Gripper, System and Method for Handling Plants or Plant Receptacles

A method for handling a plant or a plant receptacle in a vertical farming facility, wherein the plant or the plant receptacle are picked from a tray in a first step by a gripper, the gripper comprises a gripper head with a first gripping element and a second gripping element, the first gripping element comprises two first lateral holding arms and the second gripping element comprises two second lateral holding arms, wherein the gripper head is transferable between a clamping position in which the first gripping element and the second gripping element are located close to each other to clamp the plants or the plant receptacles in between and a release position in which the first gripping element and the second gripping element are located apart from each other to release the plant or the plant receptacle, wherein the first gripping element is an upper gripping element, the upper gripping element comprises an upper holding means, the upper holding means is angled or curved, wherein the plant receptacle comprises a base element providing a cavity for the plant and at least two rim portions, the two rim portions extend outwardly from opposing sides of the base element, the two rim portions are part of a single-piece circumferential rim of the base element, wherein in the clamping position, the rim portions of the base element are clamped between the first gripping element and the second gripping element for connecting the plant receptacle to the gripper, and wherein in a second step, the picked plant or plant receptacles are placed by the gripper in orifices of a substantially vertical planting wall in a second step.