Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
  • A01G31/00—Soilless cultivation, e.g. hydroponics
  • A01G31/02—Special apparatus therefor
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
  • A01G9/00—Cultivation in receptacles, forcing-frames or greenhouses; Edging for beds, lawn or the like
  • A01G9/04—Flower-pot saucers
  • A01G9/047—Channels or gutters, e.g. for hydroponics
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
  • Y02P60/00—Technologies relating to agriculture, livestock or agroalimentary industries
  • Y02P60/20—Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions in agriculture, e.g. CO2
  • Y02P60/21—Dinitrogen oxide [N2O], e.g. using aquaponics, hydroponics or efficiency measures

Definitions

• the invention relates to a plant-growth trough for earthless growing of drip watered plants in planting sacks or growth plates of porous material in which the irrigation is supplied as dripping water close to the stem of the plant, said trough being divided into sections.
• the porous material is frequently surrounded by a plastic encapsulation to form a planting sack from which the stem of the plant comes up through an opening at the upper side of the planting sack and through which the irrigation is likewise effected while excess water is drained away through one or more perforations at the bottom of the planting sack or in the sides thereof if it is desired to maintain a certain liquid level at the bottom of the planting sack.
• US patent 3 603 034 discloses a plant-growth trough in which plants are nurtured in a porous material filling the trough.
• the irrigation of the cultures is effected from a conduit centrally diposed at the bottom of the trough while excess water is discharged through channels extending within the trough throughout its length at the side walls of its bottom.
• Said structure does not make it possible to nurture cultures necessitating a constant level of water and the location of the discharge channels within the trough allows pathogenic germs to spread along the discharge channels throughout the length of the trough, irrespective of the fact that the trough by means of partition walls perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is divided into smaller sections, drainage water from one section getting access to the neighbouring section through the discharge channels.
• a plant-growth trough according to GB patent 1 162 188 it has been made possible to grow a culture requiring a certain level of water, the irrigation being effected from a system of ribs with perforations at the base, while excess water is drained away through a second system of ribs with perforations at a predetermined height above the base of the trough.
• the drainage of the trough may be effected in that the system of ribs with perforations at the base of the trough is disconnected the water supply and used as discharge.
• Such an alternate use for irrigation and drainage purposes involves, however, the risk of transmitting infections.
• each section beyond at least one bottom discharge of the plant-growth trough includes at least one drainage in a more elevated position determining the liquid level in the section when the bottom discharge is plugged, and that the bottom discharge as well as the more elevated drainage are in communication with a discharge channel separated from the trough.
• outbreaking diseases are restricted to a single section, in that excess liquid from the section is drained away to the discharge channel separated from the trough and thus does not come into contact with the root structure of plants outside the section concerned.
• the drained-off liquid still containing nutritious substances may be collected at the end of the drainage channel and either be disinfected and reused or drained away after cleaning in so far it is necessary.
• each section according to the invention has at least one drainage at the bottom of the plant-growth trough it is possible to empty the plant-growth trough of liquid in excess of the liquid absorbed by the applied growth media, planting sack or plate, while the provision of additional drainages at different heights above the bottom of the growth trough makes it possible by plugging lower drainages to obtain an arbitrarily desired liquid level in the growth trough.
• the discharge channel may according to the invention be formed by a trough extending longitudinally of the plant-growth trough the bottom of which is positioned at a lower level relative to the bottom of the growth trough.
• the plant-growth trough and the discharge channel have a common wall and drainage from the sections of the growth trough is provided by perforations of the common wall between each individual section and the discharge channel.
• the drainage corresponding- to the desired highest level of water in the growth trough may thus according to the invention be provided in that the common wall of the growth trough and the discharge channel extends upwards to said height above the bottom of the growth trough.
• the wall of the growth trough facing the wall adjacent to the discharge channel downwards beneath the bottom of the growth trough by a length corresponding to the distance the outer surface of the bottom of the discharge channel is located below the bottom of the growth trough a supporting frame is obtained which makes it possible to mount the growth trough according to the invention on a plane surface supported by said supporting frame and the underside of the discharge channel.
• the growth trough and the discharge channel may be manufactured as an extruded profile member provided at its ends with end walls having connecting nipples at the portion closing the ends of the discharge channel so that liquid from one discharge channel may be flown further into the next one or to a reservoir.
• the growth trough may between its end walls be further divided into sections by the insertion of partition walls dividing the growth trough but not the discharge channel.
• Fig. 1 is a perspective view of adjacent end portions of two sections of a growth trough according to the invention with sheet material as growth media,
• Fig. 2 is a perspective view of two adjacent end portions of two sections of a second embodiment of 'the growth trough according to the invention with planting sacks as growth media,
• Fig. 3 illustrates the cross-sectional profile of the trough shown in Fig. 1,
• Fig. 4 illustrates the cross-sectional profile of the trough shown in Fig. 2
• Fig. 5 is a scheraatical view of the mounting of a profile portion to form a sectionally divided growth trough according to the invention.
• Fig. 1 illustrates two adjacent end portions of an embodiment of a plant-growth trough according to the invention.
• the trough proper is constituted by a rear wall 1, a bottom 2 and a front wall 3, said latter including discharge openings 5 at a level above the bottom of the growth trough.
• Discharge openings may be provided at various levels, openings provided below the individually desired level of liquid in the trough being plugged, but only the openings 4 immediately above the bottom of the trough and the openings 5 corresponding to the highest desired level are shown.
• Excess liquid is drained away from discharge openings 4 or 5 to a discharge conduit consisting in the illustrated embodiment of a trough, the bottom 6 of which is at a lower level relative to bottom 2 of the plant-growth trough, and the side wall 7 of which facing towards the growth trough merges above bottom 2 of the growth trough into wall 3 of the plant-growth trough, said wall 3 being actually as relates said portion common to the plant-growth trough and the discharge channel.
• Wall 1 of the growth trough opposite the drain conduit is extended down below bottom 2 of the growth trough to form a supporting frame 8 terminating at such a distance from bottom 2 of the plant-growth trough that the bottom of the growth trough when the trough is mounted on a. plane bed carried by the supporting frame 8 and bottom 6 of the discharge channel is horizontal or is slightly sloping down towards the discharge channel.
• the cavity thus formed beneath bottom 2 of the growth trough may be used to advance heating hoses or it may be filled with insulating material.
• the plants are grown with their root structure in a plate 9 of porous material. The supply of water and fertilizer is effected by dripping water in the vicinity of the stem of the plant.
• the supplied water is absorbed by the porous plate while excess water flows along bottom 2 of the trough and discharges through discharge openings 4 into the discharge channel. If a higher level of liquid is desired, said openings are plugged, following which excess water will be collected in the growth trough until reaching discharge openings 5.
• the illustrated section is defined by an end cover 10 also covering the end of the discharge channel. While the end cover 10 obstructs the entire cross-section of the growth trough it is provided with a nipple, thereby allowing for connecting it by a hose or pipe joint 11 with a corresponding nipple on the end cover of the neighbouring section so that drain water may flow along a number of aligned trough sections to an outlet.
• Fig. 2 illustrates two adjacent. end portions of a second embodiment of the plant-growth trough according to the invention. Members corresponding to those illustrated in Fig. 1 have the same reference numerals.
• FIG. 2 differs from that illustrated in Fig. 1 in that the plants are now nurtured in planting sacks 12. If it is desired to drain away any excess water not absorbed by the porous filler of the planting sack, use is made of discharge openings 4 at the bottom of the growth trough, perforations being provided at the bottom of the planting sack. If a certain level of water is desired at the bottom of the planting sack, openings 13 are cut in the walls of the sack corresponding to the desired liquid level.
• Water escaping through the apertures in the walls of the planting sack may be drained away through openings 4 at the bottom of the plant-growth trough, or by plugging the openings a certain liquid level may be obtained in the growth trough dependent on drain openings at a higher level of wall 3 of the trough.
• the highest possible liquid level in the trough is in the illustrated embodiment determined by the height of the wall 3.
• the plant-growth trough with discharge channel may advantageously be extruded for instance from PVC plastic material having the profile shown in Fig. 3 to obtain the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, or having the profile shown in Fig. 4 to obtain the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2.
• Suitable lengths of the extruded profile may as indicated in Fig. 5 be terminated by end walls 10 that are squeezed, glued, welded or in any other way are sealed liquid-tight to the profile along its end profile edges.
• an incision, not shown must be cut at the end of supporting frame 8 in order to accommodate the folded edge of the end bottom. End bottoms without folded edges may in a manner not shown be used as well.
• an extruded trough member may be divided into more sections by internal partition walls 14 in the plant-growth trough while, obviously, no division is effected of the discharge channel of the member.
• the discharge channel is formed intergrally with the growth trough but an embodiment with a separated discharge channel that may be formed as a collecting pipe into which the drain water is passed through conduits communicating with each discharge of the plant-growth trough also falls within the scope of the invention.
• the discharge channel may, moreover, be covered in order to prevent unnecessary evaporation.

Landscapes

• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Hydroponics (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8148301

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (13)

Citations (2)

• 1987
  • 1987-11-27 DK DK624987A patent/DK624987A/da not_active Application Discontinuation
• 1988
  • 1988-11-25 WO PCT/DK1988/000194 patent/WO1989004600A1/en unknown

Patent Citations (2)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events