A system for utilizing waves in an assembly line grow pod includes a plurality of carts, a wave generator and a master controller. The plurality of carts carries a plurality of plants including a first plant and a second plant. The wave generator generates sound waves having a different range of frequency. The master controller is communicatively coupled to the wave generator and comprising a processor and a memory storing a wave recipe and instructions. The wave recipe correlates the plurality of plants with different characteristics of sound waves including frequency. The wave generator generates a first sound wave having the characteristic correlated to the first plant and a second sound wave having the characteristic correlated to the second plant.

An image capture system for a grow pod includes a master controller that has a processor, a memory, and cameras that are communicatively coupled to the master controller and positioned to capture images of plants or seeds. The memory stores a grow recipe and a logic. The grow recipe defines instructions for growing the plants or seeds and expected attributes corresponding to the instructions. The logic, when executed by the processor, causes the master controller to perform at least the following: receive, from the cameras, the images of the plants or seeds, determine attributes of the plants or seeds from the images, compare the attributes of the plants or seeds from the images to the expected attributes defined by the grow recipe, and adjust the instructions of the grow recipe for growing the plants or seeds based on the comparison of the attributes to the expected attributes.

An irrigation system for a vertical farming structure having vertical grow towers and associated conveyance mechanisms for moving the vertical grow towers through a controlled environment, while being exposed to controlled conditions, such as lighting, airflow, humidity and nutritional support. The present disclosure describes a grow tower conveyance system that moves vertically-oriented grow towers to select positions along a grow line. An irrigation line having apertures at the select positions provides aqueous nutrient solution to the grow towers, while a gutter structure captures excess solution. In a closed loop system, the excess solution returns to a recirculation tank. The present disclosure provides a dual pump system for effectively and efficiently removing excess nutrient solution from the gutter structure.

A hydroponic apparatus includes a cultivation tank and planting containers. The cultivation tank includes an inner space and a top planting groove. Each of the planting containers includes a container body and a container brim The planting containers can be arranged on the planting groove along a width direction of the planting groove, and the planting containers can be moved along a length direction of the planting groove. A hydroponic method includes: placing the planting containers at n positions arranged along the planting groove, wherein each position corresponds to a plant growth and development stage, and is consistent with an order of the plant growth and development stages; and harvesting the plant at the position n at a specified time point, and moving the planting containers at other positions one by one to the positions corresponding to the next plant growth and development stages.

Devices, systems, and methods for providing and operating a pump control module and one or more pumps in an assembly line grow pod are provided herein. Some embodiments include the assembly line grow pod having one or more pumps, a master controller with a plurality of bays and being communicatively coupled to the pumps, and a pump control module within one of the bays such that the pump control module is communicatively coupled to the master controller and the pumps. The pump control module is programmed to receive information regarding fluid within the assembly line grow pod, determine one or more control signals necessary to provide or pressurize the fluid, and provide the one or more control signals to the one or more pumps.

A fluid removal system for an assembly line grow pod is provided. The fluid removal system includes a track, a cart configured to move on the track, a fluid removal manifold provided over the track, and a controller. The cart includes one or more cells. The fluid removal manifold includes a body, and one or more nozzles attached to the body. The controller determines whether fluid in the cart needs to be removed, operates the fluid removal manifold to align the one or more nozzles with the one or more cells of the cart in response to determination that the fluid in the cart needs to be removed, and instructs the fluid removal manifold to remove fluid from one or more cells of the cart through the one or more nozzles.

An assembly line grow pod includes a track extending between a growing region and a sanitizing region, a cart movably engaged with the track, a sanitizer system that applies a sanitizer solution to the cart at the sanitizing region, the sanitizer system including a gray solution tank for storing sanitizer solution runoff collected from the sanitizing region, a watering system that provides water to plant matter on the cart at the growing region, the watering system including an untreated water tank for storing water runoff collected from the growing region, and a flowmeter fluidly coupled to at least one of the sanitizer system and the watering system.

Systems and methods for operating a grow pod are provided herein. One embodiment of a system includes a cart that moves on a track of the grow pod, where the cart receives a seed for growing into a plant. The system may also include a human-machine interface (HMI) that is coupled to the grow pod and a pod computing device coupled to the HMI. The pod computing device stores logic that, when executed by the pod computing device, causes the system to receive a grow recipe for the seed in the cart, wherein the grow recipe includes actuation of at least one environmental affecter and provide a user option to alter functionality of the grow recipe. In some embodiments, the logic may also cause the system to receive a user selection of the user option and in response to receiving the user selection, alter functionality of the grow recipe.

A spiral growing system is configured to be housed in a vertically elongated silo growth chamber to grow an agricultural crop. The spiral growing system broadly includes a spiral growing assembly and a movable crop support. The spiral growing assembly extends along an assembly length to at least partly define a spiral growing space to receive and feed the agricultural crop therein. The spiral growing assembly includes a continuous track and a feeding system. The track extends continuously along the assembly length and is configured to direct the agricultural crop along a generally downward spiral path. The movable crop support is operably supported by the track and is configured to be advanced downwardly along the assembly length to thereby direct the agricultural crop through the growing space with the feeding system providing direct root application of a supply of water and/or nutrients to the agricultural crop along the track.

Devices and methods for promoting the growth of plants, which transport the plants using a conveyor belt where roots of the plants protrude into a region located below a lower surface of the conveyor belt and at least parts of leaves and/or fruits of the plants protrude into a region located above an upper surface of the conveyor belt which opposes the lower surface. The conveyor path moves along a closed circular or oval path such that a deflection occurs in the region of an upper deflection point and in the region of a lower deflection point, which interconnect vertical sections.