US 4,057,930 AGranted

Hydroponic method and apparatus

OwnerRayford A. Barhaminventor

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Abstract

The apparatus includes a seed supporting screen mounted a predetermined distance above a water reservoir in which an aerator grid is immersed to provide a circulating flow of moisture droplets and moisture laden air around and through the screen to provide a maximum supply of the nitrogen in ordinary air to the seed roots exposed to the moisture laden air. The air coming up from the grid agitates and aerates a surface layer of the water supply. A regulatable preset thermostatically controlled heater is provided. The seed support screen is mounted in predetermined spaced relation above the level of the water in the reservoir below the screen. The method disclosed includes maintaining the water at a desired temperature while air is forced through the aerator grid introducing an even distribution of air bubbles into the water. The bubbles rise to the surface and break to thus continuously bathe the seed with an abundant supply of moisture droplets and moisture laden air for substantially accelerating growth.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A hydroponic chamber comprising:

a liquid holding chamber;
a perforated, generally planar seed support member suspended in said chamber entirely above a predetermined level of liquid therein;
means defining a substantially uniplanary arranged aeration grid in said chamber, substantially above the bottom of said chamber but just beneath said liquid predetermined level at least within the top one-half of the liquid;
and means providing a supply of air under pressure to said aeration grid;
said seed support being disposed at a predetermined height above said liquid predetermined level;
said predetermined height being dependent upon the type of crop to be grown and so calculated that almost all of the root structure of a selected crop will be suspended in the space defined between said seed support member and said liquid predetermined level during growth;
said aeration grid thus providing a supply of air bubbles which coalesce and burst at the surface of said liquid to provide a circulation of moisture droplets and moisture laden air about crop roots growing in said defined space;
said chamber being sufficiently deep to define a settling tank of liquid undisturbed by action of said aeration grid, whereby any material washed from said seed support member by action of said aeration grid may fall therebeneath by gravity to settle at the bottom of said chamber so that such material is not recirculated onto the growing crop.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.