A system for packaging growth medium pots onto propagation trays is provided. The system includes an apparatus adapted for producing a length of growth medium cut into growth medium pots of suitable size; and a distributor apparatus adapted for positioning growth medium pots into a propagation tray or the like. The distributor apparatus comprises a) a first apparatus, b) a conveyor unit, and c) a second apparatus. The first apparatus is configured for positioning growth medium pots onto said conveyor unit. The conveyor unit comprises an endless conveyor belt adapted for transporting the growth medium pots toward the second apparatus. The second apparatus is configured for moving said growth medium pots positioned on the said conveyor belt into a propagation tray or the like.

A method and a device for propagating plants, by way of which the risk of contamination can be minimized and the costs of the production of plants can be reduced. This is achieved in that the plants to be propagated are automatically grasped by a first gripper and separated, the individual plants, hanging on the first gripper, are systematically cut into multiple clones and the individual clones are automatically transported away by a second gripper for further processing.

An assembly line grow system for measuring growth of a plant, includes a rail system, carts moving along the rail system and carrying plants, seeds, or both, weight sensors, a proximity sensor, a camera and a master controller. The master controller is communicatively coupled to the carts, the weight sensors, the proximity sensor, and the camera. The master controller is operable to receive information from the weight sensors, the proximity sensor, and the camera, determine a growth state of a selected plant based on the information indicative of weight, color, height, or a combination thereof, and control a dosage supply component to provide a modified dosage based on the growth state.

A method for moving wetted seeds from a tank includes positioning a first batch of seeds within a tank, directing water from a water source to the tank, wetting the first batch of seeds within the tank with the water from the water source to initiate germination of the first batch of seeds, releasing the first batch of seeds from the tank to a pod line in fluid communication with an assembly line grow pod after a predetermined time, and subsequent to releasing the first batch of seeds from the tank, detecting a level of seeds remaining in the tank.

An automated farm includes a cloning room and an environmentally controlled nursery with a storage and retrieval system, child storage racks, and child conveyor trays. The automated farm has environmentally controlled grow rooms, environmentally controlled lighted and unlighted flower rooms, a trimming or pruning room, and a harvest room. The automated farm includes specialized parent plant pots with training devices, and tray and trellis systems with rotation plant holders and removable trellis combs. Plant tending robots are configured to clone, trim, prune, harvest, and maintain plants. The automated farm includes a transport mechanism configured to transport the child conveyor trays, the parent plant pots, and the tray and trellis systems between the cloning room, the nursery, the grow rooms, the flower rooms, the trimming or pruning room, and/or the harvest room. The automated farm also includes a farm control and data management 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.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a potting apparatus, which includes a drill that is repositionable relative to a pot-driving conveyor such that the potting apparatus may be placed in a first potting configuration or a second potting configuration. In the first potting configuration, the drill is in a first position relative to the pot-driving conveyor such that the apparatus can provide the requisite drilling functionality for potting plant life with smaller vertical profiles. In the second potting configuration, the drill is in a second position relative to the pot-driving conveyor to provide sufficient vertical clearance above the pot-driving conveyor for potting plant life with larger vertical profiles. The potting apparatus may further include a soil delivery system adapted to receive and dispense soil to the pot-driving conveyor and a drive system operatively connected to the pot-driving conveyor.

Crops, for example microgreens, may be aeroponically grown from seed on substrates. The substrates may be seeded with the substrates in a horizontal position, and then arranged vertically for germination and further growth. A gelling material in solution, with the gelling material for example a gellum, may be applied to the substrates, while in the horizontal position, so that the seeds are retained on the substrates when the substrates are moved to a vertical position.

A system for planning the placement of plants in a multi-cell planter module. The system comprises an electronic processor having one or more electrical inputs and one or more electrical outputs, and an electronic memory device electrically coupled to the processor and having instructions stored therein. The processor is configured to access the memory and execute the instructions stored therein such that the processor is configured to: receive electrical signal(s) representative of information relating to plants to be planted in the planter module, acquire information relating to the planter module cells; determine an exclusion zone for each plant to be planted based on the received plant information and/or the acquired information relating to the planter module cells; and create a planting arrangement for the plants based on the determined exclusion zones, wherein each plant is assigned one or more cells in which it is to be placed.

A seed level managing system includes a seed tank configured to contain seeds, a plurality of seed level sensors placed on a sidewall of the seed tank, a surface detecting sensor, and a controller. The controller includes one or more processors, one or more memory modules, and machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller to receive first information from the plurality of seed level sensors; receive second information from the surface detecting sensor and determine a number of the seeds in the seed tank based on the first information and the second information.