JP2002306000A - Container for culturing plant by bag-filled pumice and apparatus for culturing plant - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a container and an apparatus for culturing plant by using bag-filled pumice which are suitable for mass culture, allow uniformly supplying water and a manure and capable of easily being installed anywhere without requiring an automatic watering machine, costing much labor for watering and manuring and without requiring a transplantation for planting. SOLUTION: The container for culturing plant is characterized by comprising a flexible wall material through which airs permeates and liquids does not permeate, having an open part for planting a plant and having a part for culturing the plant. The apparatus for culturing plant is characterized by being filled with a volcanic pumice having 1-5.6 mm particle diameter in the container and not having a drain hole. Furthermore, a watering tube for supplying a culture solution by a drip irrigation is preferably installed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container for cultivating pumice cultivated in bags of plants, vegetables, fruits and vegetables, and a vegetable cultivation apparatus using the container. Further, the present invention, in particular,
The present invention relates to a plant cultivation container and a plant cultivation apparatus suitable for a method of dropping and pouring a coarse soil medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally known bag culture type cultivation is hydroponic cultivation in which a bag-shaped bag is filled with a material serving as a culture medium, a plant is planted in the material, and a culture solution is impregnated and cultivated. However, unlike conventional hydroponic cultivation without a medium, it has the following features. (1) The cultivation bed does not necessarily need to be set horizontally, and is simple simply by arranging bags on the construction ridge. (2) Since moisture and air coexist in the culture medium, even if the pump stops due to any failure, it does not dry rapidly or lack oxygen. (3) Since the culture solution does not circulate, rapid spread due to a waterborne communicable disease can be avoided. (4) Adjusting the amount of water in the medium makes it easier to control the vigor.

[0003]

However, on the other hand, there are the following problems. (1) Since some roots remain in the culture medium after the cultivation is completed, it is necessary to perform steam disinfection or update the culture medium when disease-causing bacteria invading the roots have invaded. (2) It is necessary to supply the liquid according to the amount of evapotranspiration of the plant, but when there is a difference between individuals due to a difference in environmental conditions, etc., the imbalance of moisture is likely to occur between the bags and correction may be required. .

[0004] Culture medium materials that have been actually used or are under consideration for use include the following. (1) Gravel, sand, vermiculite, perlite, rock wool, ceramic fiber as inorganic type, polyester fiber, polyurethane foam, etc. as organic type. (2) There are many types of plant-derived materials such as peat moss, rice husk, rice husk charcoal, coconut husk, bark compost, and straw. However, in order to succeed in cultivation using these materials as medium materials, there is also a problem that it is necessary to understand the characteristics of various medium materials, and to design and manage them appropriately for the medium.

[0005] In the conventional bag culture cultivation using the above-mentioned medium material, when the amount of evapotranspiration is larger than the amount of liquid supplied, the fertilizer component is concentrated in the bag, and the EC value increases. Will damage the roots. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to temporarily increase the amount of liquid supply and to properly return the balance of the culture solution components in the medium by rinsing the medium with the culture solution. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
It was necessary to drain the excess culture solution from the culture medium through the drain hole provided near the bottom of the inclined side opposite to the liquid supply side of the bag, and to drain it into a simple drainage at the bottom of the ridge where the bag was installed. . The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, is suitable for mass cultivation, eliminates the need for an automatic watering machine,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a plant cultivation container which can supply them uniformly and can be easily installed without requiring fertilization and irrigation.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the above-mentioned object, the present inventors have solved the problem that it is not necessary to wash a medium with a culture solution in order to prevent root damage due to concentration of fertilizer components in a bag. Various studies were made on the forms of plant cultivation containers and cultivation equipment for bagged pumice cultivation. As a result, a bag-shaped container for plant cultivation is made of a bag material that transmits gas but does not transmit liquid, and uses a volcanic pumice having a particle size of 1 to 5.6 mm as a medium.
When the culture solution is supplied in a drip-flow manner from the irrigation tube that supplies the culture solution, there is no need to provide drainage holes or drainage channels regardless of the horizontal or inclined position of the bag base, and it is suitable for growing plants, especially fruit vegetables. The present invention has been achieved by noting that a suitable plant cultivation container and apparatus for cultivating bagged pumice stone can be obtained.

That is, the present invention has solved the above-mentioned problems by the following means. (1) A plant cultivation comprising a flexible wall material that is permeable to gas but not liquid, has an opening for planting, and has a site for planting a plant. container. (2) The container according to (1), which is filled with coarse soil of volcanic pumice having a particle size of 1 to 5.6 mm and having a porous surface and has no drain port. And plant cultivation equipment. (3) The plant cultivation apparatus according to (2), wherein an irrigation tube for supplying a culture solution is provided at an opening of the container. (4) The plant cultivation apparatus according to the above (3), wherein the culture solution is supplied from the irrigation tube by dripping.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the container for cultivating plants according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In all the drawings for describing the embodiments and examples, those having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their repeated description will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a bed structure of a plant cultivation apparatus for cultivating bagged pumice according to the present invention. An opening 3 for implanting a plant 2 is provided in a bag 1 which is a plant cultivation container.
Is provided on the upper surface of the bag 1. The bag 1 is filled with a volcanic pumice having a particle size of about 1 to 5 mm as a culture medium 4. Since the bag 1 is made of a flexible wall material that is permeable to gas but not liquid, such as a film or sheet material, unlike the bag in the conventional bag cultivation method, water vapor is generated. Since it goes out through the bag, excess water is less likely to accumulate in the bag. In the upper opening 3 of the bag 1 configured as described above, a culture solution whose components and concentrations have been adjusted from a culture solution supply device (not shown) is provided in the water conduit 5 and the water conduit 5 in large numbers. A drop tube (hose) 6 made of soft vinyl resin is supplied dropwise. Furthermore, the bag 1 of the plant cultivation apparatus thus configured is placed on a ridge as a bed 7 to form a bed structure for bagged pumice cultivation.

The preferred size of the plant cultivation container 1 is such that one cultivation container has an upper opening enough to plant one plant. In particular, in cultivation of fruit vegetables, planting for each plant is preferable. However, a plurality of plants may be planted. The size of the upper opening should, in principle, be large enough to pass through the lower part of the stem of the plant being planted, but when planting the plant, or put the medium inside Since it is better that the work has a certain size for the work, it is preferable that the work has a form that can be spread during the work. When a bag-shaped body is used as the plant cultivation container 1, the mouth of the bag-shaped body is usually wide, so it is suitable for work, but it is too wide for cultivation. Preferably, the size is appropriate.

[0011] The bed structure for bagged pumice cultivation shown in Fig. 1 is laid on a ridge-shaped bed 7, but the bag 1 of the present invention is different from a conventional hydroculture bag. Since there is no need to have a drain hole, and thus it is not necessary to form a drain groove, it is not always necessary to plant it on the ridge bed 7 and it may be planted directly on the open ground. Furthermore, there is no need for the ground or base to be horizontal, whether ridged or open, and it is not necessary to provide a slope so that the drainage side of the bag is lower, as in conventional bagged pumice. Moreover,
The bags 1 may be hung on the wall surface of the building in a hanging manner at appropriate intervals in a plurality of steps, or may be arranged in a plurality of steps as in the cultivation of strawberry stone walls, and the opening 3 is not necessarily required. Instead of being provided on the top surface, it may be provided on the side surface portion. In short, it can be provided irrespective of the unevenness, horizontal, inclination, etc. of the installation ground.

It is preferable that the water pipe 5 is arranged along a length direction in which a plurality of the plant cultivation vessels 1 are arranged in series. Opening 3 on the upper surface of bag 1 of water conduit 5
The dropping tubes 6 are provided at the positions corresponding to, respectively. The dropping tubes 6 are arranged so that the culture solution is dropped and supplied in a flowing manner from the opening 3 to the culture medium 4 in the bag 1. In addition, the water pipe 5
Manifolds provided in the manifold, and a vinyl resin hose (drip tube) connected to this manifold
6 and may be supplied dropwise in a hanging manner.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2, the culture solution is passed from the regulating valve 8 directly to the drip tube 6 over the opening 3 of the bag 1 and provided at a position corresponding to the opening 3 of the drip tube 6. The culture solution may be supplied directly to the culture medium 4 in the bag 1 by drip pouring from the drip hole 9. In this case, the regulating valve 8
Alone, it is difficult to supply an equal amount of culture solution into a plurality of bags 1 arranged in series, so that the diameter of the drip hole 9 near the regulating valve 8 is smaller than that of the drip hole far away. It is necessary to provide a simple means, such as reducing the size, so that an equal amount of culture solution is supplied. By doing so, 4
It can be uniformly supplied to a range of a distance of 0 to 50 m.

The shape of the bag 1, which is the container for cultivating plants of the present invention, may be an amorphous bag-like shape, or columns may be provided at four corners, frames may be formed at the ceiling and bottom, and wall materials may be stretched. It may be a square container formed and provided. A sandbag is exemplified as an amorphous bag-shaped plant cultivation apparatus. Sandbag-type cultivation apparatuses can be stacked and used, with openings 3 provided on the side surfaces of each sandbag, or with openings 3 provided only on the top surface of the sandbag.

As the wall material of the bag 1, any material can be used as long as it is a material which is permeable to gas but not to liquid and is flexible. Specific examples include polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, cellulose acetate plastic, nitrocellulose, polyamide, polycarbonate and other films, paper and nonwoven fabric sheets, and these are used as bag materials. Is what it is.
Of the above substances, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, etc., depending on the material and thickness, there is a thing with low gas permeability, in that case, use a material that has been processed to enhance gas permeability be able to. As a condition for transmitting gas but not liquid, it is preferable that the gas permeability is, for example, in the range of 100 to 500 ml / m ² · s (pressure: atmospheric pressure). Permeating a gas means permeating not only air but also water vapor. Here, since the wall material of the bag 1 is gas permeable, sufficient oxygen is supplied to the roots of the plants planted in the bag 1 and the moisture of the culture solution in the bag 1 is passed through the wall material to the outside. And the excess culture solution accumulates in the bag 1 and does not cause root rot.

As the medium used in the present invention, pumice is most suitable as coarse soil composed of particles having a porous surface. There are various pumice stones depending on the components etc. even in pumice stones. Shirasu is one of the pumice stones suitable for cultivation. Shirasu has physical and chemical properties suitable for cultivation, such as aeration coefficient, water permeability coefficient, cation exchange capacity and the like. The pH of Shirasu is around 6. When pumice is used, the pumice has a high water retention capacity, and therefore, it is not necessary to supply an excessive amount of culture solution into the cultivation container of the present invention, and as a result, the culture solution does not accumulate in the cultivation container and accumulates. There is no problem that a plant disease is caused by the culture solution.

As the watering method, it is preferable to use a drip pouring method. For irrigation, a culture solution containing a fertilizer component is usually used, but only water can be supplied as needed. The culture solution is
By using the one whose pH is adjusted to 4 to 8, the soil can be kept weakly acidic. And in the pumice medium,
From the culture solution supply device, the culture solution whose components and concentrations have been adjusted is supplied dropwise by a manifold provided in a number of water pipes, and a vinyl resin drop tube (hose) connected to the manifold. . In such a facility cultivation in which a drip is poured, the amount of the culture solution dropped is small, and the energy for managing the multiplication is small. In particular, in the cultivation container of the present invention, since the size of the opening 3 is smaller than that of an ordinary pot, evaporation of water from the opening 3 is suppressed, and water for compensating for evaporation of the water is suppressed. Supply can be minimized. Also, the opening 3
Since the amount of water entering from is small, the supply of the culture solution is not affected by the weather, and the management is very simple.

Since pumice such as shirasu has a low fertilizing capacity, the culture solution must be supplied dropwise in a relatively short cycle. However, the dripping amount of the culture solution as a whole is an amount that is commensurate with the surface evaporation of the culture medium and the surface of the crop, and is extremely small. Further, since the culture medium has a particle size of about 1 to 5.6 mm, the gap between the culture medium particles is larger than that of the soil in a general open field. Moreover,
As described above, since the amount of the culture solution dropped is an amount commensurate with evaporation, the culture medium is always kept dry, so that not only there is no risk of root rot, but also the area around the cultivation facility due to the discharge of excess culture solution. There is no concern about environmental pollution.

The container and the apparatus for cultivating plants according to the present invention are constructed as described above, and can be formed in an appropriate size in accordance with the size of the plant to be cultivated. As described above, it is possible to effectively prevent the medium 4 from becoming humid due to rainwater and causing vegetation, and the propagation of weeds due to the entry of weed seeds. In addition, low-cost cultivation can be performed in the open field without requiring expensive cultivation facilities such as greenhouses and vinyl houses.

The wall material of the plant cultivation container 1 of the present invention is:
By selecting the above-mentioned materials as appropriate, if it is flexible, it can be arbitrarily selected from a somewhat thick material or a flexible material by selecting a thin material. Moreover, the color (surface color) of the wall material is white in the summer cultivation container,
It is possible to contribute to temperature control by selecting a black container for winter cultivation. As shown in the conventional bag-packed pumice bed structure shown in FIG. 3, light can be shielded by an aluminum vapor-deposited film in the summer, and heat can be kept by a transparent vinyl film in the winter.

In addition, the plant cultivation apparatus of the present invention does not require a transplanting step and allows direct planting as it is. Such an apparatus is particularly suitable for growing fruits and vegetables such as strawberry, shishito, tomato, petit tomato, kodama watermelon, and pineapple. Taking pineapple, which is a perennial fruit vegetable, as an example, a comparison between bagged cultivation and acidic soil cultivation is shown below.

In general, when pineapples are grown on acidic soil, continuous cropping failure occurs within several years. Diseases caused by continuous cropping disorders include ginkgo biloba and singsare. When cultivated with pumice, there is no continuous cropping failure. In acidic soil, continuous cultivation failure tends to occur earlier in bagged cultivation than in open-field cultivation. When pineapples are cultivated in a pumice medium in a bag, there is no obstacle to continuous cropping and the medium need not be renewed for more than 10 years. In the case of bagged cultivation, the cultivation area is not limited. Pineapples can be grown even in non-acid soil areas.

When pineapples are cultivated in a pumice medium in a bag, cultivation can be performed twice as densely as when pineapples are cultivated in open ground of acidic soil. In bag cultivation on a pumice medium, bags can be arranged in a close-packed manner. In contrast, open field cultivation requires space for weed removal and fertilizer input (both organic and chemical). In addition, it causes the failure of continuous cropping, so that dense planting spreads the disease. It is necessary to plant at some intervals. Therefore, bagging cultivation of pineapple on a pumice medium enables dense planting twice as much as open cultivation in an acidic soil area.

Next, the characteristics of bagged pumice cultivation of fruits and vegetables according to the present invention will be listed below with respect to cultivation and nutrient solution management items. In the present invention, since it is different from the conventional "bag culture type hydroponic" which is a method of discharging excess liquid, it is referred to as "bagged pumice cultivation". 1) Cultivation-Pumice medium is used for both seedling and planting, and there is no disposal of the medium.・ Use sack-shaped or box-shaped bags for cultivation, and keep seedlings and plantings in the bags.・ The cultivation bag can be used for a long time (5 years or more), and there is no disposal by disposable. -It is easy for rooting at the time of germination to penetrate into the medium normally.・ By adjusting the seedling raising period, it is possible to shorten the period in the field from planting to harvesting.・ Transplanting the seedling sacks directly as cultivation bags, or direct seedlings and fixed planting depending on the type of fruit and vegetable, can greatly reduce the transplantation work.

2) Nutrient solution management-New nutrient solution is always supplied by infusion, so that growth is stable.・ The liquid supply system is simple and trouble free. -Since the supply of nutrient solution is small, there is no waste and no environmental impact.・ No damage due to continuous cropping and no disinfection of culture media and cultivation containers. -It is easy to adjust the fertilizer composition, concentration, and pH of the nutrient solution.

[0026]

The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited by this embodiment. In the examples and comparative examples, the essential points are listed in a bulleted manner.

Embodiment 1 1. Medium: Pumice medium having a particle size of 1 to 5.6 mm 2. Raising seedlings: Raising seedlings in the bag of FIG. 1 (seeding two grains in one hole) Size of the bag of FIG. 1 (7 liters) Planting: Plant the bag of Fig. 1 in a cultivation bed as it is. 4. 4. Irrigation method: Infusion of culture solution 5. Number of cultivated strains: 10 Cultivation item: tomato 7. Cultivation history: seeding (raising) November 15, 1999 Planting December 24 Harvest March 27-April 11, 2000 Yield: 610 g / strain

Comparative Example 1 1. 1. Medium: 1 to 5.6 mm debris Seedling raising method: Seedling raising in bag of FIG. 3 (two seeds are seeded in one hole) In FIG. 3, reference numeral 10 denotes a drainage hole of bag 1, 11 denotes a drainage groove arranged along a ridge, and 12 denotes hot water. A pipe 13 is a film for shielding light and keeping heat. 3. Planting: The bag of FIG. 3 is planted in a cultivation bed as it is. 4. Irrigation method: Infusion supply of culture solution. When the amount of evapotranspiration was larger than the amount of liquid supply at a high temperature, the amount of the liquid supply was temporarily increased, the culture medium 4 was washed away with the culture liquid, and the balance of the culture liquid components in the medium 4 was optimized. 5. 5. Number of cultivated strains: 10 Cultivation item: tomato 7. Cultivation history: same as in Example 1 Yield: 480 g / strain

(Comparison between Example 1 and Comparative Example) In Example 1, the yield was increased by 27% compared to the comparative example. On the other hand, the amount of the culture solution used was 30% larger in Comparative Example 1 than in Example 1 because it was necessary to properly restore the balance of the culture solution components in the medium by washing away.

Example 2 A column made of polyvinyl chloride, an upper frame, a lower frame, and a polyvinyl chloride film, as shown in FIG.
Strawberries were cultivated from seedlings in a cultivation apparatus stacked in stages under the same conditions as in Example 1 for strawberry as a cultivation item using square bags of 30 cm in length and 30 cm in width, and sufficiently satisfactory cultivation results were obtained.

[0031]

According to the plant cultivation container and apparatus for cultivating bagged pumice of the present invention, since the culture medium is pumice, it can be placed anywhere, even on flat terrain, uneven land, or sloping land. Therefore, it can be used anywhere, for example, on an airfield site, a fallow land, or a soil-contaminated area. Further, not only a frame is not required, but also a cultivation bed is not required, and the work can be easily performed because it can be installed at an arbitrary height. Furthermore, not only the roots have good air permeability, but also after harvesting, plants such as fruits and vegetables are extracted from the culture medium, and no root remains in the culture medium. Furthermore, expensive cultivation facilities such as greenhouses are not required.

Furthermore, according to the container and the apparatus for cultivating plants of the present invention, it is not necessary to take out the seedlings from the seedling raising tray for planting, so that the roots of the seedlings are not damaged at all.
As a result, there is no difference in the survival period and subsequent growth. In addition, since the culture solution is supplied by a drip-flow method using coarse soil such as pumice, water does not accumulate in the bag, and root rot does not occur. In addition, the bags in which the seedlings have been raised need only be placed at appropriate intervals on the culture medium or in the open ground. This saves time and effort for planting, and the bag can be used for a long time. And cost reduction are also possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a bed structure for bagged cultivation of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another plant cultivation apparatus for growing bagged pumice stones of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an example of a conventional bed structure of a bag culture.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 bag 2 plant body 3 opening part 4 culture medium 5 water guide tube 6 dripping tube 7 bed 8 regulating valve 9 drip hole 10 drain hole 11 drain groove 12 hot water piping 13 light shielding, heat retaining film

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2B022 AA01 AB08 AB11 AB13 AB15 BA02 BB05 2B314 MA33 NA25 NC16 PB19 PC18 PC25 PC29

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. It is composed of a flexible wall material that is permeable to gas but not to liquid, has an opening for planting a plant, and has a part for planting a plant. Plant cultivation container. 2. A container according to claim 1, wherein said container is filled with coarse soil comprising volcanic pumice having a particle size of 1 to 5.6 mm and having a porous surface, and has no drain port. Characteristic plant cultivation equipment. 3. The plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an irrigation tube for supplying a culture solution is provided at an opening of the container. 4. The plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the culture solution is supplied by dripping from the irrigation tube.