JPS6219032A - Plant culture apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a plant cultivation device for cultivating plants using liquid fertilizer.

[Prior Art] In recent years, many attempts have been made to switch the cultivation of plants such as tomatoes and cucumbers from soil cultivation to hydroponics, and remarkable results have been obtained. This daffodil cultivation uses a water tank filled with liquid fertilizer, and the plants are grown with their roots immersed in the liquid fertilizer in the tank. Compared to soil cultivation, the roots grow in hard soil. Since there is no consumption of a large amount of energy required for this, the nutrients can be effectively used for fruiting, etc., thereby dramatically increasing the yield.

However, in the hydroponic culture mentioned above, a large tank filled with a large amount of liquid fertilizer is required, so the equipment becomes very large-scale.Furthermore, the tank, which has become extremely heavy due to filling with liquid fertilizer, is kept horizontally. Since it has to be installed stably on the ground, large-scale foundation work is required, making the installation work troublesome, and at the same time, the installation location is limited, such as in places with weak ground such as sandy soil, or in places with tremors. Cultivation on board ships is extremely difficult.

Furthermore, in order to grow such plants, it is necessary to supply sufficient water, nutrients, and oxygen, but in the above-mentioned hydroponic cultivation,
Since plant roots are constantly immersed in liquid fertilizer, they are particularly susceptible to oxygen deficiency, and to prevent this, it is necessary to constantly supply air to the liquid fertilizer, making liquid fertilizer management extremely troublesome.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The problem of the present invention is to easily and efficiently grow plants using liquid fertilizer without using a water tank or troublesome air supply management as described above. Our goal is to provide cultivation equipment that can.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the plant cultivation device of the present invention includes a support means for supporting the plants to be cultivated in a state where the roots are exposed in the air, and a support means for supporting the plants to be cultivated in a state where the roots are exposed in the air. The present invention is characterized by comprising a liquid fertilizer supply means for intermittently supplying liquid fertilizer to the roots.

[Function] Plants to be cultivated are supported by support means in such a way that their roots are exposed to the air, so that they can constantly take in the oxygen necessary for growth.

On the other hand, liquid fertilizer is intermittently supplied to the roots of the plant from the liquid fertilizer supply means at regular intervals to provide water and nutrients necessary for growth. The time interval at this time is based on temperature, humidity,
It is set according to the type of plant, growth condition, growing period, etc.
Controlled automatically by a timed device or by a manual device.

In this way, plants can be cultivated using liquid fertilizer without special air supply management as in hydroponic cultivation, and without using a water tank for soaking the roots.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a case in which the cultivation device is formed into a box shape, in which roots 5a are placed in a cultivation container 1 surrounded by wall members 2a and 2b such as flexible synthetic resin sheets or synthetic resin panels. A plant support means 3 for supporting the plant 5 in a state where it is exposed to the air, and a liquid fertilizer supply means 4 for intermittently supplying liquid fertilizer to the roots 5a of the supported plant 5 are provided.

The support means 3 has a base plate 6 equipped with an opening 7 for inserting the trunk 5b of the plant 5 inside the cultivation container l, and an upper chamber 8 defined in the upper part of the base plate 6. , a support 9 of an appropriate shape such as a rod shape or a line shape is provided to support the trunk 5b and branches of the plant 5, and a mesh-like support 11 is provided in the lower chamber 10 to support the roots 5a of the plant 5. These supports 8 and 11 are both attached to the base plate B in the illustrated embodiment.

The liquid fertilizer supply means 4 disposed in the lower chamber 1O is used to feed plants 5
The device shown in the figure uses an ultrasonic vibrator to atomize and supply liquid fertilizer to the roots 5a. That is, the aircraft 1 has a built-in electrical control mechanism.
4 is provided with a liquid chamber 16, and the ultrasonic vibrator 15 is disposed in the liquid chamber 16, and the liquid fertilizer supplied to the liquid chamber 1B from the liquid fertilizer tank 17, which is detachable from the body 14, is transferred to the ultrasonic vibrator 15. It is configured to atomize the water and supply the atomized water to the roots 5a from the spray port 18, and the spraying is performed intermittently at regular intervals.

As a control mechanism for intermittently spraying liquid fertilizer in this way, a timer using a humidity sensor, a timer, etc. that is sensitive to the humidity in the lower chamber 10 is used, and the control mechanism automatically adjusts the amount of liquid fertilizer depending on changes in the moisture content and time. It is desirable that the switch be configured to operate, but it may also be of a type in which the switch is manually operated at regular intervals.

Further, in the lower chamber 10, a saucer 19 is provided to receive droplets that adhere to roots 5a, plywood 6, etc. due to spraying of liquid fertilizer.
The liquid fertilizer collected by this tray 18 is collected into a liquid fertilizer tank 17 in the liquid fertilizer supply means 4. At this time, the collected liquid fertilizer may flow directly into the liquid fertilizer tank 17 from the saucer 19 as shown in the figure, but it is first received in another container, the components are adjusted, and then the liquid fertilizer tank 7 It may also be supplied to

The lower chamber 10 is preferably kept dark by making the portion of the wall member 2a surrounding the lower chamber 10 opaque;
In addition, in order to adjust the liquid fertilizer supply means 4 and take in and out the liquid fertilizer tank 17, it is necessary to be able to open and close at least one wall member.

On the other hand, it is better for the upper chamber 8 to have good sunlight, contrary to the royal room 10. Therefore, the surrounding wall members 2a and 2b are formed transparent, and the wall members on each side are adjusted as necessary. Although it is desirable to be able to open and close the upper chamber 8, it is not necessary to surround the upper chamber 8 with wall members 2a and 2b.

Note that even when the upper chamber 8 and the lower chamber 1O are surrounded by the wall member 2, air holes are provided in the wall member 2 to ensure good air circulation at all times. It is desirable to keep it.

In the plant cultivation device having the above configuration, the plant 5 to be cultivated has its trunk 5b and roots 5a supported by the supports 9 and 11 with the lower end of the trunk 5b inserted into the opening 7 of the base plate 6. Roots 5 exposed to the air in the lower chamber 10
A is designed to be able to constantly ingest the oxygen necessary for growth.

On the other hand, in the liquid fertilizer supply means 4, the liquid fertilizer is atomized by the ultrasonic vibrator 15, and the liquid fertilizer is intermittently sprayed from the spray port 18 to the roots 5a of the plants 5 at regular intervals, and the liquid fertilizer is intermittently supplied to the roots 5a of the plants 5 to meet the needs for growth. Water and nutrients are provided. The time interval required for spraying at this time varies depending on the temperature, humidity, type of plant, growth condition, desired growth period, etc., and is appropriately set in consideration of these factors. Droplets falling from the roots 5a and the base plate 6 are collected by a saucer 19 and collected in a liquid fertilizer tank 17.

In this way, there is no special air supply management like in hydroponics, and there is no need to use an aquarium to soak the roots.
Plants can be cultivated using liquid fertilizer.

As the liquid fertilizer supply means 4, it is not necessarily necessary to use the ultrasonic vibrator 15 as described above, but a nozzle that can atomize the liquid fertilizer and spray it is used, and the liquid fertilizer fed under pressure by a pump is transferred to the nozzle. It can also be configured to eject through the air.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a cultivation device using such a nozzle, and has a cultivation container 20 in the form of the first embodiment with the upper chamber 8 removed. The trunk 5 constituting the support means 22 for the plant 5 is placed on the top plate 21 of 20.
A support device 23 for roots 5a and a support device 24 for roots 5a are attached, a liquid fertilizer tank 25 is formed inside the cultivation container 20, and a pump 2 is provided to suck up the liquid fertilizer in the liquid fertilizer tank 25.
6 and a control device 27 that drives the pump 28 intermittently, and a nozzle 29 that sprays the liquid fertilizer sucked up by the pump 28 onto the upper surface of the saucer 28 that receives and catches falling droplets.
One or more are disposed toward the root 5a.

Furthermore, a sprinkler is installed on the base plate 6.21 in place of the above-mentioned ultrasonic vibrator and nozzle, or in combination with either of them, and the structure is such that the liquid fertilizer is intermittently spread by this sprinkler. You can also. In this case, the base plates 6 and 21 are appropriately provided with through holes through which the sprayed liquid fertilizer flows toward the roots.

In each of the above embodiments, a cultivation device configured to cultivate one plant was shown, but it is also possible to cultivate two or more plants by providing a plurality of support means 3 and liquid fertilizer supply means 4. Needless to say, it is possible to
These cultivation devices can be used by installing them in vinyl containers, greenhouses, etc. as necessary, and in the case of the one shown in Figure 1, it is also possible to use it as a greenhouse itself. .

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the plant cultivation apparatus of the present invention, the following effects can be expected.

a. Since the roots are always supported in a state where they can take in oxygen by bringing them into contact with the air, oxygen deficiency in the roots is less likely to occur as in hydroponic cultivation, and there is no need to manage the air supply to liquid fertilizer. Moreover, since there is no soil resistance, root growth is very good.

b. Since the liquid fertilizer is supplied to the roots in intermittent drops, the water and nutrients necessary for growth can be reliably supplied with a small amount of liquid fertilizer, which is efficient and economical. Therefore, plants can be cultivated even in places where there is no water.

Moreover, the amount of liquid fertilizer supplied can be easily controlled, and thereby the growing period can also be controlled.

Since there is no need for a large-scale aquarium that requires fixed installation like in C3 hydroponic culture, the entire cultivation device can be extremely simplified, and therefore, there is no need for large-scale foundation work for membrane-based aquariums. It can be installed in places with weak ground, such as sandy soil, and can be used in ordinary homes and on swaying ships.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are sectional views showing other embodiments of the plant cultivation apparatus of the present invention. 3... Support means, 4... Liquid fertilizer supply means, 5... Plant, 5a... Root. Patent applicant Masao Yamamoto Figure 1 h, l Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plant characterized by having a support means for supporting a plant to be cultivated with its roots exposed in the air, and a liquid fertilizer supply means for intermittently supplying liquid fertilizer to the roots of the supported plant. Cultivation equipment.