JP3059665B2 - Seedling raising equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a seedling raising tray having a plurality of seedling holding recesses for growing seedlings such as vegetables, fruits and vegetables with soil contained therein, and a seedling growing pot detachable from the seedling holding recess. The present invention relates to a seedling raising device comprising:

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, seedlings have been grown using containers C as shown in FIGS. FIG.
The seedling raising method shown in FIG. 13 accommodates soil S inside a box-shaped container C having an open top, and the seedling raising method shown in FIG.
The soil S is accommodated in a polypot P of about 15 cm to 15 cm, and after the seedlings Y grow in the polypot P, the container C is transported and settled in the main field or shipped.

In order to grow a seedling Y in a polypot P, a seedling grown in another place is transplanted and grown in the polypot P, and as shown in FIG. When the runner R is cut after rooting the seedlings Y grown from the soil on the soil S of the polypot P, and as shown in FIG. It may be transplanted into P.

[0004]

The following problems remain in the conventional container C as described above. (1) Since the depth of the soil S contained in the container C or the polypot P needs to be deep enough for the roots of the seedlings Y to extend sufficiently, the entire weight of the container C becomes very heavy, There was an inconvenience that a large force was required when transporting. (2) The interval between a plurality of seedlings Y sowed or transplanted and grown on the soil S in the container C tends to be uneven, so that the area of the soil surface of the container C is not effectively used, and However, there is a problem in that the operation is not complete, and a problem that hinders the mechanization of the transplantation operation. In particular, when growing strawberry seedlings, the intervals between the seedlings Y are greatly disturbed.

[0005] (3) The soil S in the container C is relatively wet in the central part, while the peripheral part is easy to dry. The growth of the seedlings Y is irregular, as indicated by the chain line in FIG. (4) The strawberry seedlings Y separated from the parent seedlings Y '
There is a risk that the seedlings may move or fall down until they take root in the soil inside, and as shown in FIG. 16, it is necessary to attach the runner stopper A to the seedlings.

(5) In order to efficiently perform the work of pouring soil into a large number of polypots P, a dedicated potter must be prepared. The present invention aims to solve such problems,
The entire weight of the seedling tray containing the soil S is light, the gap between the seedlings Y does not have large irregularities, the soil in the seedling tray is maintained at a substantially uniform moisture content, and a simple seedling tray without a runner stop is required. Another object of the present invention is to provide a seedling raising device including a seedling raising pot having a seedling receiving recess that is detachable from a seedling raising tray.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a seedling raising apparatus of the present invention comprises a seedling raising tray and a seedling raising pot detachable from the seedling raising tray, wherein the seedling raising tray comprises: A bottom wall is provided at a lower end of a peripheral wall having a taper opening upward and expanding upwardly on the upper surface of the substrate, and a seedling receiving recess arranged at predetermined intervals in a longitudinal direction and a width direction of the substrate; A runner support groove extending from the wall surface along the upper surface of the substrate and having a bottom surface formed at an acute angle; a water passage through hole provided in the bottom wall; and a water retention groove formed around the water passage through hole. And a support frame formed on the periphery of the substrate are integrally formed from a synthetic resin material.

A feature of the seedling raising recess of the seedling raising tray is that the depth of the water retaining groove is a difference in height from the bottom wall of the seedling raising recess, and the height of the bottom wall of the seedling raising recess is The height of the water retention groove is gradually increased from the inner side of the seedling storage recess to the outer side of the seedling storage recess from the inner side of the seedling storage recess to the outer side of the seedling storage recess. By doing so, the volume of the water retaining groove is gradually increased toward the outer side of the seedling raising recess, and the entire volume of each seedling raising recess is made constant. The cross-sectional area of the water passage through-hole of the above-described seedling raising recess may preferably be gradually reduced from the seedling raising recess located on the inner side to the seedling raising recess located on the outer peripheral side.

In the seedling raising pot, a bottom wall is provided at a lower end of a tapered peripheral wall expanding upward, a water passage hole is provided in the bottom wall, and a standing wall is provided around the water passage hole. An annular recess is formed between a wall and a lower end of the tapered peripheral wall, and a runner support hole is formed at an upper end of the tapered peripheral wall to form a seedling raising pot. The seedling raising tray is formed with a double structure seedling pot when inserted.

[0010] The tapered peripheral wall of the seedling raising pot may be provided with a runner support hole which overlaps with the runner support groove of the seedling raising tray when inserted into the seedling storage recess of the seedling raising tray. It is convenient to provide a protrusion for taking out operation on the upper inner peripheral surface of the seedling raising pot. It is desirable that the seedling raising pot has a strength that allows the bottom wall to be pushed downward into the soil.

[0011] The seedling raising tray constructed as described above is integrally molded from a synthetic resin material, so that its production is inexpensive.
It is convenient for use. Also, when each seedling storage recess is used as a seedling pot, soil is stored only in the seedling storage recess, so that the entire weight of the seedling tray containing soil is lighter than conventional ones, and lifting and transportation is possible. Work becomes easier. Since the seedling receiving recesses are arranged regularly at predetermined intervals, the seedlings in the seedling receiving recesses are also grown in a state of being arranged at substantially predetermined intervals.

When growing strawberry seedlings, the runners can be fixed in the runner support grooves, so that seedlings that have not yet been rooted are held without falling. Since the bottom wall of the runner support groove is formed at an acute angle (V-shape), a runner of any thickness can be inserted and fixed.
Seedlings are planted almost at the center of the nursery storage recess,
New seedlings are neatly arranged.

[0013] Each of the seedling housing recesses is easily dried by exposing the seedling housing recesses located on the outer peripheral portion to direct sunlight or the outside air. However, drying is prevented by the moisture stored in the large water retention groove. Further, when water is sprinkled on the surface of the soil in each seedling storage recess, since the area of the water passage through hole of the seedling storage recess located on the outer peripheral portion is small, the amount of water discharged downward is reduced, and the seedling storage recess is reduced. Since the water content of the seedlings increases, the water content of the soil in each of the seedling receiving recesses becomes substantially uniform, thereby preventing the growth of the seedlings from becoming uneven.

The seedling raising pot can be inserted into the seedling storage recess of the seedling raising tray, or can be used alone. To put the soil in the empty seedling pots, insert the seedling pots into each seedling storage recess, place the soil on the seedling tray, and move the plate pieces etc. along the top surface of the board to level the soil. By removing excess soil, soil can be put into each seedling pot at once.

When the seedling raising pot is used as a pot receiving system (receiving pot), the seedling raising pot is buried in the soil by a one-touch operation of pressing the seedling raising pot containing the soil against the soil. When the seedlings generated from the parent runner are received in the soil of the seedling pot and the runners are placed in the locking holes, the seedlings can be made to survive on the soil in the seedling pot without falling or floating.

The annular recess can store moisture at the bottom of the seedling growing pot and prevent the seedling from drying. Also, since the roots extend radially from the seedling and hit the peripheral wall and then extend downward, taking advantage of the growth characteristics of the roots, by forming an annular recess at the bottom, the roots rise upward along the annular recess. The seedling-growing pot can be easily pulled out of the soil because it is bent and does not protrude from the seedling-growing pot, and a healthy seedling can be made to prevent root damage. Inserting the seedling pot with strawberry seedlings into the seedling receiving recess of the seedling tray makes it easy to carry the seedling pots and means for harvesting strawberries in seasons other than spring (cold seedling at night, raising seedlings at the mountain, etc.) This is convenient when moving to a facility controlled by.

Also, since the seedling raising pot and the seedling receiving recess have a double structure, and an air layer is formed between the two, the temperature of the soil in the seedling raising pot becomes difficult to rise rapidly, and there is a danger of rooting. Is prevented. When taking out the seedling raising pot from the seedling raising tray, there is a protrusion for taking out on the inner peripheral surface of the seedling raising pot. Further, when the seedlings in the seedling raising pot are taken out of the seedling raising pot and planted, the seedling raising pot can be deformed, so that the seedlings can be easily taken out.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, a specific example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described. A seedling raising device comprises a seedling raising tray T and a seedling raising pot 9, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the seedling raising tray T, a plurality of seedling receiving recesses 2 are opened on the upper surface of a rectangular plate-shaped substrate 1. In this specific example, five rows of the seedling receiving recesses 2 arranged at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the substrate 1 are arranged in five rows in the width direction.

A support frame 5 is provided on the periphery of the substrate 1 to reinforce the seedling raising tray T and to facilitate carrying the seedling raising tray T and placing it on the container C. Since the seedling raising tray T is integrally molded with a synthetic resin, the structure is simple and lightweight.

The seedling receiving recess 2 is formed in a cylindrical peripheral wall 2 having a circular cross section and a tapered shape expanding upward.
a and a bottom wall 2b connected to the lower edge of the peripheral wall 2a, and the upper edge of the peripheral wall 2a is connected to the substrate 1. Perimeter wall 2
The reason why a was formed into a tapered cylindrical shape was that the soil was housed in the seedling-retaining recess 2, and when the seedlings that had been grown on the soil and had roots were pulled upward, the soil was pulled out together with the seedlings. This is to provide a gradient.

A water passage through hole 3 is provided substantially at the center of the bottom wall 2b, and an annular water holding groove 4 is formed around the water passage through hole 3 so as to be one step lower than the inner surface of the bottom wall 2b. You. The cross-sectional area of the water passage through-hole 3 is largest in the central seedling raising recess 2, and gradually decreases from the seedling raising recesses 2 ′ on both sides to the outer seedling raising recess 2 ″ (see FIG. 2). Shows the seedling receiving recesses 2 arranged in the width direction, but the same applies not only to the width direction but also to the longitudinal direction.

The volume of the water retaining groove 4 is determined by the area and the depth of the water retaining groove 4, and the depth is determined by the bottom wall 2 of the seedling-growing recess 2.
b, and the height of the bottom wall 2b of the seedling storage recess 2 is gradually increased from the inner seedling storage recess 2 to the outer seedling storage recess 2 ″. The area of the groove 4 for growing the seedlings
From the bottom to the seedling storage recess 2 ″ located outside (see FIG. 2).

Accordingly, the volume of the annular water retaining groove 4 gradually increases from the seedling receiving recess 2 at the center to the seedling receiving recess 2 ′ on both sides thereof and further toward the outside of the seedling receiving recess 2 ″. Since the area of the water retention groove 4 is large instead of the height of the bottom wall 2b,
The entire volume of each seedling receiving recess is constant. The same applies to the seedling-growing recesses 2 arranged in the longitudinal direction.

A runner support groove 6 whose bottom is formed in a V-shape having an acute angle is provided along the upper surface of the substrate 1 from the inner wall surface of each seedling accommodating recess 2 (plan view of FIG. 3, Z of FIG. 3).
(See FIG. 4, which is a view as seen from the arrow). The reason why the runner support groove 6 is V-shaped is to lock the runner R regardless of the thickness of the runner R.

The seedling raising pot 9 which can be attached to and detached from the seedling receiving recess 2 of the seedling raising tray T can be used together with the seedling raising tray T or can be used alone. The seedling raising pot 9 includes a tapered peripheral wall 9a that expands upward and a tapered peripheral wall 9a.
Is integrally formed with a bottom wall 9b provided at the lower end (see FIGS. 9 and 10). For the material of the seedling raising pot 9, a plastic material is used for the time being as a material having the strength to be pushed into the soil, but in the future, a material that becomes weathered over time and becomes a part of the soil may be selected. Under consideration.

A water passage hole 10 is provided substantially at the center of the bottom wall 9b, and an upright wall 11 is erected around the water passage hole 10.
An annular recess 12 is formed between the upright wall 11 and the tapered peripheral wall 9a. At the upper end of the tapered peripheral wall 9a, a seedling tray T
Runner support groove 6 when inserted into
And a runner recess 13 located on the opposite side of the runner support hole 14, and a protrusion 15 for take-out operation is provided on the upper inner surface of the tapered peripheral wall 9 a.
(See FIGS. 9 and 10).

Strawberry seedlings Y are larger than runners R. Almost all of the seedlings Y to be received by the pot receiving system have the next runner R 'extending as shown in FIG.
For this reason, if there is no runner recess 13, FIG.
As shown in (1), the seedling Y is lifted upward by the runner R 'extending from the seedling Y, so that the roots of the seedling Y hardly survive.

The runner recess 13 is a recess for avoiding interference between the runner R 'and the seedling raising pot 9. The runner support hole 14 holds the runner R when the seedling raising pot 9 is used alone. In this embodiment,
A slit 14b is provided between the circular hole 14a provided at the upper part of the tapered peripheral wall 9a and the upper end of the tapered peripheral wall 9a (see FIG. 9), but the hole 14a is not limited to a circle but a triangle. , Square, etc.

Next, the operation of the seedling raising apparatus configured as described above will be described for the case of using the tray T alone, the use of the seedling raising pot 9 alone, and the simultaneous use of the tray T and the seedling raising pot 9. When soil is put in each seedling raising recess 2 (2 includes 2 'and 2 ") and the tray T is used alone as a seedling raising device for seedling Y, only soil is stored in each seedling raising recess 2; Amount of soil contained is about 1/3 compared to seedling tray T
Therefore, the entire weight of the seedling raising tray T becomes light, and the lifting and carrying work is easy.

When transporting the container C (see FIG. 5) on which the support frame 5 of the seedling raising tray T is mounted on a trolley (not shown), or by controlling the sunshine time and temperature,
When vegetables, fruits and vegetables, and the like are moved to produce out of season, the nursery tray T is protected by the container C, so that the nursery tray T can be made thin.

Since the seedling receiving recesses 2 are arranged regularly at predetermined intervals, the seedlings Y in the seedling receiving recesses 2 are also grown at substantially predetermined intervals (see FIG. 5), and the seedlings Y are substantially uniform. Not only has the advantage of growing, but also facilitates the mechanization of the transplantation of the seedling Y.

The runner holding groove 6 is used when planting strawberries and other seedlings. That is, when the tip where the buds and roots appear is buried in the soil of the seedling storage recess 2 and the runner R is sandwiched in the runner holding groove 6, the runner R is fixed regardless of the thickness of the runner R and has not yet taken root. The seedlings are held without falling (see FIG. 6). The seedlings are planted at substantially the center of the nursery storage recess 2, so that new seedlings are arranged in an orderly manner.

When water is sprayed on the seedling raising tray T, the drainage amount in the central seedling storage recess 2 which is relatively hard to dry becomes the largest, and the amount of water stored in the water holding groove 4 is small. Since the drainage amount of the outer seedling receiving recess 2 ″, which is relatively easy to dry, is the smallest and the amount of water stored in the water holding groove 4 is large, the soil in each seedling receiving recess 2 has substantially the same water content, The growth of the seedlings Y in each seedling receiving recess 2 is not uneven.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a modified example of the seedling receiving recess 2 in which soil from the seedling receiving recess 2 is easily removed together with the grown seedlings Y. FIG. The roots of the grown seedling Y are
Since the seedling raising recess 2 is pressed against the peripheral wall 2a, it is difficult to remove the seedling Y. However, as shown in FIG. 7, by providing a step 7 having a small diameter on the lower side in the middle of the peripheral wall 2a, The frictional resistance with the peripheral wall 2a was reduced, and the seedling Y was easily extracted. FIG. 8 shows that the guide projection 8 for pulling out is provided on the inner surface of the peripheral wall 2a. The root floats when the root of the seedling Y turns and the air easily enters, so that the growth is promoted. There is an advantage that the soil S in the housing recess 2 can be easily removed.

When the soil S is put into the seedling raising pot 9, the seedling raising tray T can be used as a pot. After inserting the seedling raising pot 9 into each seedling receiving recess 2 of the seedling raising tray T, soil is put on the seedling raising tray T,
By moving the soil along the upper surface and removing excess soil, the soil can be simultaneously poured into each seedling raising pot 9.

The seedling pot 9 in which the soil is put can grow the seedlings Y while being inserted into the seedling storage recess 2 or can be used independently. When the seedlings Y are grown with the seedlings being inserted into the seedling receiving recesses 2, the seedling pot has a dual structure that is hardly affected by temperature changes and prevents rooting, and the seedling pot can be transported by the seedling tray T as it is. There is.

The seedling raising pot 9 can be used independently similarly to the conventional polypot P. When used independently, the runner R can be locked in the runner support hole 14 and the runner R ″ extending from the seedling Y can be locked in the runner recess 13 (FIG. 15B). And FIG. 15 (C)), the seedlings Y can be quickly settled on the soil in the seedling raising pot 9 without falling down or floating without performing the troublesome work of attaching the runner stopper A.

The annular concave portion 12 not only stores moisture in the bottom of the seedling raising pot 9 to prevent the seedling Y from drying out, but also when the root of the seedling Y extends completely in the seedling raising pot 9, the tip of the root becomes the seedling raising pot 9.
To prevent it from extending outside. Seedling pot 9 planted with seedling Y
When the seedlings are inserted into the seedling receiving recess 2 of the seedling tray T, the seedling pot 9 can be easily carried, moved to settle the seedlings in the field, moved for shipment, and moved to a facility for growing strawberries outside the season. Moving is convenient.

[0039]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained. (1) The seedling raising tray and the seedling raising pot can be integrally formed by a mold, so that they can be mass-produced at a low price. (2) Since the seedling tray is provided with a plurality of seedling receiving recesses arranged at predetermined intervals, the seedlings grow at substantially predetermined intervals, and the space on the upper surface of the seedling tray is effectively used without waste,
It is prevented that seedlings are densely arranged and hinder growth.
In addition, mechanization of transplanting of seedlings becomes easy.

(3) When planting seedlings, the runners can be held in the runner support grooves of the seedling raising tray or the runner support holes of the seedling raising pot, so that there is no risk of the seedlings not yet rooted falling. (4) Since the area of the water passage through hole and the size of the water retention groove of each seedling storage recess are adjusted according to the position of the seedling storage recess, the water content of the soil in each seedling storage recess is substantially uniform. The seedlings do not grow unevenly.

(5) Despite increasing the volume of the water retaining groove in the outer seedling housing recess, the entire volume of each seedling housing recess is the same, so that the fertilizer ratio is uniform when fertilizing or the like. This makes it easier to perform uniform seedling management. (6) The seedling raising tray can be used also as a pot for raising seedlings. Further, when the seedling raising pot is inserted into the seedling receiving recess of the seedling raising tray, a double-structured pot that is hardly affected by a temperature change can be formed. (7) By providing an upright wall at the lower part of the seedling raising pot, it is possible to prevent roots from coming out of the lower water passage.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a seedling raising tray in a seedling raising apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part of the seedling raising tray.

FIG. 4 is a view as viewed in the direction of the arrow Z in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of a seedling raising tray placed on a container.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a seedling raising tray showing the seedlings that have budded.

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a seedling storage recess having a step on a peripheral wall.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a seedling-accommodating recess in which a guide projection is provided on a peripheral wall.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a seedling raising pot in the seedling raising apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of a seedling raising pot.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of inserting a seedling raising pot into a seedling raising tray.

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a conventional container.

FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another example of the conventional container.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of cultivation of a seedling using a conventional polypot.

FIG. 15A is an explanatory diagram of the growth of the runner, and FIGS. 15B and 15C are explanatory diagrams of the locking of the grown runner.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory view of a runner stopper conventionally used.

[Explanation of symbols]

 T Nursery tray S Soil C Container P Polypot Y, Y 'seedling R Runner 1 Substrate 2 Nursery storage recess 2a Peripheral wall 2b Bottom wall 3 Water passage through hole 4 Water retention groove 5 Support frame 6 Runner support groove 9 Nursery pot 9a Tapered Peripheral wall 9b Bottom wall 10 Water hole 11 Standing wall 12 Annular recess 13 Recess for runner 14 Runner support hole 15 Projection for removal operation

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A01G 9/02 603 A01G 9/10

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] A bottom wall is provided at a lower end of a rectangular plate-shaped substrate and a peripheral wall having a taper that is opened on an upper surface of the substrate and expands upward, and a bottom wall is provided at predetermined intervals in a longitudinal direction and a width direction of the substrate. An array of seedling-receiving recesses arranged, a runner support groove extending from the inner wall surface of the peripheral wall along the upper surface of the substrate, and having a bottom surface formed at an acute angle; a water passage through hole provided in the bottom wall; A seedling raising device, wherein a water holding groove formed around a through hole for use and a support frame formed on a peripheral edge of the substrate are integrally formed from a synthetic resin material to constitute a seedling raising tray. 2. The depth of the water retention groove is a difference in height from the bottom wall of the seedling receiving recess, and the height of the bottom wall of the seedling receiving recess is set outward from the seedling receiving recess located inside. The height of the water retaining groove is gradually increased toward the seedling raising concave portion, and the area of the water retaining groove is gradually increased from the inner side of the seedling raising concave portion toward the outer side of the seedling raising concave portion. 2. The seedling raising device according to claim 1, wherein the number of the seedlings is gradually increased toward the outer side of the seedling raising recess, and the total volume of each seedling raising recess is constant. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional area of the through-hole for water passage gradually decreases from the inner side of the seedling raising recess to the outer side of the seedling raising recess. Seedling raising equipment. 4. A bottom wall is provided at a lower end of a tapered peripheral wall expanding upward, a water passage hole is provided in the bottom wall, and an upright wall is provided around the water passage hole. An annular recess is formed between the lower end of the tapered peripheral wall and a runner support hole is formed at the upper end of the tapered peripheral wall to form a seedling raising pot,
The nursery pot is removably inserted into the nursery storage recess of the nursery tray, and when inserted, a double-layered nursery pot is formed in the nursery tray. Seedling raising equipment. 5. A runner support hole provided in the tapered peripheral wall of the seedling raising pot, the runner support hole overlapping the runner support groove of the seedling raising tray when inserted into the seedling storage recess of the seedling raising tray. Item 5. The seedling raising device according to Item 4. 6. The seedling raising apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a projection for taking out operation is provided on an upper inner peripheral surface of the seedling raising pot. 7. The seedling raising apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the seedling raising pot has a strength capable of pushing the bottom wall downward into soil.