Controlled environment and method

Abstract

An illustrative embodiment of an irrigation system may include a carriage that may move along a predetermined path in a reciprocal manner. The carriage may support one or more exit ports that may be fed nutrient supply by a pressurized delivery arrangement. One or more plant stands may be configured and arranged to straddle the carriage as it moves along the predetermined path. The one or more plant stands may form a chamber into which plant roots may extend, and into which the one or more exit ports may discharge their nutrient supply. The one or more plant stands may include side panels and a cap to reduce infiltration of light and contaminants and to enhance the plant root / nutrient supply interface and absorption rates. The carriage and / or the plant stand(s) may include friction reducing elements that facilitate transverse movement. The carriage and / or the plant stand(s) may be supported by framework.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]Applicant states that this utility patent application claims priority from International Patent Application PCT / US2013 / 032492 filed on Mar. 15, 2013, which claimed priority from provisional U.S. Pat. App. 61 / 657,203 filed on Jun. 8, 2012, and this utility patent application also claims priority from provisional U.S. Pat. App. 61 / 794,599 filed on Mar. 15, 2013 and provisional U.S. Pat. App. 61 / 657,203 filed on Jun. 8, 2012, all of which applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0002]No federal funds were used to develop or create the disclosed invention.FIELD OF INVENTION[0003]The present invention relates generally to plant cultivation and, more specifically, to apparatuses and methods for use in aeroponic plant growing.DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART[0004]Improved methods of administering water and / or other nutrients to enhance plant growth have been...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The controlled environment and method described in this patent have several advantages. These include an efficient and cost-effective way to provide nutrient supply to plants, a way to maximize the number of plants per square foot, an effective nutrient supply to a higher number of plants using a reduced number of nozzles, a system where plants can be positioned and repositioned during their growth cycle, a continuous processing of groups of plants, less prone to clogging of the nozzles, the ability to tailor growth environments to the needs of different plants, and easy handling and transportation of plants during their life cycle.

Problems solved by technology

A drawback with such a method is that the tractor usually only makes one application pass along each crop row, which may result in the deposit of high concentrations of fertilizers such as potash and nitrogen onto shoots of the crops and the field, which may later be washed away by precipitation and / or by supporting irrigation systems.

A further drawback is that with existing supporting irrigation systems, water and / or nutrients are usually delivered to the shoots of the crops from which they can then evaporate, but which can often pool and eventually percolate down to an aquifer, which leads to ground water contamination or runoff and combine with existing streams and / or rivers, thus polluting them.

A drawback with such as system is that when plant roots are submerged, they are less able to effectively interact with the atmosphere as they would normally do when they are in a soil growth medium.

Another drawback with such systems is that they are expensive to set up, operate, and maintain.

Another drawback with such systems is that they are generally horizontally oriented, and have a relatively large footprint.

A significant drawback of current aeroponic systems, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,514,930; 6,807,770; 8,225,549; all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties, is that continued cycling of nozzles allows material dissolved or suspended in the nutrient supply to be deposited on the surfaces of the nozzles and in the nozzle orifices, where those materials may solidify when the system is cycled off.

This is a significant problem because nozzle orifices may be quite small.

Over time, the ability of the nozzles to operate as intended may be diminished until the nozzles become completely clogged.

This can lead to dry spots, incomplete nutrient supply delivery, stunted growth, and / or ultimately crop failure.

While it is possible to monitor the nozzles to ensure that they are operating correctly, this may be a labor intensive procedure because it may require visual inspection of each nozzle.

Moreover, if nozzles need to be replaced and / or cleaned, additional labor and cost are required.

In current aeroponic systems, which can include hundreds of nozzles spaced at regular intervals along a supply hose, this can be a daunting, expensive, and time consuming task that must be repeated on a regular basis.

Another drawback with current aeroponic systems is that the nozzles, which may be formed from material such as stainless steel or brass, are difficult to fabricate and this increases manufacturing costs.

As will be appreciated, when the number of nozzles used in a system can easily exceed 100 and can go much higher, the initial outlay and subsequent replacement costs for nozzles alone may be quite expensive.

Another drawback with current aeroponic systems is that they are intended to be permanent structures.

Once they are set up, they cannot be easily moved.

In addition, their sizes cannot be easily changed.

That is, they cannot be enlarged or reduced without significant and costly efforts.

Another drawback with current aeroponic systems is that they lack a tracking system that allows plants and their associated plant trays to be selectively positioned so that they may be exposed to different growth environments that are tailored to the requirements and developmental stages of the plants.

An additional drawback with current aeroponic systems is that most are horizontally oriented and planar, which limits the degree of plant density and ultimately the crop yield that can be achieved per unit measure (e.g., per square foot).

Such a horizontally oriented system also creates a relatively large footprint.

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