JPH06339329A - Temperature-regulated bed for raising plant - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a bed capable of uniformly regulating and maintaining the temperature of the environment where plant root is grown. CONSTITUTION:The objective bed is equipped with (A) a narrow box-like body 1, (B) several plant-inserting parts 2 arranged along the longer direction of the upper part of the body 1, (C) a fibrous mat 3 placed inside the body 1 to replenish water and nutrients to a plant root and (D) a means 4 to regulate the temperature inside the body 1. The fibrous mat 3 is laid only on the bottom inside the body 1 and most of the inside of the body 1 is vacant; the means 4 is in heat transfer contact with the bottom of the body 1 and made up from an air duct 20 through which air for temperature regulation flows.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a temperature control bed for cultivating plants, which is capable of uniformly adjusting the temperature of the growth environment of plant roots.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a plant is cultivated in a greenhouse, the optimum temperature condition for growing the plant is usually different between the upper stem and leaves and the lower root. Therefore, planting a plant in soil in a greenhouse and adjusting the temperature of the greenhouse in a usual manner does not always result in an optimal growing environment for the plant. Therefore, attempts have been made to adjust the space temperature of the greenhouse to the optimum temperature of the stems and leaves of the upper part of the plant, and the temperature of the part where the roots are stretched by another temperature control means. One proposed as such an attempt is to use a temperature control bed.

As shown in FIG. 3, this temperature control bed has an elongated box-shaped main body 1, a plurality of plant insertion portions 2 provided along the upper longitudinal direction of the main body 1, and the main body 1 filled with the plant-inserted portions. It is provided with a fibrous mat 3 which is filled and supplies water and nutrients to the roots of the plant, and a temperature adjusting means 4 for adjusting the temperature in the main body 1. The plant 10 to be cultivated has its stem 11 inserted into a block 5 having elasticity and is made of, for example, urethane foam, and is passed through the plant insertion part 2 to arrange the root 12 part in the main body 1. The roots 12 of the plants extend in the fibrous mat 3 as they grow, and supply water and nutrients from there.

The bottom surface of the main body 1 is inclined in its longitudinal direction,
A part of the water and nutrients supplied to the fibrous mat 3 from the upstream side is absorbed by the root 12 of the plant, and the rest moves downstream. Moisture and nutrients are usually mixed in a supply tank or the like, supplied as a liquid to the upstream end of the main body 1 through a supply pipe, and the liquid discharged from the downstream end is taken out through a discharge pipe and returned to the supply tank again. . As the fibrous mat 3, matte rock wool or the like is usually used.

The temperature control means 4 is constructed by laying a plurality of pipes having good heat conductivity along the longitudinal direction of the main body 1. In the example shown in FIG. 3, two pipes, a warm water pipe 6 for heating the inside of the main body 1 in the winter season and a cold water pipe 7 for cooling the inside of the main body 1 in the summer season, are embedded in the lower portion of the fibrous mat 3. Reference numeral 8 denotes a cover sheet such as a black vinyl chloride sheet that covers the outer surface of the main body 1, and is used as necessary to enhance the heat retaining effect of the main body 1.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned temperature control bed proposed in the related art, the temperature control in the main body 1, that is, the temperature control in the region where the roots of plants grow is embedded in the lower part of the filled fibrous mat 3. Since the method is performed by the hot water pipe 6 and the cold water pipe 7, it is difficult to make the temperature inside the main body 1 uniform. That is, since the contact area between the hot water pipe 6 or the cold water pipe 7 and the fibrous mat 3 is limited by the surface area of the pipe, the temperature of the fibrous mat 3 is in contact with the surroundings of the hot water pipe 6 or the cold water pipe 7 and the portion apart from it. However, the temperature gradient was generated as a whole.

Therefore, for example, in the winter, the main body 1 is connected by the hot water pipe 6.
When heating the inside, if the temperature of the fibrous mat 3 part away from the hot water pipe 6 is to be optimally maintained, the hot water pipe 6
The temperature of the portion of the fibrous mat 3 near the point becomes too high, which damages the roots of the plant in that portion. On the contrary, the same problem occurs when the inside of the main body 1 is cooled by the cold water pipe 7 in the summer. In view of the problems of the conventionally proposed temperature control bed, the present invention has an object to provide a new temperature control bed capable of uniformly controlling the temperature inside the main body.

[0008]

That is, a temperature control bed according to the present invention is housed in a main body having an elongated box-like body, a plurality of plant insertion portions provided along the upper longitudinal direction of the main body, and the main body. A fibrous mat for supplying water and nutrients to the roots of plants and a temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature inside the main body are provided. The fibrous mat is laid on the bottom of the main body so as to leave a large part of the space as a space, and the temperature control means is constituted by an air duct which is in heat transfer contact with the bottom of the main body and through which temperature control air flows. It is characterized by.

[0009]

In the temperature control bed of the present invention, since the bottom of the main body and the air duct are in heat transfer contact, that is, the heat transfer is in good condition, the temperature control air that flows through the air duct in the entire bottom of the main body. It can exchange heat with (hot air or cold air) with high efficiency. Since the inside of the main body is a space except for the fibrous mat laid on the bottom, the temperature of the portion in heat transfer contact with the air duct diffuses quickly and uniformly throughout the main body. Therefore, the temperature in the main body can always be adjusted to be uniform. In addition, the roots of the plant can grow in an unobstructed free space in the body, and its growth is faster than in the conventional case where the fibrous mat is filled in the body. Further, since it is possible to spray the liquid containing water and nutrients on the roots of the plant in the space, it is possible to supply the roots with water and the like, and also to wash away the pathogenic bacteria and fungi attached to the roots.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing an example of the temperature control bed of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view thereof. In these figures,
The same parts as those of the temperature control bed shown in FIG. 3 are designated by the same reference numerals. The temperature control means 4 is an elongated rectangular air duct 20.
And has a bottom plate 21, side plates 22, and a grid-like ceiling 23, and the crosspieces of the ceiling 23 and the bottom plate 21.
Reinforcing struts 24 are provided in between, which are made of metal or plastic material. As shown in FIG. 2, the air duct 20 is connected to the front and rear of the external duct 20a and is circulated to a temperature controller (heater and cooler) not shown.

The main body 1 has an elongated rectangular shape and its side plate 2
6 is a lid 27 formed by extending from the side plate 22 of the air duct 20 and having a plurality of plant insertion portions 2 at its upper end.
Is detachably attached. On the bottom, that is, on the grid-like ceiling 23 of the air duct 20, a waterproof sheet 28 having a relatively high heat transfer property, such as a waterproof cloth used for automobile covers, is laid. On the waterproof sheet 28, the bulky fibrous mat 3 is laid in a relatively thin layer. This fibrous mat 3 leaves most of the inside of the main body 1 as a space, for example 90%
The thickness is left to some extent. The form of the fibrous mat 3 is not particularly limited as long as it appropriately holds a liquid containing water and nutrients, supports a part of the roots of grown plants, and can replenish the water held therein. Preferred materials include, for example, woven and non-woven fabrics made of synthetic fibers and natural fibers.

The inside of the main body 1 is a space except for a relatively thin layer of the bulky fibrous mat 3. Therefore the roots of the plant can grow in this space without any obstacles. Therefore, the growth rate can be increased as compared with the case where the fibrous mat 3 is filled in the main body 1 as in the conventional case. A liquid supply means 29 for spraying a liquid containing water and nutrients onto the roots of plants is provided in the space. The liquid supply means 29 is laid along the longitudinal direction in the main body 1 and has a pipe having a large number of nozzles at predetermined intervals on its side. From the viewpoint of durability, it is preferable to use a plastic pipe such as a vinyl chloride pipe as the pipe material.
This pipe is connected to a liquid replenishing means (not shown) by a supply pipe 30 as shown in FIG. Also, the main body 1
The bottom of the slope is a slight downward slope to the downstream,
The liquid flowing down there is returned to the liquid replenishing means (not shown) by a pump or the like through a discharge pipe 31.

The operation of the temperature control bed will now be described. The root 12 of the plant 10 inserted in the main body 1 is given water and nutrients by the spray liquid from the liquid supply means 29, and the excess liquid is dripped. And is absorbed by the fibrous mat 3. The dropped liquid is the waterproof sheet 2 that forms the bottom of the main body 1.
8 gradually flows down to the downstream side, and is collected from the end portion of the main body 1 by the discharge pipe 31. The roots 12 grow in the space and gradually grow in the horizontal direction and the downward direction. The roots 12 extending in the downward direction are extended and supported in the mesh space of the fibrous mat 3, and there, the fibrous mat 3 exists. Further absorbs water and nutrients from the liquid retained by.

In the above example, the ceiling 23 of the air duct 20 is formed in a lattice shape, and the bottom of the main body 1 is formed by the waterproof sheet 28 laid on the lattice, but instead of such a structure, The ceiling 23 of the air duct 20 may be made of a metal plate having good heat conductivity and anticorrosion treatment, and the ceiling 23 may also be used as the bottom of the main body 1. In that case, the waterproof sheet 28 is omitted. Further, the cross sections of the main body 1 and the air duct 20 may be trapezoidal or other similar shapes instead of the rectangular shape. The temperature control bed of the present invention can be used not only in a greenhouse but also in ordinary outdoor cultivation.

[0015]

As described above in detail, the present invention uses the air duct as the temperature control means, and the air duct is in heat transfer contact with the bottom of the main body. Therefore, a large area of the bottom of the main body is utilized. Heat exchange with the temperature-controlling air flowing through the air duct with high efficiency, and the temperature of the heat transfer diffuses quickly and uniformly throughout the internal space of the main body, so that the temperature inside the main body can be adjusted uniformly. it can. In addition, the roots of plants can grow in an unobstructed free space in the main body, and the growth thereof can be faster than in the conventional case where the fibrous mat is filled in the main body. Further, since a liquid containing water and nutrients can be sprayed on the roots of the plant in the space, water and the like can be supplied to the roots, and at the same time, pathogenic bacteria, molds and the like attached to the roots can be washed away.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing an example of a temperature control bed of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view schematically showing an example of a conventional temperature control bed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Main body 2 Plant insertion part 3 Fibrous mat 4 Temperature control means 5 Block 6 Hot water piping 7 Cold water piping 8 Cover sheet 10 Plant 11 Stem 12 Root 20 Air duct 20a External duct 21 Bottom plate 22 Side plate 23 Ceiling 24 Strut 26 Side plate 27 Lid 28 Waterproof sheet 29 Liquid supply means 30 Supply pipe 31 Discharge pipe

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An elongated box-shaped main body 1, and a plurality of plant insertion portions 2 provided along the upper longitudinal direction of the main body 1.
In a temperature control bed for plant cultivation, which comprises a fibrous mat 3 housed in the main body 1 for supplying water and nutrients to plant roots, and a temperature adjusting means 4 for adjusting the temperature in the main body 1, The fibrous mat 3 is laid on the bottom of the main body 1 so as to leave a large part of the main body 1 as a space, and the temperature control means 4 makes heat transfer contact with the bottom of the main body 1 and an air duct 20 through which temperature control air flows. A temperature control bed for plant cultivation, characterized in that