A device for growing plants above a selected surface includes a bottom member disposed upon a selected surface; a top member disposed upon and secured to said bottom member via two longitudinal securing seams, whereby, said top member includes two outer longitudinal flap portions and a longitudinal center portion, which ultimately receives a growing material in which plants and/or seeds are disposed. The longitudinal flap portions are ultimately folded above the growing material whereby longitudinal edge portions of the flap portions are separated a predetermined distance for allowing water and light to engage the growing material. Pipe members are removably secured to longitudinal edge portions of each longitudinal side of the bottom member, thereby enabling the manual lifting and transport of the device for disposal upon a selected surface.

A method and a system for growing plants on multilayer principle in mobile gutter farming is described, whereby, in the process of growing plants planted in cultivation gutters, said plants are conveyed in cultivation layers present on top of each other in a cultivation space in a longitudinal direction of the cultivation space in one or opposite directions. The cultivation gutters and the plants contained therein, are treated in the cultivation space by means of a processing arrangement in a cultivation layer-specific manner, whereby the cultivation gutters and the plants contained therein are first of all conveyed by motion elements in each cultivation layer of the cultivation space in the longitudinal direction of the cultivation space in opposite directions and are treated by processing elements in each cultivation layer of the cultivation space separately, in a manner substantially independent of the other cultivation layers.

A split funnel is provided that includes a top opening that has a first closed inner perimeter and a bottom opening distal from the top opening. The split funnel includes first and second portions that are linked by a bearing structure. The split funnel can be opened and closed along two seams which run from a top opening of the funnel to a bottom opening of the funnel. Methods of using the funnel are also provided.

A drop seeder apparatus includes a frame and a bottom plate having a plurality of through holes. A top plate has a plurality of through holes. The top plate is secured in the frame and positioned in a sliding relationship with respect to the bottom plate. A system of legs is configured to adjust a length thereof to accommodate seed trays of varying heights. A slide actuation system is configured to allow a user to slide the top plate across the bottom plate and cause the top plate to automatically return to a default trap position.

An apparatus for growing plants comprises two towers located adjacent to each other and forming an outside perimeter surface, a tray located in the bottom of the outside perimeter surface; and a cable system configured to pull a plurality of pods along the outside perimeter, each pod having containers, the cable system configured to bring at least one pod in a contact with a liquid located in the tray. A plant growth monitoring system comprises a plurality of sensors, a plurality of distributors configured to distribute fertilizers in response to received commands, and a controller configured to receive a sensor data from the plurality of sensors, determine commands for a stage of growth of plants based on a sensor data received and transmit the commands to the distributors. A method of initiating a plant in preparation of its introduction into a vertical farm unit is also disclosed.

A flexible seedling tray with at least one carrier tab for lifting the seedling tray. The seedling tray has a plurality of upwardly tapered cells arranged in rows and columns. The cells can be connected or joined together across an upper terminus to which is attached the at least one carrier tab. When the seedling tray is lifted by the at least one carrier tab, the flexibility of the seedling tray and the taper of the cells causes the cells to come together, bringing the base surfaces together to form a stable arc across the bottom side. The force of the cells pressing against each other provides support and rigidity to the seedling tray for easier transport. When placed on a surface, the cells separate and are supported on the surface.

A device for growing plants above a selected surface includes a bottom member disposed upon a selected surface; a top member disposed upon and secured to said bottom member via two longitudinal securing seams, whereby, said top member includes two outer longitudinal flap portions and a longitudinal center portion, which ultimately receives a growing material in which plants and/or seeds are disposed. The longitudinal flap portions are ultimately folded above the growing material whereby longitudinal edge portions of the flap portions are separated a predetermined distance for allowing water and light to engage the growing material. Pipe members are removably secured to longitudinal edge portions of each longitudinal side of the bottom member, thereby enabling the manual lifting and transport of the device for disposal upon a selected surface.

A modified device for growing plants upon an undulating surface includes the above device with multiple apertures disposed proximate to a selected inner portion of a folded lower flap portion of the top member; and at least one water retaining member disposed between the folded lower flap portion of the top member and a lower elevation side of the bottom member.

A system for the fertigation of a plant vessel and method of use for the same is disclosed. The system comprises a grow module containing a plurality of growing trays additionally containing plants, and/or shoots of plants in various stages of development. The growing trays are individually extracted from the grow module via a tray movement system and tray elevator controlled by a control system and precisely placed in a fertigation system, wherein they are aligned over and lowered onto an at least one nozzle which penetrate the plant vessels containing the plants and fertigate them with a combination of water, nutrients, and/or pressurized air. The individual growing tray is then replaced in the grow module and the process is repeated for all growing trays and plant vessels in the grow module.

An artificially intelligent harvest and reuse system for planting vegetables has a first mechanic arm moving a plurality of planting plates around a first conveyor, a second conveyor, a first shelf and a second shelf. The planting plates are sent to a connecting conveyor for the grown vegetables thereon to be picked up by a second mechanic arm and further sent to a root cutting apparatus then to a packaging apparatus, while the empty planting plates are further sent to an exit end of the first conveyor and a third mechanic arm places nursery foams with sprouts from a storage area onto the empty planting plates. Then the refilled planting plates are sent back to the corresponding shelf via the second conveyor and placed back into the corresponding layers neatly by the first mechanic arm on a first distributing apparatus.

A method for operating a greenhouse system with block storage, at least one block storage element and at least one vehicle. Growth conditions for plants are to be improved. To this end, each block storage element has a carrier frame and a plant receptacle, the plant receptacle being detachably engaged with the carrier frame, the block storage having at least one first zone and one second zone, and at least one first carrier frame and at least one second carrier frame, the plant receptacle in the first zone being detachably engaged with the first carrier frame; and the plant receptacle being subsequently transferred into the second zone, the plant receptacle being transferred from the first carrier frame to the second carrier frame within the framework of transferal from the first zone into the second zone, the plant receptacle in the second zone being detachably engaged with the second carrier frame.