US 5,307,590 AGranted

Vee bottom plant flat bed system

AssigneeSpeedling, Inc.

InventorsRobert M. Brown, Mike Samilian, James D. Brannon

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Abstract

A plant production bed is provided in which a slotted drain pipe extends longitudinally between a pair of slab components of a soaking bed. The slabs slope downward from their outer edges toward the slotted drain pipe, but are substantially level in a direction parallel to the slotted drain pipe. The slotted drain pipe is oriented horizontally. Because of the slope of the slab components, substantially less nutrient solution or water is required than in known flat bottomed systems. In a preferred embodiment, two complementary slabs are provided on opposite sides of a central swale and are tilted so as to provide a "vee" shape when viewed in cross-section, with the top of the swale being at the apex of the "vee". Several parallel soaking beds are arranged opposite sides of a central walkway under which a common flume pipe extends for providing nutrient solution or water to the beds or receiving same from the beds.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A plant production system soaking bed including:

a center drainage/supply means for draining or supplying liquids;
two groups of soaking beds arranged on opposite sides of the center drainage/supply means, each of the groups having a plurality of soaking beds in substantially parallel arrangement, each soaking bed including:
1) two slabs extending horizontally in a longitudinal direction and sloped downward toward each other in a lateral direction to form a shallow "vee" shape having an imaginary apex;
and
2) a slotted drain pipe including (i) a pipe section and (ii) a vertical slot section, the vertical slot section extending from the imaginary apex of the "vee" downward to the pipe section, the pipe section extending horizontally in the longitudinal direction toward the center drainage structure;
wire support beam-like structures disposed above the two slabs for supporting wires;
wires extending across and above the wire support beam-like structures, for supporting plant flats;
and
a plurality of flow control means each respectively, disposed between the center drainage/supply structure and respective soaking beds, for controlling the supply to or drainage of liquids from the slotted drain pipe and the center drainage/supply structure.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.