Planter for hybrid container-gardening system

摘要

A low-maintenance and water-conserving container-gardening system used indoors or outdoors to grow plants, vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers. Combining the advantages/benefits of natural bacteria-enriched soil with the advantages/benefits of hydroponics to feed plant roots oxygenated nutrient/fluid precisely at the time of need, the system uses one or more gardening containers each having water-elevating structure causing slow and consistent upward flow of nutrient/fluid into the soil, and nutrient/fluid drainage-facilitating structure that directs surplus nutrient/fluid away from plant roots when the pump stops. Support for gardening containers includes nutrient/fluid reservoirs and frames, with multiple gardening containers optionally connected together in stepped gravity-feed arrangements. Use of renewable energy is preferred, and solar-assist may be employed with timers and pumps. System advantages include optional compact configurations for porch/balcony/patio use, moderated root temperature, longer growing seasons, multiple harvests, provisions for rainwater reservoir replenishment, and use of commonly-available, inexpensive, and locally-sourced soils, nutrients, and filtration media.

主权项

1. A planter to supply a nutrient/liquid solution to the root systems of plants or seedlings planted in soil retained within said planter, said planter comprises a bottom having a pair of side walls connected at opposite ends by a pair of end walls extending upwardly therefrom to cooperatively form a cavity to retain the soil to support seedlings or plants therein and to receive a nutrient/liquid solution, to feed the root systems of the seedlings or plants with a nutrient/liquid solution through a fluid circulation system; said fluid circulation system comprises an nutrient/liquid supply aperture formed in the proximal end of said planter coupled to a nutrient/liquid supply to receive the nutrient/liquid solution from the nutrient/liquid supply source and at least one primary nutrient/liquid supply trough to receive the nutrient/liquid solution from said nutrient/liquid supply aperture to supply the nutrient/liquid solution to the lower portion of the soil and a primary nutrient/liquid supply trough comprising a longitudinally disposed inner wall and a longitudinally disposed outer wall extending upwardly from said bottom and having a plurality of primary upwardly extending protrusions including an upper surface in spaced relationship relative to said longitudinally disposed outer wall to cooperatively for a plurality of primary supply recesses formed between adjacent primary upwardly extending protrusions and a nutrient/liquid supply channel extending substantially the length of said primary nutrient/liquid supply trough to supply nutrient/liquid solution to said plurality of supply recesses from said nutrient/liquid supply aperture and a nutrient/liquid drain aperture formed in the distal end of said planter to drain excess nutrient/liquid solution from said planter.