A system includes one or more machines carrying out steps in a plant production process using growing towers, beginning after harvest and concluding immediately after transplanting. These steps include media removal, plant waste disposal, media cleaning, tower cleaning, and tower re-transplanting. A material handling scheme may be used to manage the flow of towers to and from the machine and across the growing system.

An automated modular plant growing system includes a rack structure with primary guiding tracks and secondary guiding tracks transverse to each other, and upper guiding tracks in parallel and above the primary guiding tracks. The automated modular plant growing system also includes a plurality of mobile modules detachably connected to the upper guiding tracks and to a nutrient solution supply system.

Facility layouts and configurations for an automated crop production system for controlled environment agriculture. In particular implementations, the core of the facility comprises a controlled growth environment and a central processing system. The controlled growth environment includes systems for exposing crops housed in modules, such as grow towers, to controlled environmental conditions. The central processing system may include various stations and functionality both for preparing crop-bearing modules to be inserted in the controlled growth environment, for harvesting crops from the crop-bearing modules after they have been extracted from the controlled growth environment, and for cleaning or washing crop-bearing modules for re-use. The controlled growth environment may include vertical farming structure having vertical grow towers and associated conveyance mechanisms for moving the vertical grow towers along one or more grow lines. The conveyance mechanisms may include a return transfer mechanism that creates a return or u-shaped path for each grow line.

The present disclosure relates to a system for rotating at least one horticulture tower. The system comprises at least one horticulture tower and an apparatus for rotating the at least one horticulture tower. The at least one horticulture tower is decoupled from the apparatus for rotating the at least one horticulture tower, such that the at least horticulture tower may be independently conveyed about a facility.

Aeroponics apparatus for commercial operation is disclosed, the aeroponics apparatus including a support structure comprising a power supply device, at least one shuttle movable on the support structure, the shuttle comprising a grow bed tray for holding crops, the shuttle comprising one or more nebulizers, for generating an aerosol for fertigating the crops in the grow bed tray, and a power connector to connect to the power supply device to supply power to the shuttle.

An embodiment of a plant cultivation system comprises at least one plant cultivation guide in which a plurality of containers planted with plants are arranged and supported, wherein the plant cultivation guide having a starting part positioned at a central part so that the container is loaded to begin growing plants, and a harvesting part positioned along a circumference of the central part so that plants are harvested, the containers are sequentially transported from the starting part to the harvesting part and continuously cultivated according to the growth stage of the planted plants.

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 reciprocating cam mechanism that provides a cost-efficient mechanism for conveying vertical grow towers in the controlled environment. The reciprocating cam mechanism can be arranged to increase the spacing of the grow towers as they are conveyed through the controlled environment to index the crops growing on the towers. The present disclosure also describes a tower shuttle mechanism that provides operational flexibility by decoupling the loading and unloading operations of the grow towers from the vertical farming structure and, therefore, allowing multiple grow towers to be extracted for harvesting in a batch process before loading new grow towers into the vertical farming structure in a separate process.

A soilless culture facility includes a frame supporting a plurality of profile sections extending parallel to each other in a horizontal plane, from a transverse loading area to a transverse harvesting area, and a plurality of supports, each suitable for receiving a culture substrate. The plurality of supports are longitudinally movable in the longitudinal gap defined by two adjacent profile sections. The movable supports are moved by a motor means suitable for modifying the distance between two consecutive supports during travel in the gap. The plurality of profile sections have opaque and flexible longitudinal joining side band strips, the joining side band strips of two adjacent profile sections joining to close the gap defined by the adjacent profile sections. The movable supports have arcuate slots in the front and rear cross-sections of same, to either side of a longitudinal vertical plane, the two band strips joining at the lower edge.

Product holder for a rotating cultivation of crops including potted plants, which holder is provided with: a platform that is executed predominantly flat for supporting the crops, running wheels and/or guide wheels that are attached to the bottom side of the platform for allowing the holder to be rotated through a greenhouse in a manner that may or may not be automated, wherein the platform has a largest dimension in a longitudinal direction that is oriented transverse to the driving direction of the wheels and, considered in the driving direction, is bounded by a longitudinal side, wherein the platform comprises self-supporting, rigidity enhancing means extending in the longitudinal direction for providing sturdiness and flatness to the platform and the entire holder, wherein an impact absorbing means extends from the rigidity enhancing means for absorbing force resulting from the impact the product holder is subjected to when the impact absorbing means hits an obstacle.

An installation for the aeroponic/hydroponic production of plants (P) comprises at least a table (1), trays (2) able to move on the table (1) and intended to support the plants (P) so as to transfer the plants (P), the installation being characterized in that it comprises a dipping station (14) comprising a lift for lowering and raising at least one tray (2) between a raised position and a lowered position so as to dip the roots (PR) in a dipping bath (140) containing a liquid in the lowered position for a predetermined length of time.