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.

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.

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.

A container, such as a pot, strip or tray, comprising at least one accommodation for at least one specimen from a group, comprising: plants; seeds; seedlings; cuttings and the like, where the accommodation is configured to be filled with a substrate and the container exhibits at least a side wall, a bottom and a top surface to accommodate the substrate and the specimen in the substrate, of which at least a portion of the top surface is open to enable growth of the specimen there through in a longitudinal direction. The side wall includes a completely open passage which is dimensioned for inserting or extracting a block of substrate with essentially a full size of an interior of the accommodation into or from the interior through the passage in a sideways direction relative to the longitudinal direction, where at least the side wall includes a cutting edge alongside the passage.

A portable bale breaker and potting apparatus is provided. Soil bales or blocks may be loaded onto an inclined bed and conveyed to rotating breaker bars that break the soil apart into loose soil. The loose soil is conveyed by an auger into a chute which deposits the loose soil into pots on a conveyor belt positioned below the chute. Rotating brush heads downstream of the chute remove excess soil from each pot. The apparatus includes a soil management system for recycling loose overflow soil back to an upstream position on the bed.

Panel for floating cultivation of plants on water, includes parallel grooves at a top side extending longitudinally, adapted for receiving a substrate and a number of plants or precursors in the substrate, each groove extending through the panel from a first top plane to a second parallel plane. The panel includes air chambers at a lower side extending substantially below the second plane, each of the air chambers allowing therein formation of air roots of plants supported in the substrate of the grooves. At the second plane, each groove is spaced apart from the circumferential side wall of the air chamber it debouches in when projected onto a plane normal to the longitudinal direction, each of the grooves including at least two side support surfaces extending parallel to the groove and below the top side, the side support surfaces adapted for substantially completely supporting the substrate in the groove.

The invention presents technology for elevated cultivation comprising an automatic paver and man-machine collaboration matrix control method in the field of agricultural equipment. The substrate auto-paver for the table-top culture machine is mainly composed of a moving car, a matrix and a matrix-packing mechanism, the substrate material in the cabinet, an evenly paving mechanism that realizes double-sided blanking, and a remote control. The manual push-pull arm is employed to ensure that the return wheel touches the ground, using the matrix agencies to van automatically. The remote control is used to move the car into the elevated inter-row cultivation bed, and then, the double-sided blanking and evenly paving mechanism is automatically activated until the track wheel falls into the slot on the skeleton. By means of the bending type of chain transmission mechanism, the soilless culture substrates are automatically conveyed owing to the bilateral symmetry of blanking trough. A moving trolley drives the stirring device along the elevated bed. Thus, an evenly mixed matrix is obtained for cultivation in the tank. A rubber band, which is fixed on the back board of the stirring device, makes the matrix flat and level. The challenges of substrate packing, transportation, and mobile paving are being solved through collaboration between many institutions and by means of some artificial automatic intervention, which can help realize good adaptability and convenient handling.

A support funnel for filling a grow bag starts as a flexible panel having a length and a height, with a first fastening region comprising a plurality of fastening elements, implemented along the height at a first end of the length of the flexible panel, and a second fastening region comprising a second plurality of fastening elements complementary to the first fastening elements, implemented along the height at a second end of the length of the flexible panel, opposite the first end. The flexible panel is rolled into a cylinder or cone shape, with the first fastening region overlapping the second fastening region, and the first fastening elements are engaged with the second fastening elements, providing a stable cylinder or cone, enabling insertion of the cylinder or cone into a grow bag to support the grow bag while filling same with soil.

A method of potting a tree, wherein the method includes the steps of inserting the root system of the tree into the lumen of the pot, and supplying a particulate substrate to the pot to cover the root system using an apparatus including a supply system. To pot trees quicker, the supply system includes i) a buffer, and ii) at least one chute, wherein the method includes providing the buffer with a predetermined amount of particulate substrate, and batch-wise release of the particulate material in the buffer to provide the pot with the particulate material from the buffer via the at least one chute by gravity.

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.