RU200500U1 - Module for growing plants in hydroponics - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to the field of agriculture. A module for growing plants in hydroponics is proposed, made in the form of a cylindrical layered vertically oriented structure, consisting of a front layer made of a shaping material with seats with holes for plants, a rear waterproof layer and an inert middle layer made of tubular knitted fabric with pockets for plants located around the perimeter with an angular offset of 90 °. Pockets for plants are made of elastic jersey in the form of tricot stitches from non-stretchable threads and tricot loops from elastomeric spandex threads. The module provides improved conditions for germination and maintenance of grown plants. 4 ill.

Description

The utility model relates to the field of biotechnology and agriculture and can be used to grow plants under controlled hydroponic conditions.

A device is known, consisting of a rigid vertically directed frame with a system of vertical inserts, open in the upper part, made with the possibility of keeping plants in the medium of a nutrient solution and their vertical growth (US patent 4961284, A01G9 / 02, 09.10.1990). The liner is tightly inserted inside the frame and forms the side and front walls. A substrate for growing plants is placed in the liner. At least one of the front walls has vertical holes for accessing the insert and piercing it through the holes to ensure vertical growth of plants in the substrate.

The disadvantage of the device is the complexity of its use, namely: it is difficult to fill the liners with a substrate, as well as to replace it. In addition, excess moisture is created inside the liner, which contributes to the development of mold and decay of the plant root system.

It is also known a device representing an inert substrate located in a vertical plane, one side of which is illuminated, the other darkened. The irrigation system is made by periodically supplying a nutrient aqueous solution from top to bottom on the darkened side of the substrate. The inert substrate is mounted on a supporting structure, orienting the substrate vertically. In the most general case, the substrate is two parallel sheets of polymer film, between which a reinforcing mesh is located, for example, a Rabitz mesh. The film, located on the side of the light source, should be opaque or reflective. The holes for planting plants are located coaxially in the films forming the substrate (patent RU 2025956, A01G31 / 00, 09.01.1995).

The disadvantage of the device is excessive moisture, which contributes to the development of mold and decay of the root system of plants.

A device for hydroponic plant cultivation is known, containing modules in the form of vertically oriented structures with holes for plants, installed in a row to form a gable structure with the ability to move in the direction of the row length and supported from the upper ends by a holder. The mechanism for providing nutrient fluid and supplying it to plant roots is located on the inside of the modules. The device contains structural elements for connecting the sides of adjacent modules (patent JP 6097922, A01G31 / 00, 07.12.94). However, the productivity of this hydroponic device is limited by the ability to use floor or other horizontal areas.

A known module for growing plants in hydroponics, made in the form of a layered vertically oriented structure with holes and having a mechanism for providing a nutrient fluid, the front layer of which is made of a forming material with seats in the form of pockets with holes for seeds and / or plants, the back layer is made in in the form of a protective waterproof film, and the intermediate space between the front and back layers is made in the form of an inert material with a developed capillary surface (patent RU 2178637, A01G31 / 02, 27.01.2002).

The disadvantage of this design is the lack of protection of seeds from exposure to sunlight and the creation of stagnant zones of high humidity due to the tight fit of the wetted thin film to the back plane of the front layer.

The closest is the module for growing plants in hydroponics, made in the form of a cylindrical layered vertically oriented structure, consisting of a front layer made of a form-forming material with seats with holes for plants, a rear waterproof layer and an inert middle layer with a developed capillary surface, made of two layers of tubular jersey with heel pockets, and the heel pockets of each of the tubular jersey layers are knitted with an angular displacement of 180 °, the heel pockets of the inner and outer layers are located relative to each other with an angular displacement of 90 °, and on the outer layer of tubular knitwear are made broaches corresponding to the heel pockets of the inner layer (patent RU 155436, A01G31 / 02, 10.10.2015).

The disadvantage of this design is that the interlacing of the heel pocket with a high development of the capillary surface does not provide a high development of the substrate (significant thinning of the pocket wall during stretching), which reduces the quality of conditions for grown plants and, accordingly, inhibits their development.

The task of the proposed technical solution is to increase the efficiency of plant cultivation.

The technical result of the utility model is to improve the conditions for germination and maintenance of cultivated plants.

The technical result is achieved in a module for growing plants in hydroponics, made in the form of a cylindrical layered vertically oriented structure, consisting of a front layer made of a forming material with seats with holes for plants, a rear waterproof layer and an inert middle layer of tubular knitted fabric with pockets for plants located along the perimeter with an angular displacement of 90 °, while the pockets for plants are made of elastic knitwear in the form of jointly knitted tricot loops of inextensible threads and tricot loops of elastomeric spandex threads.

The vertically oriented structure of the module for growing plants in hydroponics is made in the form of a cylinder and consists of the front, back and middle layers. The front layer is made of a shaping material, which can be any sheet material (plastic, stainless steel, black rolled sheets coated with inert varnishes, enamels, plastics, foam materials), rolled into a cylinder, inert woven ( fiberglass) or non-woven materials, protective film (polyethylene, PVC, etc.). The middle layer is made of tubular jersey with pockets positioned with 180 ° angular offset along the perimeter. The pockets are located in accordance with the holes on the forming material of the front layers and are made of elastic jersey in the form of tricot stitches together from non-extensible threads and tricot loops from elastomeric spandex threads.

Plant seeds are placed in the pockets through the holes in the plantings. The seeds placed in the pockets do not come into contact with the surfaces of the front and back layers, they are kept in a damp (thanks to the capillary surface of the tubular knitted fabric), well-ventilated (thanks to the high porosity of the knitted fabric), closed from sunlight. In the process of seed germination and plant growth, the root system, expanding, stretches the pockets of tubular knitwear, pushes the front and back layers of the module, which provides uniform access of nutrient solution and air to the plant roots. In this case, the root systems of neighboring plants remain isolated from each other, as a result of which their mutual oppression does not occur, and the roots of plants develop without damage.

As the plant grows in the pocket, the green part of the plant grows outward (to the surface of the front layer) through the hole in the planting place, while the tubular knitted pockets are root holders (substrate) for the germinated plants, and the planting place provides support for the green part of the plant.

Making pockets for plants from elastic knitwear in the form of jointly knitted tricot loops from non-stretchable threads and tricot loops from elastomeric spandex threads allows you to weave knitwear with a higher density, ensuring the tightness of the weave of the pocket and in the process of its stretching under the influence of developing plants, due to the combination of two types weaves that further increase the tensile strength of the knit. The claimed interlacing of the pocket provides an increase in the strength of the pocket and the development of the substrate for engagement and development of the root system of plants, which ensures the efficiency of growing plants by improving the conditions for their germination and maintenance.

FIG. 1 shows a module for growing plants (cross-section), FIG. 2 shows a module for growing plants (longitudinal section), FIG. 3 shows a graphical record of the loops of tights made of inextensible threads; in fig. 4 is a graphical representation of the loops of tights made of elastomeric spandex threads.

The module for growing plants in hydroponics is made in the form of a layered vertically oriented structure made in the form of a cylinder, consisting of a front layer 1 made of a shaping material with seats 2 provided with holes 3 for seeds and plants, a rear waterproof layer 4 (for example, a polyethylene film) and an inert middle layer 5 with a developed capillary surface, made of tubular jersey with pockets 6 for plants. Pockets 6 are located along the perimeter with an angular offset of 90 °. The seats 2, provided with holes 3, can be located both in parallel and with a vertical offset.

The holes 3 provide access to the pockets 6 in the process of planting seeds, and also provide the opportunity for the plant to emerge outside during its germination and development. Planting sites 2, orient the direction of plant growth and support it.

Tubular knitwear is produced on a class 14 hosiery machine by knitting inextensible threads with satin stitch weaving.

Pockets for plants are obtained by sewing into tubular jersey (into holes pre-cut in it) fragments of a knitted fabric made of elastic jersey in the form of tricot loops knitted together from inextensible threads 7 and tricot loops made of elastomeric spandex threads 8.

Elastic knitwear is obtained by combining in one stitch row of tricot weave stitches from non-stretchable yarns 7 and tricot loops from elastomeric 8 spandex yarns.

The stretch jersey is knitted on a Swivel knitting machine using two combs. The first comb is tucked in with an inextensible thread 7 and carries out laying of tricot loops from inextensible threads 7, and the second comb is threaded with an elastomeric thread 8 of the spandex type and carries out laying of tricot loops from elastomeric threads 8.

Fragments of the desired size are cut from the obtained knitted fabric and sewn into tubular knitted fabric to form pockets for plants.

The finished tubular jersey with pockets 6 is put on the back waterproof layer 4, positioning the pockets 6 in accordance with the holes 3 for seeds and plants. Tubular jersey is fixed with a front layer 1.

The device works as follows.

Through the holes 3 of the seats 2, the seeds are planted into the pockets 6. The nutrient solution is supplied by a mechanism for providing a nutrient fluid (not shown in the drawing). The nutrient solution flowing down the capillary surface of the tubular knitted fabric is held by the porous structure of the knitted fabric of the pocket 6 (provided by the capillary effect) and wets the seeds. The seeds germinate between the front layer 1 and the back waterproof layer 4 in a thin middle layer 5 in a moist, well-ventilated (due to the high porosity of the knitted fabric) environment, closed from sunlight. As the plant grows in the pocket 6, it sprouts outward through the hole 3, while the tubular knitted pockets 6 are root holders for the germinated plants.

As the root system develops, the volume of the pocket 6 increases due to its extensibility, which ensures uniform access of the nutrient solution and air to the plant roots. Plant roots develop without damage, pushing apart layers 1 and 4 of the device as they grow. At the same time, the root systems of neighboring plants remain isolated from each other, as a result of which their mutual oppression does not occur.

The use of elastomeric spandex thread in the manufacture of pockets 6 allows you to obtain an elastic frame, which allows you to change the pore structure of the knitted fabric of the pocket 6 as the growing root system of plants develops, the increased density of the knitted fabric of the pocket ensures the development of the substrate, which remains even when the pocket is stretched.

With the development of the plant root system, pocket 6 is stretched in the longitudinal and transverse directions, which increases the pores of the knitted fabric. However, the initially denser porous structure of pocket 6 provides a sufficiently developed substrate for the development of the root system and the plant as a whole (the dense porous structure of the pocket - the substrate for the plant - retains the capillary effect, which allows retaining the nutrient solution, and its developed structure serves as a better support for the developing root system plants).

The module can be made of various inert materials. The front layer is made of all kinds of sheet plastics (PVC, polystyrene, etc.), stainless steel, black rolled sheets coated with inert varnishes, enamels, plastics, foam materials (expanded polystyrene). Inert woven (fiberglass) or non-woven materials, for example, covering materials such as "Agril", "Spanbod", can be used as a film. Protective films of various types and materials (polyethylene, PVC, etc.). The device is easy to assemble, transport and operate.

Thus, a module for growing plants on hydroponics, made in the form of a cylindrical layered vertically oriented structure, consisting of a front layer made of a forming material with seats with holes for plants, a rear waterproof layer and an inert middle layer of tubular knitted fabric with pockets for plants , located along the perimeter with an angular offset of 90 °, and made of elastic knitwear in the form of tricot stitches made of inextensible threads and tricot stitches made of elastomeric spandex threads together, ensures the efficiency of growing plants by improving the conditions for their germination and maintenance.

Claims (1)

A module for growing plants in hydroponics, made in the form of a cylindrical layered vertically oriented structure, consisting of a front layer made of a forming material with planting holes for plants, a rear waterproof layer and an inert middle layer of tubular knitted fabric with pockets for plants located along perimeter with an angular offset equal to 90 °, characterized in that the pockets for plants are made of elastic knitwear in the form of tricot loops knitted together from inextensible threads and tricot loops made of elastomeric spandex threads.

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