An automated plant cultivation system is provided having multi-tiered vertically arranged horizontal magazine structures each employing seed or plant capsules with a fluid circulation and illumination and communication network controlled by an on-board processor. Particularly, the system includes a magazine structure having seed/plant capsules within seed/plant reservoirs alternately arranged between at least one of a light source substantially concealed from direct viewing. A fluid channel extends across a long axis of the magazine structure, wherein the magazine structure is adapted for use of seed/plant capsules with nutrient composite plant growth cultivation, hydroponic plant growth cultivation, aeroponic plant growth cultivation methods or combinations thereof.

An irrigation system designed to provide water to indoor plants comprising a water reservoir containing water, a water pump submerged in the water within the reservoir and connected to a power source, a timer operatively associated with the water pump and power source, wherein the timer operates to activate and deactivate the water pump at intervals determined by the system user, one or more sections of tubing secured at one end to the water pump to direct water pumped from the water reservoir through the tubing to the indoor plants and one or more emitters secured to the opposite end of the tubing wherein the emitters are located within a pot or near the indoor plants that the system user wants to water and wherein the emitters are selected from the group consisting of: pressure adjustable drippers, pressure adjustable sprayers, pressure adjustable soaker hoses, or a combination thereof.

A plant growth system and medium employs a manmade mineral fiber-based growth medium that includes from about 40% to about 99.5% man-made mineral fiber interspersed with from about 0.5% to about 60% by weight pieces of natural or synthetic open cell foam. The foam includes from about 5 to about 50 pores per square inch. Additives in the form of nutrients, fungi, and bacteria are included. Water is supplied to plants by flood and drain watering during plant growth in the medium. EC is maintained within a range of about 0.5 mS/cm to about 2.500 mS/cm and pH is maintained within a range of about 5.6 to about 5.8.

A rotatable, electric powered self-contained vertical plant housing and watering apparatus including an elongated plant-housing tower having a closed first end, a second end, a hollow interior, and a plurality of removable plant plug-supporting cups extending outward from a sidewall of the tower, a water column supported within the hollow interior of the tower in a fixed condition and running from proximal to the first end to the second end of the tower, a self-contained water basin connected to the second end of the tower and supporting the tower in a rotatably upright condition, a water pump located within the basin and pushing fluid within the basin up the water column for fluid distribution within the tower, and a motor driving a rotation of tower about the water column to provide all sides of the tower with equal sun and shade time.

The invention provides a crop cultivation receptacle. The receptacle comprises a base and side walls that project from the base to define a receptacle space between them. In the receptacle space, a body of growth medium for the cultivation of crops can in use be contained such that a major portion thereof is spaced from the base. The receptacle also comprises at least one recess that is defined in the base. Into the recess, a minor portion of the body of growth medium can extend and in which the minor portion of the body of growth medium can be contained. The receptacle further comprises water feed control means that limits water feed to the receptacle space so as not to exceed a predetermined depth of water in the receptacle space above non-recessed portions of the base.

A cultivation floor system has a floor on which plant containers are to be placed. The system includes a watertight basin and a water-permeable structure in the basin, which structure has a permeable top cloth which forms the top side of the floor on which plant containers are placed. The structure includes one or more water-retaining layers. A watering installation supplies water so that water is available for the plants in the plant containers. A perforated film is placed between the permeable top cloth on the one hand and the one or more water-retaining layers on the other hand, which perforated film is made of impermeable film material which is provided with distributed perforations in such a manner that the film reduces the free evaporation surface for water from the one or more water-retaining layers.

A method for installing a cultivation floor system including a floor on which plant containers are placed, and an ebb/flood watering installation which is configured to alternately cause a supply of water to the cultivation floor and a discharge of water from the cultivation floor. The method includes: providing a watertight basin; placing one or more irrigation lines in the basin, which irrigation lines provide outflow openings along their length to enable water to flow from the one or more irrigation lines; providing a water pump and connecting that water pump to the one or more irrigation lines; providing a water-permeable structure in the basin, which structure has a permeable and horizontal top which forms the floor on which plant containers are placed, which structure comprises one or more layers of granular material, wherein the one or more irrigation lines are covered by the permeable structure.

A mobile robot configured for integration with one or more grow space components within a grow space that includes one or more grow modules, the mobile robot including: one or more sensors; a mobility mechanism; a processor; a memory; the mobile robot configured to: determine, by the mobile robot, that a grow space operation should be performed in the grow space; and based on the determination, perform, by the mobile robot, the grow space operation by integrating with at least one other component in the grow space.

A pumping device for liquids is described which comprises a tank for liquids, from which a feeding pipe of a pump with a solar panel draws. The tank consists of a supporting frame with tubular uprights and upper and lower horizontal connection lengths, which supports and surrounds a flexible bag for containing liquids and has an upper connection crossbar of the upper horizontal lengths of the supporting frame, on which the pump with solar panel is mounted. The bag has a lower filling hole or mouth, in which the feeding pipe can be inserted and an overflow hole made in the upper of part of its side wall in position lower than said mouth.

A plumbing system and water transport method. The system includes a global water source, a one way water transport mechanism, a growing tray, and a local buffer. The local buffer separates the global water source and the growing tray to prevent cross-contamination of water. The local buffer also continuously provides water to the growing tray on demand without the need for filtering or dumping of used or excess water. This results in low flow, efficient water transport.