An automated system for plant growth may include a reactor to make a hydrogel solution. A hopper with a processor controlled valve or valves may deliver components to make the hydrogel solution in the reactor. The hydrogel solution may be poured into a tray to create a hydrogel mat or a hydrogel plug. A conveyor may move the hydrogel mat or the hydrogel plug to a nursery on a path in which the hydrogel mat or the hydrogel plug is seeded and is dibbled or scratched. The nursery may include a first position for a seed to germinate in the hydrogel mat or the hydrogel plug, and a second position for a plant to grow to a harvest state in the hydrogel mat or the hydrogel plug. The nursery may include a plurality of LED lights suitable for growth of a plant from the germinated seed.

An assembly line grow pod includes a seeding region, a harvesting region, a track that extends between the seeding region and the harvesting region, a cart including a tray for holding plant matter, and a wheel coupled to the tray, where the wheel is engaged with the track, and a weight sensor positioned on the cart or the track, where the weight sensor is positioned to detect a weight of the plant matter positioned within the cart.

A high throughput system for depositing seed into germination wells of a germination tray. The system comprises a seed distribution subsystem, and an individual seed transfer subsystem structured and operable to transfer individual seeds from wells in a seed storage tray to the seed deposition subsystem. The system additionally comprises a bulk seed transfer subsystem structured and operable to singulate a plurality of bulk seeds and transfer each singulated seed to the seed deposition subsystem, wherein the seed distribution subsystem structured and operable to receive seeds from the individual seed transfer subsystem and the bulk seed transfer subsystem, and deposit the seeds into wells of the seed germination tray.

A horticulture apparatus and method for planting, growing, and harvesting plants may include a platform having a width axis and a length axis, a gantry sized to straddle and move across at least one of the platform's width and length axes, and a controller. The gantry may comprise a frame, a motor mounted to the frame, a container bin operatively connected to the frame, and a modular tool operatively connected to the frame. The controller may engage the motor of the gantry to move the gantry across the platform, thereby providing the modular tool with access to different locations on the platform.

A distributed control system for use in an assembly line grow pod includes a master controller and a hardware controller device. The master controller includes a first processor and a first memory for storing a first set of instructions that dictates plant growing operations and a second set of instructions that dictates a plurality of distributed control functions. The hardware controller device is coupled to the master controller via a plug-in network interface. The hardware controller device includes a second processor and a second memory for storing a third set of instructions that dictate a selected control function of the plurality of distributed control functions. Upon the plug-in connection, the master controller identifies an address of the hardware controller device and sends a set of parameters defining a plurality of tasks relating to the selected control function.

A large plant bagging and planting system that is comprised of a hopper surge bin, a first and second workstation. The workstations are connected at or near the center between them, and each respective workstation has a set of walls, or a circular wall, that tapers inward from a wider top opening to a smaller bottom opening, and there is at least one gate located below the walls or circular wall. There is also at least one gate located below each respective workstation. There is also at least one control arm configured to manipulate and hold a large plant into position within a grow bag while potting media that has been placed in the hopper surge bin, is released from at least one workstation via the at least one gate, in am amount appropriate to fill the grow bad to desired depth.

There is provided a pick-and-plant head for planting plant cuttings in a cultivation medium. The pick-and-plant head is provided with a grasper comprising opposed grasping surfaces for grasping a portion of a cutting between them and with an abutment that abuts a cutting. The grasper and abutment are moveable relative to one another and are arranged so that during release of a cutting from the grasper the abutment passes between the opposed grasping surfaces and the cutting is abutted by the abutment.

A growing system, which includes: at least one growing space having different locations for plants, a robotic arm provided with at least one tool, and a moving element arranged to move the robotic arm between the different location; an electronic and/or computerized communication element; and a remote control station which is at a distance from the at least one growing space and includes a control element arranged to control the robotic arm in each growing space via the communication element, the control element being arranged to control the moving element so as to move the robotic arm in the growing space between the different locations in the growing space and/or to control actions of the robotic arm in said growing space. Also, a corresponding method utilizing the growing system.

The present invention provides a transplanting equal-dividing mechanism which includes a driving mechanism, a module fixing plate, a robot connecting rod, a linkage and a clamping jaw device, wherein the driving mechanism is disposed above the module fixing plate, a bottom of the module fixing plate is provided with a guide rail, the guide rail is provided with a plurality of sliders thereon, the clamping jaw device is connected below each slider, each clamping jaw device is provided with two linkages on its back surface, and the linkage is rotationally connected to a back of the clamping jaw device. The clamping jaw device is driven by the drive mechanism to achieve automatic separation and aggregation, and the clamping and placing works of plants in the transplanting process are realized by utilizing the clamping and retracting functions of the clamping jaw devices. The application of a plurality of clamping jaws can simultaneously place the plants in the planting tray, so that the transplanting equal-dividing work of the plants can be carries out more quickly, which effectively improves the working efficiency and saves time.

A system for automated farming of potted plants is disclosed and includes a closed-loop conveyor system configured to facilitate gradual cyclic mobility and storage of a plurality of potted plants. The system also includes at least one centralized processing zone disposed along the conveyor system and configured to perform at least one operation such as fertilization, irrigation, treatment, instrumentation, repotting, seeding, and inspection on each individual pot. The processing zone includes at least one sensor configured to detect at least one property of a potted plant. The system also includes a processing unit in communication with the at least one sensor, the processing unit configured to determine a state of each potted plant based on the at least one detected property. The state describes a physical state of the potted plant. The system also includes at least one loading station coupled to the conveyor system and configured to feed (input) potted plants to the conveyor system, and at least one unloading station coupled to the conveyor system and configured to unload (output) potted plants from the conveyor system.