JP7545735B2 - Floating plant care platform - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a floating vegetation base whose main purpose is to cultivate moss plants .

In recent years, a foundation and method for cultivating plants has been developed using a structure (also called a "transporter," "pumping body," or "infiltration body") that transports water or nutrient solution from a water body containing it to a plant-cure area by capillary action. Based on this principle, a base technology has been developed in which biological sphagnum moss and its dried form are used as the transporter material, and thin-layer pumping bodies and infiltration bodies made of processed stone or plastic are used as non-biological materials. This has made it possible to cultivate and grow mosses and other plants using sphagnum moss or dried sphagnum moss, and to stably and easily cultivate large quantities of other rare species, including endangered species belonging to the genus Sphagnum. Based on this invention, it is currently being used in flow cultivation in dams and lakes, and in environmental restoration in natural environments, and is making a significant contribution to the growth of vascular plants, including sphagnum moss, mosses other than sphagnum moss, and ferns, not only in fields under outdoor conditions, but also in rooftop greening and wall greening.

The above-mentioned foundations can be broadly divided into two types: fixed foundations that are fixed to the ground, and floating foundations that float on the water surface (also known as "floating," "float," or "raft" foundations). The former is a foundation or technique that is fixed to a solid location such as the ground or a rooftop to cultivate plants, and is developed by applying a cultivation method based on an ancient or traditional method used as "artificial ground" for growing plants in fields and greening. In contrast, the latter floating type is a technique that uses floating objects to cultivate plants in an area above the water surface, and has been developed as a technique for constructing "artificial wetlands" as "floating islands" or "artificial floating islands," mainly for aquatic plants. In recent years, floating platforms made of processed polystyrene foam or the like are also used for hydroponic cultivation in plant factories. Specifically, floating platforms are used as a so-called "hydroponic cultivation" format, with the aboveground organs of the plant (mainly the leaves) on the top of the float and the underground organs (mainly the roots) in the water area below the float. However, with floating platforms, the underground tissues and organs of plants such as wet plants and hydroponics come into direct contact with water or nutrient solution, or the substrate is rich in moisture, so that currently, even in plant factories, floating platforms are only used for leafy vegetables. Furthermore, floating platforms developed so far have been developed to supply moisture as a thin layer structure. In other words, the current floating platforms have the following problems: 1) they are grown in a wet environment, so they are only suitable for some plants unless special equipment is introduced, such as aeration to create aerobic conditions, and 2) it is extremely difficult to cultivate deep-rooted plants with a thin layer structure. In other words, it is virtually impossible to cultivate plants that require sufficient underground space, such as trees and root vegetables, plants that prefer dry areas, or plants that cannot grow hydroponically or in wet areas, and so the development of a floating foundation suitable for cultivating these plants is anticipated in the future.

The inventors have conducted extensive research to solve this problem. As a result, they have succeeded in keeping the moist state of the vegetation nursing area in the foundation at a constant moisture content by 1) providing a spatial area in the nursing area of the floating foundation that blocks the direct intrusion of water or nutrient solution, 2) providing an open system that acts as a spatial arrangement maintenance function to keep the spatial arrangement of this spatial area constant relative to the water surface while the foundation is floating and does not tilt, and 3) supplying water to the vegetation nursing area through a transporter that is in contact with water or nutrient solution. By providing this as a floating vegetation foundation, they have completed the present invention that can solve the above problem.

In other words, the present invention provides a base portion that is raised above the liquid surface by a float, and provides a spatial area inside the base at a location above the water surface of the float, thereby isolating contact between the water area and the curing area, and providing a structure that does not make the spatial area inside the base a closed space (i.e., a structure that connects it to the gas space above the external water surface, making it an open system). This makes it possible to stabilize the above-water part of the floating base and control the moisture content of the curing area .

Unless otherwise specified, a nutrient solution is any solution capable of allowing any organism to survive, grow, or multiply. It also includes distilled water, culture solution, and any of the above-mentioned nutrient solutions capable of growth that have been sterilized or disinfected (commercially available products are also acceptable), and furthermore, organisms such as microorganisms may be added to the nutrient solution, or they may grow naturally. In any case, the term "nutrient solution" primarily refers to water or a culture solution that allows organisms to survive, grow, or multiply, and does not matter what type of organism it is, as long as it circulates in the same way as water.

The transport body ("pumping body" or "permeation body") can be any structure capable of lifting the nutrient solution above the water level, including the movement of water by capillary action, such as natural plant fiber materials like paper, cloth, cotton, pulp, chemically synthesized plastic materials like sponges, foamed ceramics, Greenbiz, mortar, secondary concrete products, bricks, tiles, etc., and there are no particular limitations on the materials and combinations. In addition, sedimentary rocks such as sphagnum moss, clastic rocks like sandstone and mudstone, pyroclastic rocks like tuff, and clastic rocks like glacial sedimentary rocks, igneous rocks formed from lava, volcanic eruptions, and magma, limestone made from biological deposits, artificial concrete materials, and shaped materials made by crushing these materials alone or in combination are also included in the category of transport bodies. For example, powder particles of sand or lava with a uniform grain shape that have been thin-layered and surface-treated and fixed with adhesives, etc., fall under this category.

The "transporter" may be anything that moves the nutrient solution to the curing area , and there are no limitations on its shape, role, or use, such as a channel-like structure (also called a waterway) with an open top, a pipe-like structure with the inflow and outflow parts as the main openings, or a bag-like structure that can store water. The transporter also includes sphagnum moss or stony materials as water-absorbent materials, and the present invention can be used without limiting the use of such single materials or the materials themselves. For example, a water-absorbent material may be attached to or filled into the surface or interior of a non-absorbent or hydrophobic material, or these may be mixed in granular form to form an object, and the nutrient solution may be infiltrated from the transporter into the curing area to cure the plant.

There are no particular limitations on the plants that can be grown on this base, and all vascular plants can be grown on it. It is also possible to grow all mosses and ferns, as well as all mushrooms and fungi.

The plants that grow here can be used as "harvested products," as a seedbed for all the plants cultivated on this foundation, and for germinating and cultivating seeds. If they are allowed to produce flowers and fruits, they can also be used for crossbreeding and breeding.

This is a diagram of the floating plant care platform installed in a water tank. FIG. 1 is an enlarged exploded view of a lattice body when the nursing area of the floating plant nursing foundation is a lattice body. This is a cross-sectional view of a water reservoir and a floating plant care platform installed on it. This is an appearance drawing of a floating plant curing platform with an underground plant curing area. This is an illustration of a floating plant curing platform with multiple underground plant curing areas. This is a cross-sectional view of a floating plant curing platform with an underground plant curing area. This is a diagram of plants being cured on a floating plant curing platform with an underground plant curing area. This is a diagram showing how plants are grown on a floating plant growth platform with a cover attached to cover the underground growth area. This is a cross-sectional view of plants being cured on a floating plant curing base with a cover attached to cover the underground curing area of the plants. This is a cross-sectional view of a floating plant care platform that combines a grid and an underground plant care area. This is a cross-sectional view showing a method of incorporating a separate underground plant curing body into a floating plant curing foundation. This is a diagram of the floating plant care foundations connected together. This is a cross-sectional view of connected floating plant care platforms. This is a diagram showing how plants are grown on a floating plant cultivation platform without providing a transport body. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a floating plant cultivation platform for cultivating plants without providing a transport body. This is a photo of plants being grown on a floating plant growth platform.

FIG. 1 is a view of a floating plant-growing platform . A structure (lattice 2) in which plate-shaped objects (also called planar bodies or planar members) are combined in a lattice pattern can be incorporated into the float 1. Water or nutrient solution can be placed in a water reservoir 3. The nursing area of the floating platform is always above the water level 4, and the distance from the water level 4 to the top of the nursing area can be adjusted by the buoyancy of the material and structure of the float. A net-like body 5 can be installed in the nursing area , which is the top of the lattice 2, and plants can be nursed therein. The shape of the float 1 is not particularly limited, and may be a curved shape, a circle, or any other shape as long as the nursing area floats above the water surface. The shape of the lattice 2 is not particularly limited, and may be any structure that can transport water and grow plants on the water, and its shape is not particularly limited. The thickness of the float 1 is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 0.1 mm to 100 mm, and usually 2 mm to 50 mm. The material is not particularly limited and may be polystyrene foam, general insulation materials (such as Styrofoam), plastic, wood, vinyl, resin, rubber, concrete, stone, metal, etc. The material and shape are also not particularly limited as long as it floats in liquid, such as by putting air into a vinyl or glass container. Since a material that is easy to process and has buoyancy is preferable for the float, examples of suitable materials include foamed plastic (polystyrene foam), polystyrene resin (Styrofoam), and lightweight plastic.

Figure 2 is an enlarged exploded view of the grid 2. The upper groove 7 on the upper plane 6 is inserted into the lower groove 8 and connected to the lower plane 9 to create a grid structure. The groove depth is about 1 mm to 500 mm, and usually 20 mm to 200 mm is suitable.

The upper plane body 6 and the lower plane body 9 (also simply called the planar members) that are the constituent members of the grid body 2 are, unless otherwise specified, any material that forms a planar structure with thickness, and may have surface irregularities, curvatures, differences in thickness within one plane body, and holes or cuts in the plane. The material of the plane body is not particularly limited, and may be wood, polyplate, synthetic plastic material, foamed resin, metal including aluminum and stainless steel, stone, ceramic, pottery, roofing tiles, Greenbiz, mortar, secondary concrete products, bricks, tiles, concrete, glass, etc. The thickness of the plane body is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 0.1 mm to 100 mm, usually 2 mm to 50 mm. In addition, the material is not particularly limited as listed above, but is preferably a material that is easy to bend and has excellent durability over time. From this point of view, examples of suitable materials include polyplate, vinyl, plastic, etc. that have excellent rust resistance.

When combining planar members to create a vegetation base, a lattice shape (lattice body 2) is particularly suitable. However, the fixing angle of the planar body is usually about 5 degrees to 175 degrees, usually 45 degrees to 135 degrees, and is not necessarily limited to perpendicular (90 degrees). The size of the planar body is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 2 mm to 500 mm in length (height) and 10 mm to 10,000 mm in width (width or length) relative to the construction surface, usually 20 mm to 200 mm in length and 100 mm to 1,000 mm in width. The arrangement of the planar bodies is preferably a lattice-shaped assembly as shown in Figure 1, but it is not necessarily limited to the arrangement or slope as long as they can be fixed to the construction surface, such as alone, parallel, or in an indefinite arrangement.

The planar member can be anything that can secure the combined members together, such as nails, screws, or staples, with staples being particularly suitable. The material of the planar member is not particularly limited, and can be wood, or metal such as iron or stainless steel.

The thickness of the material of the water reservoir 3 is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 0.1 mm to 100 mm, usually 2 mm to 50 mm. The material is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that it is easy to bend and has excellent durability over time, such as plastic, wood, vinyl, resin, rubber, concrete, stone, metal, etc. From this point of view, materials with excellent rust resistance such as vinyl and plastic (waterproof rubber) are exemplified as suitable materials. The shape of the water reservoir 7 may be box-shaped, cylindrical, conical, columnar, elliptical, dome-shaped, convex (kamaboko-shaped), or other shapes or irregular shapes, and is not particularly limited as long as it is a shape that can store water. The water reservoir 7 may also be made of multiple materials, for example, the bottom may be made of wood or waterproof resin, or silicone may be glued to it, etc., so that it can store water.

The material of the mesh 5 is not particularly limited and may be plastic, wood, vinyl, resin, rubber, concrete, stone, metal, etc., but it is preferable that the material is easy to bend and has excellent durability over time. From this point of view, examples of suitable materials include materials with excellent rust resistance such as vinyl and plastic (waterproof rubber), especially bird netting. The thickness of the net of the covering mesh 9 is preferably about 0.1 mm to 50 mm, usually 2 mm to 50 mm. The size of the mesh is preferably about 1 mm to 100 mm, usually 2 mm to 50 mm. The covering mesh 9 does not need to be provided on the top of the planar structure, but it is preferable to cover the plant with the covering mesh 9 after it has been established. The lattice may be attached with a tacker or a cable tie.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a floating plant care platform incorporating a lattice body, in which a plant is being cured. The floating plant care platform may be provided with a floating body widening body 1' for expanding the platform volume, and the lattice body 2' is located above the water level 4'. Water or nutrient solution is raised from the water level 4' to the lattice body 2' via a transporter 10 , and the water or nutrient solution is supplied to the plant body 11. In addition , the bottom floating body 13 is fixed with a fixing member 12 to strengthen the buoyancy of the platform and adjust the distance between the water level 4' and the curing area on the lattice body. The fixing member may be any member capable of connecting and fixing the planar body to the planar body, and may be, for example, a nail, a screw, a stapler, or the like, with a tacker needle being particularly suitable. In addition, the material of the member is not particularly limited, and may be wood, metal such as iron or stainless steel, or the like.

Figure 4 is a diagram of a floating plant care foundation with an underground plant care area. The float 16 with the underground plant care area has a receiving wall 14 for receiving the underground growth medium and a hole 15 at the bottom, and water or nutrient solution is supplied to the underground growth part of the plant or the medium from the water area through the hole 15 via the transporter. Also, as shown in Figure 5, there can be multiple medium receivers 17. The size of the hole is about 0.1 mm to 100 mm, usually 3 mm to 50 mm. The number of holes is about 1 to 1000, usually 1 to 50.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a floating plant curing foundation with an underground plant curing area. In order to adjust the buoyancy of the foundation with an underground plant curing area, a bottom float 13 ' may be attached by an underground curing float fixing member 12 '. A float 16' with a receiving wall 14' has a gas area 18 at its bottom, and the floating foundation has a bottom support 19 structure that supports the area receiving the medium. A raising wall 20 may be installed on the receiving wall 14' to increase the depth of the underground plant curing area or to increase the amount of the medium. A transporter 21 is installed inside the absolute space 22 and moves water or nutrient solution from the water area to the bottom 23. This makes it possible to supply water or nutrient solution to the underground part of the plant or the medium. In addition, the transporter 21 does not necessarily have to be placed inside the absolute space, and water or nutrient solution may be moved inside the float or through the edge of the foundation as long as the liquid in the water area can be supplied to the plant curing area . Furthermore, a support pillar may be erected on the foundation to support the plant. This can help the cultivation of climbing plants, woody plants, and tall herbaceous plants. The underground part of a plant (also called the underground cultivation part or underground growth part) means the plant tissue or organ that is below the ground including the surface part under normal growth conditions, and generally includes roots, rhizomes, swollen roots or swollen stems, hypocotyls, germinating seedlings, adventitious roots in contact with the ground surface, and stem bases. Depending on the plant, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, etc. may form within this area, and all the tissues and organs of the plant cultivated in the area of this plant cultivation base fall under this category.

Figure 7 shows the appearance of a plant 24 being cured on a floating plant curing base with an underground plant curing area. The medium 25 for curing the underground part of the plant or fixing the plant to the base may be reinforced on the base with string or netting.

Materials for the medium 25 include soil in general (black soil, field soil, Akadama soil, Kanuma soil, Kiryu sand, bora soil, fertilizer-containing soil, artificial foamed stones such as perlite and vermiculite, clay, silt and their dried powder, cultivation soil), sedimentary rocks such as sandstone and mudstone, pyroclastic rocks such as tuff, and crushed rocks such as glacial sedimentary rocks, igneous rocks formed from lava, volcanic eruptions, and magma, or limestone formed from biological deposits, and artificial concrete materials, but soils with water retention and granular structure, so-called soils for cultivating plants, are suitable. In addition, natural vegetable fiber materials such as paper, cloth, cotton, and pulp, as well as synthetic plastic materials such as sponges, foamed ceramics and porcelain, Greenbiz, mortar, secondary concrete products, bricks, tiles, and other structures that can raise the curing liquid above the water level, are not particularly limited in terms of material and combination. The pulp may be in the form of sawdust or similar, pulverized or broken down into particles using a mixer. It may also be sphagnum moss, peat moss, tea leaves (including used tea leaves), or leaves from any plant or their fine particles. Furthermore, the category of pumping bodies also includes the crushed materials listed above, either alone or in combination, that have been shaped. For example, the surface of a thin-layer pumping body may be treated by bonding powdered particles of sand or lava with uniform grain shapes using adhesives. Adhesives such as salt-rubber, urethane, and acrylic adhesives are used.

Figure 8 shows a floating plant care platform with a cover 28 attached to it, which has an opening 27 for the above-ground part of the plant 26 to be exposed above the platform, to cover the underground part of the plant 26. By making the cover from a material with insulating properties, it is possible to mitigate temperature changes in the underground part, which has the effect of promoting plant growth. The thickness of the cover 27 is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 1 mm to 100 mm, and usually 2 mm to 50 mm. The material is preferably easy to process and has excellent insulating properties, but is not particularly limited to polystyrene foam, general insulating materials (such as Styrofoam), plastic, wood, vinyl, resin, rubber, concrete, stone, metal, etc. From this point of view, examples of suitable materials include foamed plastic (polystyrene foam), polystyrene resin (Styrofoam), and plastic.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 8. With a cover 28' for covering the underground parts of the plants 26' attached to the floating plant-curing platform, the underground parts of the plants can be cured by contacting the water area either artificially or spontaneously from within the underground curing area or from the bottom of the underground curing area. If the underground parts of the plants reach the water area directly, there is no need to provide a transporter.

Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of a floating plant care platform combined with a grid and an underground plant care area. Water or nutrient solution is supplied to the plant care area via a transporter between the top of the grid 32 of the combined platform and the water area.

Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a method of incorporating a separate underground plant curing body 33 into the floating plant curing platform. The underground plant curing body 33 has one or more holes, and water or nutrient solution is supplied from the water area to the curing area via a transporter. The size of the hole is preferably about 0.1 mm to 100 mm, usually 3 mm to 50 mm. The number of holes is preferably about 1 to 1000, usually 1 to 50.

Figure 12 shows the appearance of floating plant-growing foundations connected together. The connected foundations may be the same foundations, or floating foundations with different plants and structures may be connected together, such as floating foundation 36 incorporating a lattice, floating foundation 37 with an underground plant-growing area, floating foundation 38 for cultivating herbaceous plants, floating foundation 39 for cultivating root vegetables, and floating foundation 40 without a transport body.

Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of two floating platforms connected together. They can be connected to each other using a connector 41 or a connector 41' to the next floating platform. A power system such as a propeller can be attached to the underwater part of a floating platform alone or connected to it, and it can be moved on the water surface by remote control. For remote control, a remote control, GPS, and AI functions can be incorporated to move it to an evacuation area depending on weather conditions. The length of the connector is preferably about 1 mm to 5 m, usually 1 cm to 50 cm. The thickness of the connector is preferably about 0.1 mm to 100 mm, usually 3 mm to 50 mm. The material of the connector can be anything that can connect and fix the bases to each other, such as string, rubber, metal (wire), wood, plastic, hooks, nails, screws, staples, etc., and these can be used in combination. In particular, string or wire, or a combination of these with hooks, is preferable.

Figure 14 shows the appearance of a floating plant-curing platform for curing plants without providing a transporter or a water-pumping body. Depending on the plant, it may be possible to directly cure it without providing a water-pumping body. The lattice body 2" provided on the floating body 1" is located above the water level 4" of the water reservoir 3", and the plant body fixed or placed on the lattice body can be cured by contacting a part of the plant body with water or nutrient solution without the use of a transporter. The plant 42 and the cutting (cutting) 43 are fixed, fixed or placed on the upper surface 44 of the lattice body or the covering layer 45 of the upper surface 44 of the lattice body, so that a part of the plant body can be directly contacted with water or nutrient solution. The material of the covering layer 45 is not particularly limited, and may be paper, plastic, wood, vinyl, resin, rubber, concrete, stone material, metal, cloth, etc., but it is preferable that the material be easily bendable and have excellent durability over time. From this point of view, materials with excellent rust resistance such as vinyl and plastic (waterproof rubber), especially bird netting, are exemplified as suitable materials. The thickness of the net of the covering layer 45 is about 0.1 mm to 50 mm, and usually 2 mm to 50 mm is preferable. The size of the mesh or opening is about 1 mm to 100 mm, and usually 2 mm to 50 mm is preferable. The covering layer 45 does not have to be provided on the top of the planar standing structure. The plants may also be covered with the covering layer 45 after they have been established. For plants with a stem diameter, such as cuttings, the fixation can be adjusted by changing the mesh size of the covering layer 45. The cultivation of plants using this base can also be used for managing seedlings. It also makes it possible to cultivate plants that have the characteristic of absorbing water, such as sphagnum moss.

Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view of a floating plant-curing platform for curing plants without providing a transport body or a water-pumping body. Plants that can be cured, including moss plants 42" and woody plants 43", are fixed, secured or left stationary by the upper surface 44" or covering layer 45 of the lattice body, and can be moved up and down by providing a movable range 46 for the lattice body, changing and adjusting the distance between the curing surface, the upper surface 44" of the lattice body or the covering layer 45", and the water level, thereby encouraging optimal curing of the plants. The lattice body can also be inserted into the floating body.

Claims (1)

A floating body floated in a water body containing water or nutrient solution ;
a care area provided on the floating body above the surface water level of the water area and holding a group of moss plants;
A spatial area interposed between the surface water level of the water area and the curing area;
a transporter having capillaries and passing from the curing area through the spatial area to the water area;
Equipped with
the transporter contacts at one end a portion of the group of mosses;
A floating vegetation base, characterized in that water or nutrient solution in the water area is supplied to the nursing area by capillary action of the transporter , thereby nursing moss plants in the nursing area .