A plant growing system comprising a growing panel and a porous air hose coupled to the growing panel. The growing panel includes a plurality of openings for receiving a plurality of plant receptacles. The plurality of openings are arranged in a plurality of parallel lines on the growing panel, and the porous air hose extends along the growing panel between at least two of the parallel lines.

A growing system is described. The growing system includes a conveyor system, at least one floating tray, a plurality of multifunction beams arranged to contain at least one row, a microclimate exchange system, and a nutriment supply system.

A plant support tower cleaning system for cleaning a plant support tower is provided. A drive actuator propels the tower through the tower cleaning system. One or more linear or rotating first structures each have at least one projection. One or more first actuators coupled to the one or more first structures push the at least one projection of the one or more first structures against a stem side of plant material in containers in the tower as the tower is propelled through the system. A rotating second structure has at least one circumferential projection to pull plant material from a root side of the plant containers as the tower is propelled through the system. A second actuator rotates the second structure.

A bioreactor includes a bioreactor container, and a root stand. The container has a base and one or more sidewalls connected to the base, the base and sidewalls together defining an interior bioreactor volume. The root stand is supported by the container within the bioreactor volume, and includes a first support comb and a second support comb, each support comb having a plurality of spaced apart teeth. The teeth of the first support comb extend in length in a first direction and the teeth of the second support comb extend in length in a second direction different from the first direction. The first support comb overlaying the second support comb when the root stand is supported in the container, and the first support comb being separable from the second support comb when the root stand is removed from the container. A gravity well and atmosphere control container are also disclosed.

A bioreactor includes a bioreactor container, and a root stand. The container has a base and one or more sidewalls connected to the base, the base and sidewalls together defining an interior bioreactor volume. The root stand is supported by the container within the bioreactor volume, and includes a first support comb and a second support comb, each support comb having a plurality of spaced apart teeth. The teeth of the first support comb extend in length in a first direction and the teeth of the second support comb extend in length in a second direction different from the first direction. The first support comb overlaying the second support comb when the root stand is supported in the container, and the first support comb being separable from the second support comb when the root stand is removed from the container. A gravity well and atmosphere control container are also disclosed.

A mechanized, non-disruptive plant touch, or contact, sensing system for detecting by touch, or contact, the precise location of plants and/or plant stems relative to a machine in motion, and then disengage the plant without significantly affecting the plant's health or development.

An assembly line grow pod includes a track extending between a growing region and a sanitizing region, a cart movably engaged with the track, a sanitizer system that applies a sanitizer solution to the cart at the sanitizing region, the sanitizer system including a gray solution tank for storing sanitizer solution runoff collected from the sanitizing region, a watering system that provides water to plant matter on the cart at the growing region, the watering system including an untreated water tank for storing water runoff collected from the growing region, and a flowmeter fluidly coupled to at least one of the sanitizer system and the watering system.

An assembly line grow pod includes a track extending between a growing region and a sanitizing region, a cart movably engaged with the track, a sanitizer system that applies a sanitizer solution to the cart at the sanitizing region, the sanitizer system including a gray solution tank for storing sanitizer solution runoff collected from the sanitizing region, a watering system that provides water to plant matter on the cart at the growing region, the watering system including an untreated water tank for storing water runoff collected from the growing region, and a flowmeter fluidly coupled to at least one of the sanitizer system and the watering system.

A spiral growing system is configured to be housed in a vertically elongated silo growth chamber to grow an agricultural crop. The spiral growing system broadly includes a spiral growing assembly and a movable crop support. The spiral growing assembly extends along an assembly length to at least partly define a spiral growing space to receive and feed the agricultural crop therein. The spiral growing assembly includes a continuous track and a feeding system. The track extends continuously along the assembly length and is configured to direct the agricultural crop along a generally downward spiral path. The movable crop support is operably supported by the track and is configured to be advanced downwardly along the assembly length to thereby direct the agricultural crop through the growing space with the feeding system providing direct root application of a supply of water and/or nutrients to the agricultural crop along the track.

Embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to systems and methods for emptying and/or cleaning a tray within an assembly line grow pod. In one embodiment, a sanitizer component for cleaning a tray coupled to a cart in an assembly line grow pod is disclosed. The sanitizer component is coupled to a track such that the cart and the tray are received in the sanitizer component via the track. The sanitizer component comprises a first actuator arm positioned underneath the track and extendable through an opening in the track and an aperture at a bottom end of the cart to contact the tray such that the tray rotates in a first direction. The sanitizer component further includes an actuator motor coupled to the first actuator arm for extending the first actuator arm and a controller. The controller is communicatively connected to the actuator motor in the sanitizer component.