot with adjustable temperature and moisture content.

In recent years, the cultivation of citrus fruits in cold regions has been considered. In cold regions, low temperatures in winter are a problem, and as a way to solve this problem, attempts have been made to grow citrus fruits in pots, in greenhouses in winter, and outdoors in summer. However, in winter, it was necessary to be able to respond to extreme changes in temperature, with low temperatures from night to early morning and high temperatures during sunny days. For example, the soil temperature in the pot is exposed to high temperatures of over 40°C near the walls, where it is likely to rise during the day, and there are concerns about the adverse effects on the fine roots that grow near the walls. In addition, in the middle and deep layers in the center of the pot, even if there is sunlight, the temperature drops to below 10°C in the morning, which inhibits water supply from the roots and makes it easier for the transpiration rate to exceed the water supply, resulting in an imbalance in the water balance within the tree. Furthermore, in summer, it was also necessary to suppress the rise in soil temperature in the pot during the day.

Patent Document 1 describes a plant cultivation device in which a support stand made of a hollow body with holes in the upper plate for inserting plant cultivation pots is provided in a cultivation room, and cold or hot air, or cold or hot water is supplied to the support stand, making it possible to control the temperature inside the pots.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-84470

However, the plant cultivation device described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that it is large-scale and difficult to use. In particular, it is not suitable for cultivation methods in which plants are grown in a greenhouse in winter and in the open air in summer. In addition, this plant cultivation device does not take into consideration the adjustment of the amount of moisture in the pots, and there is also the problem that it is not possible to manage the amount of moisture.

The present invention was developed based on these problems, and aims to provide a plant growing pot that allows easy adjustment of temperature and moisture content.

The plant growing pot of the present invention includes an inner pot that contains soil for growing plants and has slits on at least the side, an outer pot that contains the inner pot inside, a liquid flow path pipe that is arranged in a spiral shape with a gap between it in the vertical direction between the inner pot and the outer pot and has a liquid flow path formed therein for circulating liquid, and a gas flow path that is arranged in a spiral shape between the liquid flow path pipe between the inner pot and the outer pot for circulating gas.

According to the present invention, a liquid flow path pipe is provided in a spiral shape between the inner pot and the outer pot, so that the soil can be heated or cooled by circulating liquid such as warm or cold water. In addition, a gas flow path is provided in a spiral shape between the liquid flow path pipes, and a slit is provided in the inner pot, so that gas such as warm or cold air can be circulated through the gas flow path to send gas into the soil to heat or cool it, and the moisture content can be adjusted by vaporizing the moisture contained in the soil. Thus, the temperature and moisture content of the soil can be adjusted with a simple configuration.

Furthermore, by providing a removable heat shielding member on the outside of the outer pot, it is possible to effectively block heat when the sun is strong, and to prevent the temperature rise around the periphery.

1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a plant cultivation pot according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a plant cultivation pot according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
Fig. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of a plant cultivation pot 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This plant cultivation pot 10 comprises an inner pot 11 for storing soil for cultivating a plant, and an outer pot 12 for storing the inner pot 11 inside. Note that Fig. 1 shows a cross-section of the outer pot 12 with the inside of the outer pot 12 exposed. There are no particular limitations on the material that constitutes the inner pot 11 and the outer pot 12, but it is preferable that they are made of, for example, plastic, because it is lightweight and easy to handle.

A gap is provided between the outer surface of the inner pot 11 and the inner surface of the outer pot 12, and liquid flow passage pipes 13, which have liquid flow passages 13A formed therein for circulating liquid inside, are provided in a spiral shape at intervals in the vertical direction between the two. By circulating liquid such as warm water through the liquid flow passages 13A, the soil in the inner pot 11 can be heated, and by circulating liquid such as cold water, the soil in the inner pot 11 can be cooled.

Both ends of the liquid flow passage pipe 13 are led out to the outside of the outer pot 12, for example, with one end serving as the liquid inlet 13B and the other end serving as the liquid outlet 13C. The liquid flow passage pipe 13 is preferably made of a metal pipe with high thermal conductivity, but can also be made of a vinyl hose. The liquid flow passage pipe 13 can be used by attaching a circulation means (not shown), such as a pump for circulating the liquid. The liquid may or may not be circulated. The liquid to be circulated, such as water, may be warm or cold by heating or cooling, but it is also possible to use liquid that is relatively warm or cold compared to the soil, such as groundwater.

In addition, between the outer surface of the inner pot 11 and the inner surface of the outer pot 12, a gas flow path 14 is provided, which is divided by the liquid flow path pipe 13 and formed in a spiral shape between the liquid flow path pipe 13 to circulate the gas. For example, a gas inlet 14A is provided on the bottom side of the outer pot 12 to introduce gas into the gas flow path 14. For example, a circulation means (not shown), such as a pump for circulating gas, can be attached to the gas inlet 14A and used. The upper part between the outer pot 12 and the inner pot 11 may be open or closed. For example, when it is open, the upper end of the gas flow path 14 becomes the gas outlet 14B, and when it is closed, it is preferable that a gas outlet is provided at the upper end of the gas flow path 14. Note that FIG. 1 shows a case where the upper part between the outer pot 12 and the inner pot 11 is open.

At least the side of the inner pot 11 is provided with slits 11A for allowing gas to flow inside. For example, it is preferable that the slits 11A are provided at least on the bottom side, and it is preferable that multiple slits 11A are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction. This is because gas can be sent to the entire inside of the inner pot 11. Slits 11A may also be provided on the bottom of the inner pot 11. The width of the slits 11A is preferably, for example, about 4 mm to 10 mm. If the width is too narrow, it is difficult to blow in the gas, and if the width is too wide, soil may flow out or fine roots of plants may grow through the gaps.

A support portion 12A may be provided on the inside of the bottom of the outer pot 12 to support the inner pot 11 with a gap between it and the bottom of the inner pot 11.

This plant growing pot 10 is used by, for example, putting soil in the inner pot 11 and planting a plant. For example, to warm the soil, warm water or other liquid is circulated through the liquid flow path 13A, and to cool the soil, cold water or other liquid is circulated through the liquid flow path 13A. Furthermore, if it is desired to adjust the moisture content in addition to heating or cooling the soil, a gas such as warm or cold air is circulated through the gas flow path and the gas is blown into the soil.

In this way, according to this embodiment, the liquid flow passage pipe 13 is provided in a spiral shape between the inner pot 11 and the outer pot 12, so that the soil can be heated or cooled by circulating liquid such as warm water or cold water. In addition, the gas flow passage 14 is provided in a spiral shape between the liquid flow passage pipes 13, and a slit 11A is provided in the inner pot 11, so that gas such as warm air or cold air can be circulated through the gas flow passage 14 to send gas into the soil to heat or cool the soil, and the moisture content can be adjusted by vaporizing the moisture contained in the soil. Thus, the temperature and moisture content of the soil can be adjusted with a simple configuration.

Second Embodiment
2 shows the configuration of a plant cultivation pot 20 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. This plant cultivation pot 20 has the same configuration as the first embodiment, except that a heat insulating member 21 is detachably disposed on the outside of the outer pot 12. Therefore, the same components are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The heat shielding member 21 can be made of, for example, a commercially available heat shielding sheet. An example of a heat shielding sheet is a synthetic resin film with an aluminum layer vapor-deposited on it. It is preferable that the heat shielding member 21 is provided so as to cover at least the side of the outer pot 12. This allows for effective heat shielding when the sun is strong, and prevents the temperature from rising around the periphery.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to an embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified in various ways. For example, in the above embodiment, each component is specifically described, but it is not necessary to include all components, and other components may be included. Also, the specific configuration of each component is shown as an example and may be different.

Can be used to grow plants.

10, 20... plant growth pot, 11... inner pot, 11A... slit, 12... outer pot, 12A... support, 13... liquid flow tube, 13A... liquid flow, 13B... liquid inlet, 13C... liquid outlet, 14... gas flow, 14A... gas inlet, 14B... gas outlet, 21... heat shield

Claims (2)

an inner pot that contains soil for cultivating a plant and has at least a slit on a side thereof;
An outer pot that houses the inner pot therein;
a liquid flow passage pipe provided in a spiral shape at intervals in the vertical direction between the inner pot and the outer pot, the liquid flow passage pipe having a liquid flow passage formed therein;
a gas flow passage for circulating gas, the gas flow passage being arranged in a spiral shape between the liquid flow passage pipes between the inner pot and the outer pot. The plant growing pot according to claim 1, characterized in that it is provided with a heat insulating member that is removably arranged on the outside of the outer pot.

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