JPH0255008B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a spray-type plant cultivation method.

(Background Art) As a type of hydroponic cultivation of plants, there is a so-called spray cultivation method in which nutrient water is supplied to the roots of plants in the form of a mist. This cultivation method has the advantage that the root system is exposed to the air, so there is plenty of oxygen and no root rot occurs.

However, simply supplying the spray does not allow the spray to come into contact with the roots of the plant, and a large amount of spray is wasted.Therefore, if the necessary amount of spray is to be supplied to the roots, the overall device becomes larger. There is.

Therefore, the inventor came up with the idea that by arranging a wavy water-retaining pine that captures the spray and retains water in the spray box, the spray is not wasted and can be used for efficient spray cultivation. That is, a nonwoven or woven material such as rayon, nylon, acetate, polyester, polypropylene, rock wool, glass, etc. is used as the water-retaining mat, and nutrient water is retained by capillary force.

However, it has been found that using this water retaining mat also has the following problems.

In other words, conventionally, nutrient water condenses in the planting medium that supports the plant at the lower part of its stem, and salts in the nutrient water accumulate at a high concentration, causing the stem to become thinner due to changes in osmotic pressure due to salt accumulation. Salt damage has become a problem, and it has been found that even when water-retaining pine is used, water may evaporate from the water-retaining pine and salt may accumulate. This is considered to be a particular problem in the spray cultivation method, especially when using an ultrasonic type spray generator or the like with small spray particles.

The next problem is moisture management. Generally, in soil cultivation, moisture management is an important means for regulating the growth of vegetables (particularly fruit vegetables). In other words, when cultivating fruits and vegetables in a facility, attempts are made to control growth through water restriction in order to maximize or maximize quality and yield.

However, in general, this moisture management is nearly impossible in hydroponic cultivation. In fact, hydroponic cultivation has tended to emphasize vegetative growth.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the various problems mentioned above, and its purpose is to:
Not only can the accumulation of salts on the water-retaining pine be effectively prevented, but also moisture management can be easily carried out.
To provide a spray-type plant cultivation method capable of obtaining high-quality vegetables and the like in good yield.

(Summary of the Invention) The present invention includes the following configuration to solve the above problems.

That is, in a spray-type plant cultivation method in which a plant is supported by the upper lid of a closed casing and nutrient water such as a culture solution or water is supplied from a spraying device into the closed casing, the sprayed water is added to the closed casing. The method is characterized in that a water-retaining pine that captures and retains nutrient water is laid down, and the water-retaining pine is washed by intermittently supplying a water nutrient solution onto the surface of the water-retaining pine to prevent salt accumulation on the water-retaining pine. .

(Embodiments) Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the accompanying drawings.

First, the spray-type plant cultivation that can suitably carry out the method of the present invention will be explained.

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of a spray-type cultivation box 10, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cultivation box 10 with the top cover removed.

In the figure, 11 is a cultivation box main body, which is made of a heat insulating material such as styrofoam. Cultivation box 1
1 The inner surface is covered with a vinyl sheet 12 or the like to make it waterproof. Note that an appropriate waterproofing agent may be applied.

Numeral 13 is a water retention pine, which is provided in the cultivation box 10 in a wavy manner.

The height of the waves is approximately the same as the height of the greenery in the cultivation box 10.

Reference numeral 14 denotes support legs of the water retention mat 13, which are erected on both sides of the inner bottom surface of the cultivation box 11 at regular intervals. Reference numeral 15 denotes a nutrient water supply pipe, which is suspended horizontally on the pair of support legs 14 and is fixed at each end to the support legs 14 with fixing fittings 16. Then, the nutrient water supply pipe 15 contacts the wave peaks of the water retention mat 13 from inside, and the water retention mat 13
is supported in a wavy manner. Further, the nutrient water supply pipe 15 is provided with through holes 17 at regular intervals on the top surface that is in contact with the water retaining mat 13.
Nutrient water and water can be supplied from 7 to the water retention mat 13. The supplied liquid flows down and permeates along the water retaining mat 13.

Both sides of the lower part of the fixing bracket 16 extend laterally, and a support rod 18 is horizontally mounted and fixed to the extending end of the corresponding fixing bracket 16 of the pair of support legs 14. contacts the middle part of the wave of the water retaining pine 13 from the inside and widens the middle part of the wave.
Further, both lower portions of the wave of the water retaining mat 13 are fixed to the lower portions of the support legs 14. Therefore, water retention mats 1
The lower part of wave 3 is narrowed and a wide space is formed between adjacent waves.

The material of the water-retaining mat 13 is not particularly limited, and any material may be used as long as it has water-retaining properties and corrosion resistance. For example, fibers such as rayon, nylon, acetate, polyester, polypropylene, rock wool, and glass, or composite fibers thereof formed into nonwoven or woven fabrics can be suitably used. The thickness of the water-retaining pine 13 is not particularly limited, but if it is too thin, the roots of the plants will penetrate the water-retaining pine 13, making it impossible to reuse it. The color of the water-retaining mat 13 was black.

Next, reference numeral 19 denotes an upper lid, which is made of a heat insulating material such as styrofoam, like the cultivation box main body 11, and seals the cultivation box main body 11. The upper cover 19 is provided with planting holes 20 at regular intervals at positions corresponding to the crests of the waves of the water retaining pine 13. In this planting hole 20,
Planting medium 2 that supports the plant as shown in Figure 3
Insert 1. Since the above-mentioned planting hole 20 is located corresponding to the crest of the wave of the water-retaining pine 13, the plant body supported by the planting medium 21 has roots extending evenly to both sides of the wave of the water-retaining pine 13. It is supported not only by the roots themselves but also directly by the water retaining pine 13. Note that a certain gap may be provided between the top of the wave crest of the water-retaining pine 13 and the lower surface of the upper cover 19, and the plant body may be supported only by the roots. Which one to select can be suitably selected depending on the type of plant, taking into consideration the degree of root elongation and the like. Also, depending on the type of plant, for example, for root vegetables such as radish, the planting hole 20 is provided in a part corresponding to the trough of the water-retaining pine 13 as shown in Fig. 4, so that the roots can be placed in the trough space. It can also be extended.

Next, in FIG. 2, reference numeral 22 denotes a spray supply pipe, which opens at the end of the cultivation box in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the waves of the water retention pine 13 advance. Moreover, 23 is a spray collection pipe, which opens at the end of the cultivation box in the direction opposite to the spray supply pipe 22. Reference numeral 24 denotes a drain recovery pipe, which collects and recovers when the sprayed nutrient water condenses or when the supply liquid from the above-mentioned nutrient water supply pipe 15 is excessive.

Figure 5 shows a flow sheet for nutrient water.

The culture solution in the culture solution tank 25 is pressurized by a submersible pump 26 with pressure contacts, and is supplied to a spray generator 29, such as an ultrasonic type, via an electrically operated valve 27 and a flow rate regulating valve 28. The spray generator 29 atomizes the supplied culture solution and supplies it into the cultivation box 10 from the spray supply pipe 22 using a built-in blower fan. Most of the culture solution supplied to the spray generator 29 is connected to an overflow port (not shown) in order to avoid an excessive rise in the temperature of the culture solution in the spray generator 29.
It overflows and is returned to the culture solution tank 25 via the filter 30. The temperature and humidity of the air flowing into the blower fan built into the spray generator 29 is controlled by the air conditioner 31. The liquid spray supplied to the cultivation box 10 is absorbed by the roots of the plant as nutrient water. Excess spray liquid is removed from spray recovery pipe 2.
3, is mixed with outside air in a spray-air mixer 32 to be described later, and flows into the air conditioner 31 again. Note that the culture fluid condensed in the air conditioner 31 passes through a drain pipe and is collected via the filter 30, or is discharged as drain. The air conditioner 31 is a small heat pump type cooling/heating device, and is used for both heating and cooling.

On the other hand, the culture solution pressurized by the submersible pump 26 is sent to the aforementioned nutrient water supply pipe 15 via the electrically operated valve 33 and the flow rate adjustment valve 34, and is supplied to the water retention mat 13 from the through hole of the pipe. Ru. The culture solution that has flowed down is discharged through the drain recovery pipe 24 and collected into the culture solution tank 25 via the filter 30. On the other hand, the nutrient water supply pipe 15 is also connected to a water supply pipe 35 via an electrically operated valve 36. Therefore, by operating both electrically operated valves 33 and 36, water and culture solution can be switched and supplied to the nutrient water supply pipe 15.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing another embodiment of the nutrient water flow system.

In this embodiment, a culture solution tank 25 for supplying the culture solution as a spray and a culture solution tank 37 for supplying the culture solution as a liquid from the nutrient water supply pipe 15 are separately provided.

Therefore, by preparing culture solutions having different compositions in each culture solution tank 25, 37, two systems of nutrient water can be supplied. 38 is the drain collection pipe 24
This is a filter for the culture solution collected from the culture solution tank 37.

Next, FIG. 7 shows a sectional view of the spray-air mixer 32 described above.

39 is a connecting pipe to the air conditioner 31. The rear end of the connecting pipe 39 is enlarged in diameter, and one end of the above-mentioned spray recovery pipe 23 is connected to the center of the rear surface of this enlarged diameter portion. The peripheral edge side of the rear surface of the enlarged diameter part is opened, and the outside air intake passage 4 is opened.
0. 41 is a filter.

When the blower fan built in the air conditioner 31 described above is driven, the excess spray liquid flows from the spray recovery pipe 23 through the connecting pipe 39 to the air conditioner 31.
At this time, the outside air simultaneously flows into the connecting pipe 39 from the outside air intake path 40 and is mixed with the spray liquid. In this way, the surplus spray liquid is supplied into the cultivation box 10 again together with the newly atomized liquid.

Note that the spray-air mixer 32 does not necessarily need to be provided.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the wave shape of the water retaining mat 13.

In this embodiment, the water retention mat 13 is simply supported from the inside by the nutrient/water replenishment pipe 15 placed on the support stand 45, giving the water retention mat 13 a normal corrugated shape with a wide hem.

Next, the operation and effect of the above-mentioned apparatus as well as the method of the present invention will be explained in more detail.

In the embodiment described above, the water retaining mats 13 are arranged in a wavy manner within the cultivation box 10. Therefore, the spray supplied into the cultivation box 10 comes into contact with the root system, directly wets the roots, and is absorbed from the roots, as well as being caught on the water-retaining pine 13, which is formed in a wave shape and has an increased area. Water is retained, and the water-retained culture solution is also absorbed through the roots.

A predetermined amount of culture solution is retained on the water retention mat 13 by capillary force, and an excess amount flows down and is collected from the drain collection pipe 24.

As described above, in the present invention, the amount of water retained can be significantly increased compared to the case where only spraying is used.
Furthermore, since the culture solution retained in the water retaining pine 13 has stagnation properties, the amount of the culture fluid that does not come into contact with the roots and is discharged as a spray is reduced. In other words, water retention mats 13
The amount of spray supplied can be set to a smaller amount by the amount of water retained in the tank, resulting in a significant reduction in running costs. In other words, a better balance between the amount of spray supplied and the amount absorbed by the roots has been achieved.

As mentioned above, the culture solution is retained in the water retaining mat 13 and stagnates, and as the water evaporates, it gradually becomes concentrated, which may cause salt damage.

Therefore, in the method of the present invention, nutrient water or water is intermittently supplied to the water retention mat 13 from the nutrient water supply pipe 15 as described above. As a result, the nutrient water or water flows down on the water retention mat 13, and the water retention mat 13 is washed, so that salt damage can be effectively prevented.

Furthermore, when the nutrient water is supplied from the nutrient water supply pipe 13, it also serves as a replenishment of nutrients when there is a shortage of nutrients from the spray.

On the other hand, by intermittently supplying water from the nutrient water supply pipe 15, so-called moisture management can be performed, and vegetables etc. can be obtained with high quality and high yield.

If the nutrient water supply pipe 15 is brought into contact with the corrugated inner surface of the water retention mat 13 as described above, the water retention mat 1
This is suitable because the wave shape of 3 can be maintained.

However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above, and the nutrient water supply pipe 15 may be arranged in the wave space below the water retention mat 13 to inject the nutrient water onto the lower surface of the water retention mat 13.

Although not shown, a nutrient water supply pipe may be arranged on or above the wave of the water retention mat to supply nutrients onto the water retention mat.

Furthermore, the cross-sectional shape of the water retaining mat 13 is not limited to the above-mentioned wave shape, but may be a flat sheet shape.

In short, in the present invention, a water-retaining mat is laid in the spray space to liquefy the spray to better retain water, and at the same time, to prevent salts from accumulating at a high concentration in the water-retained culture solution. The water-retaining pine is washed by intermittently supplying the culture solution.

Here, the term "nutrient solution" is not limited to only water, but is a concept that includes culture solution.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the present invention has the following remarkable effects.

Since a large amount of nutrient water is retained in the water-retaining pine, the disadvantage of the spray cultivation method, in which the spray is discharged as is, is overcome, and at the same time, the problem of salt accumulation, which is a disadvantage due to the retention of nutrient moisture, is overcome. Ta.

By washing the water-retaining pine intermittently, moisture can be managed at the same time, making it possible to obtain high yields of high-quality vegetables.

Although the present invention has been variously explained above with reference to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and it goes without saying that many modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figures show a spray-type cultivation device that can be suitably applied to the method of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of a cultivation box;
The figure is a plan view of the cultivation box with the top cover removed, Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of root extension, Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram of the case where roots are extended within the wave space of water-retaining pine, and Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of root extension. 5 and 6 are flowcharts showing an example of a nutrient water supply system, FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of a spray-outside air mixing device, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing another example of the shape of the water retaining mat. 10... Cultivation box, 11... Cultivation box body, 12... Vinyl sheet, 13... Water retention mat, 14... Support leg,
15... Nutrient water supply pipe, 16... Fixing metal fittings, 17
... Through hole, 18 ... Support rod, 19 ... Top cover, 20 ... Planting hole, 22 ... Spray supply pipe, 23 ... Spray collection pipe, 24
...Drain collection pipe, 25...Culture solution tank, 26...Submersible pump, 27...Electrically operated valve, 28...Flow rate adjustment valve, 29...Spray generator, 30...Filter, 31
... Air conditioner, 32 ... Spray-air mixer, 33 ... Electrically operated valve, 34 ... Flow rate adjustment valve, 35 ... Water supply pipe,
36...Electrically operated valve, 37...Culture solution tank, 38...Filter, 39...Connecting pipe, 40...Outside air intake path, 41
...filter.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a spray-type plant cultivation method in which a plant is supported by an upper lid of a closed casing and nutrient water such as a culture solution or water is supplied from a spraying device into the closed casing, the sprayed nutrient is supplied into the closed casing. Spraying characterized by laying water-retaining mats that capture and retain water, and washing the water-retaining mats by intermittently supplying a water nutrient solution onto the surface of the water-retaining mats in order to prevent salt accumulation on the water-retaining mats. Formula plant cultivation method.