JPH0456578B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Field of Application> The present invention relates to a hydroponic cultivation device that can systematically cultivate almost uniform plants in a hydroponic manner with good workability and economically, and the present invention relates to a hydroponic cultivation device that can hydroponically cultivate almost uniform plants in a planned manner, with good workability and economically. The cultivation is done in a way that increases productivity per unit area.

<Prior Art> As a hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to the prior art, there is one disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 49-91833. As shown in Fig. 5, plants are supported on a chevron-shaped panel 01 having many holes, sunlight is applied through a transparent bow-shaped roof 02, and a nutrient solution spraying mechanism as shown in Fig. 6 is used. From 03 onwards, plants are grown by spraying a nutrient solution onto the roots of the plants. here,
The nutrient solution spraying mechanism 03 is fixedly installed inside the chevron panel 01, and the nutrient solution spraying mechanism 03 includes a spray nozzle that sprays the nutrient solution onto the roots of the plants supported by the chevron panel 01. A large number of them are arranged in the extending direction of the panel 01. As shown in FIG. 7, this harvesting was performed by removing the panel 01a that supports the grown plants from the frame.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, in such a hydroponic cultivation device, it is necessary to determine the plant spacing from the beginning in consideration of plant growth, resulting in a waste of cultivation area.

On the other hand, in hydroponic cultivation devices with a planar structure, devices have been developed that expand the spacing between plants as the plants grow. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 55-24000,
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-94027 discloses a similar device that supports plants in a line, arranges a large number of water channels, and increases the distance between the water channels as the plants grow. An apparatus for fanning out a plant support jig is disclosed. However, with these devices, when spraying the nutrient solution, there is a problem that the nutrient solution leaks above the plants and is wasted.

Further, in the conventional hydroponic cultivation apparatus as described above, there have been problems such as low work efficiency, such as requiring a great deal of labor especially for harvesting, and the tendency to cause uneven growth.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a spray-type hydroponic cultivation device that has high cultivation efficiency, does not waste nutrient solution, and has good working efficiency and can grow plants uniformly.

<Means for Solving the Problems> The structure of the present invention that achieves the above object includes a plant support that supports the roots of the plants by protruding inward, and a plant support that supports the roots of the plants from inside the plant support. In a spray-type hydroponic cultivation device having a spraying mechanism for spraying a nutrient solution or the like, the plant support has a support beam portion having holes for supporting the plant and a foldable sheet portion in the extending direction of the plant support. It is characterized by having panels formed so as to be arranged alternately.

<Function> In the above configuration, by expanding the panels in accordance with the growth of the plants, it is possible to provide a space between plants suitable for plant growth, improve cultivation efficiency by preventing adjacent parts from intertwining, and further improve the cultivation efficiency. prevent leakage upwards from the panel.

<Example> Hereinafter, a preferred example of the spray type hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 a, b, and c are explanatory diagrams conceptually showing the spray-type hydroponic cultivation apparatus of this embodiment.
As shown in these drawings, the plant support 1 is composed of two panels 2 supported by an upper support member 3 and a support rail 4, and has a chevron shape.
More specifically, the panel 2 has holes 2 for supporting plants.
Support beams 2a with c perforated in a row and foldable seat portions 2b made of soft material are formed so as to be arranged alternately, and wheels 5, which are attached to both upper and lower ends of the support beams 2a, 6, it can be opened and closed in the left and right directions as shown in FIG. It's getting old. Here, the material of the support beam portion 2a is a ceramic plate, a stainless steel plate, a hard synthetic resin, etc. that has the strength to support plants, and the material of the seat portion 2b is polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl chloride, polyamide, etc. It is preferable that it is soft and waterproof, and that moisture does not easily adhere to it.

Further, a spraying mechanism 7 is disposed inside the plant support 1 . This spraying mechanism 7 has a spray nozzle 8 provided on a pedestal 9 supported by wheels 10, and is movable on a rail 11 in the direction in which the plant support 1 is extended. And this spray mechanism 7
While moving, the nutrient solution is sprayed under pressure from a nutrient solution supply means (not shown) through a flexible hose or the like. Here, the sprayed nutrient solution fills the interior of the plant support 1 in the form of a mist without leaking onto the surface or upper part of the panel 2, and is uniformly supplied to the roots of the plants 15. At this time, if the openings at both ends of the plant support 1 in the extending direction are closed, the degree of sealing will be further increased, and waste of the nutrient solution can be eliminated. Further, the sprayed solution that has fallen onto the floor is collected via the nutrient solution collection groove 12.

Such a spraying mechanism may be a fixed type, but by using a movable type as described above, the spraying becomes more uniform, and even if a part of the spray nozzle 8 becomes clogged, the spraying mechanism as a whole remains almost uniform. Nutrient solution can be supplied to Moreover, since the number of spray nozzles 8 can be significantly reduced in the case of a mobile type, the entire nutrient solution supply mechanism can be made smaller, and the amount of nutrient solution to be circulated can also be reduced.

In the above-mentioned apparatus, the nutrient solution can be sprayed and supplied uniformly, so that the plants can grow uniformly. However, in this example, the above-mentioned plant support 1 was used in order to achieve even more uniform and systematic harvesting. It is installed in a cultivation room 13 that blocks sunlight, and a lighting fixture 14 supplies light to the plants 15. Here, the wall material of the cultivation room 13 is not particularly limited, but if necessary, a heat insulating material is preferable. Further, as the lighting device 14, a sodium lamp, a mercury lamp, or the like is used.

In order to grow plants using only artificial light, it is necessary to use light effectively, reduce the number of lighting devices 14, and significantly reduce electricity costs and improve economic efficiency. It is preferable that the wall of the cultivation room 13 and the surface of the panel 2 be a reflective surface.

The operation of the apparatus configured as described above will be explained together with the mode of operation. Figures 13a, b, and c are explanatory diagrams showing the process of plant growth. As shown in these drawings, leafy vegetables such as Okayama salad greens, Bibb lettuce, summer greens, and lettuce fire are grown in seedling pots 16 in a separately equipped seedling room and then grown into seedlings through the holes in panel 2. It is inserted together with a 2c seedling pot. At this time,
The sheet portion 2b of the panel 2 is folded as shown in FIG. 3b, so that the supporting beam portions 2a are in close contact with each other. Then, a predetermined light is irradiated from the lighting device 14, and a predetermined amount of nutrient solution is sprayed from the spray mechanism 7. As a result, the plant 15 grows, and as the plant 15 grows, the spacing between the support beams 2a is expanded as shown in FIGS. 3b and 3c. In this way, the distance between plants is maintained appropriately and high-quality plants are cultivated without having to relocate the plants 15.
In this type of hydroponic cultivation, as shown in Figure 4, it is possible to plant at one end of the cultivation room and harvest at the other end, which greatly improves work efficiency. . At this time, one entire row may be formed from one plant support 1, or
In consideration of removal of the harvester, the plural plant supports 1 or only the panels 2 may be divided into plural parts in the row direction. When a row is formed of a plurality of plant supports 1 or a plurality of panels 2, the panels 2 are expanded as the plants grow, and at some point the plant supports 1 or the panels 2 themselves are removed. By moving to the center right, the entire cultivation area can always be used effectively. By cultivating in this manner, two to three times as many plants can be cultivated as compared to the case where plants are grown in the same cultivation area with fixed spacing.

In such cultivation, the expansion of the panel 2 may be done manually, or in case of large-scale cultivation, for example,
This may be done automatically by engaging the panel 2 with a spiral shaft in which spiral grooves with gradually increasing intervals are formed, and driving the spiral shaft to rotate.

Further, in the above embodiment, the panel 2 was configured to be moved by the axles 5 and 6 while being supported by the upper support member 3 and the support rail 4, but the panel itself was fixed to a telescopic support member and the panel 2 was supported by the upper support member 3 and the support rail 4. The member may be configured to expand and contract.

This expansion of the panel may occur not only in one direction but also in both directions. In addition, plants with a small growth rate, such as honeysuckle and daikon radish, can be grown as they are on the plant support 1, which has one entire row formed into one body, but plants with a large growth rate, such as Okayama salad greens and bib lettuce, can be grown as is. In these cases, the width of the expansion becomes larger and the seat part hangs longer toward the roots, which may obstruct the extension of the roots and the spraying of the nutrient solution. It is necessary to transfer the seedling pot two or three times to a panel with an appropriate width.

It should be noted that the shape of the plant support 1 may, of course, be other than a chevron shape, such as a semicylindrical shape.

Next, we will show specific conditions for setting the spacing using Okayama Sarana as an example.

Okayama salad greens take about 35 days from sowing to harvesting, and the final plant diameter is 260 to 320 mm, so 3.
There are three types of panels 2 divided into steps (the size of each panel is 1800 to 2000 mm in height when expanded,
(900 to 1000 mm in width) were used. Seeds of Okayama salad greens are sown in a seedling pot with a diameter of 18 mm and a sponge etc.
Germinates in ~2 days.

1st step (until 15th day after sowing) Use panels with a support beam width of 22 mm and a sheet width of 50 mm, with an expansion rate of 4 mm/day.

In addition, in this step, the diameter of the plant is 7mm/
It grows at the rate of a day.

Diameter of the plant after 8 days: 10 mm or less. Diameter of the plant after 12 days: 20 mm or less. Diameter of the plant after 15 days: 50-75 mm. 2nd step (16-26 days after sowing) Support beam width 60 mm, sheet width Using 180mm panels, the expansion rate is 20mm/day.

In this step, the plant diameter grows at a rate of 5.5 mm/day.

Plant diameter after 20 days: 100-165mm Plant diameter after 23 days: 160-190mm Plant diameter after 26 days: 175-240mm 3rd step (27-35 days after sowing) Support beam width 150mm, seat part A panel with a width of 300 mm will be used, and the expansion rate will be 30 mm/day.

In this step, the plant diameter grows at a rate of 4.4 mm/day.

Diameter of the plant on the 30th day: 210-275mm Diameter of the plant on the 35th day: 260-320mm As shown above, the rate at which the diameter of the Okayama Salad plant increases is large from the first step to the first half of the second step. However, in the second half of the second step (23 days after sowing)
After the first day), the leaf shape becomes rounded, so the rate at which the diameter of the plant increases becomes smaller. Therefore, by setting the above-mentioned conditions, it is possible to obtain the spacing that corresponds to the growth of the plant.

<Effects of the Invention> As specifically explained above along with the examples, by using the spray hydroponic cultivation device according to the present invention, it is possible to maintain appropriate plant spacing as the plants grow without the hassle of replanting. At the same time, the nutrient solution and the like are prevented from leaking above the plants, so the cultivation area can be used effectively, there is no waste of the nutrient solution, and plants can be harvested economically and with even growth.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1, Fig. 2 a, b, and c are explanatory diagrams conceptually showing a spray-type hydroponic cultivation device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 3 a, b, and c, and Fig. 4 are explanatory diagrams conceptually showing the spray type hydroponic cultivation device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 are explanatory diagrams conceptually showing the spray-type hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to the prior art. In the drawings, 1 is a plant support, 2 is a panel, 2a is a support beam, 2b is a seat, 2c is a hole, 3 is an upper support member, 4 is a rail, 5 and 6 are wheels, 7 is a spraying mechanism, 15 is a plant.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A water sprayer comprising a plant support that supports the roots of the plants by protruding inward, and a spray mechanism that sprays a nutrient solution, etc. to the roots of the plants from inside the plant support. In the cultivation device, the plant support has a panel in which support beam parts having holes for supporting plants and foldable sheet parts are arranged alternately in the extending direction of the plant support. Characteristic spray type hydroponic culture equipment. 2. The spray-type hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the panel is supported so as to gradually expand by support members above and below the panel.