Abstract: A vertical farm system including at least one enclosure, the at least one enclosure separated into a day section and a night section, a plurality of racks disposed within the at least one enclosure and configured to hold plants, a conveyor system configured to move the plurality of racks through the day and night section of the at least one enclosure, and at least one of an irrigation system, a lighting system or an automated harvesting system disposed within the at least one enclosure, the at least one of the irrigation system, the lighting system and the automated harvesting system being stationary relative to the plurality of racks.

Abstract: A plant cultivation column assembly. The assembly provides a vertical structure to contain one or more plants and surrounding growing medium and allows for sufficient aeration, vapor exchange, and facilitates plant reconfiguration. The assembly includes a flexible sheet with slatted projections on opposing edges. The slatted projections alternate to connect to the opposing edges via detachable connections. The assembly is designed to allow for easy assembly and disassembly, minimizing disturbance to the planting medium and plant and additionally allowing the plant to naturally project from openings formed between the slatted projections. The structure offers a large surface area for vapor and air exchange, promoting optimal plant growth. Additionally, the assembly can accommodate various plants and planting mediums, and may be used with additional stabilizing structures, subsequently joined assemblies into a taller column/structure, and/or pots and potted bases.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a plant cleaning device that includes a handle, a pair of arms connected to form a handle, where each arm from the pair of arms further includes a rotating head including and/or able to receive a treatment surface, such as a sleeve. The head may be removable. The sleeve may be a double-sided cleaning sleeve covering the rotating head. The sleeve wipes a plant element, such as a leaf, to to clean, condition, and/or treat the plant element.

Abstract: An irrigation device and kit are provided comprising a water collection means having at least one inlet, a body having at least one outlet, an adapter to secure the body to the water collection means, and a gasket comprising a filter. The water collection means extends above the soil's surface and has a cap, the at least one inlet, and a collector. The body has a first and second end separated by a sidewall to define a reservoir in communication with the water collection means, any of which may extend below the soil surface. Water collected above the soil's surface may be transported from the water collection means through the filter to the reservoir and distributed through the at least one outlet disposed on the sidewall to the root system.

Abstract: A method for making a dyed mulch composition or a dyed growing medium, the method comprising combining tree bark including one or more pigments and/or pigment precursors and wood components together to form an initial composition; heating the initial composition at a temperature greater than about 149° C. under steam in a pressurized vessel; processing the initial composition through a refiner with a plurality of opposing disks, the refiner separating the tree bark and wood components into fibers and separating the fibers from each other; and dyeing the wood components by the one or more pigments and/or pigment precursors while the tree bark and the wood components are being separated into fibers in the refiner to obtain dyed fibers.

Abstract: An irrigation system for a vertical farm system including one or more irrigation stations, each of the one or more irrigation stations including one or more tanks that hold irrigation fluid, and one or more spigots that deliver the irrigation fluid from the one or more tanks to the vertical farm system. Each of the one or more irrigation stations includes a plurality of sub-assemblies, and each sub-assembly includes a corresponding one of the one or more tanks and a corresponding one of the one or more spigots.

Abstract: A self-supporting structure for the play and relaxation of cats is disclosed. A first, second and third cylindrical tower define respectively a first, second and third length from a first, second and third bottom end opposite a first, second and third top end. A flat triangular base defines a bottom side opposite a top side. The flat triangular base is configured to be attachable at each of its triangular ends respectively to the first bottom end, the second bottom end and the third bottom end of the cylindrical towers. A second diameter and a third diameter of their respective cylindrical towers are each less than a first diameter of the first cylindrical tower. The second length added to the third length is less than the first length. The second and third cylindrical tower are configured to be disposed inside the first cylindrical tower during shipping.

Abstract: The present hanging system for growing a potted vegetable plant is generally a liquid-impervious container configured to be hung such that the plane of its bottom is tilted at an angle of 20 to 40 degrees from horizontal. Preferably, there is an optional soil-containing water-permeable inner container. Preferably, the liquid-impervious outer container is a pail (bucket) with a pivoting bail (handle) restrained by a tether to rotate a limited amount. The apparatus also incorporates means to hang the containers via the bail from an existing elevated structure to complete the present hanging system.

Abstract: A grow system. The system includes growing plants in grow modules that are individually moveable. The plants grow in trays where roots never touch the water supply. The plumbing to the grow modules is a low flow, one way flow continual drip system that is hands free. A mobile robot can navigate around a growspace, bring any grow module from one location to another, and perform growspace operations. The growspace is a control space with data source zones and a control space manager. The control space manager can collect data and control different variables across different data source zones in order to determine optimal policies and conditions for data source growth and generation.

Abstract: An animal waste collection device for collecting animal waste includes a harness that is removably positionable on a canine adjacent to a hindquarter of the canine. A container is attachable to the harness and configured to receive animal waste from the canine. The container has a top side that is open. The container has a front wall and a rear wall that are attached together along corresponding bottom and lateral edges thereof. The front wall is planar, and the rear wall has a convexly arcuate outer surface. An attachment secures the container to the harness such that the container is positioned rearward of the canine. A waste bag is removably inserted into and covers an interior surface of the container.

Abstract: An apparatus for cultivation of long-stem vegetable plants, related system, methods and uses are provided. The apparatus includes a frame rack with at least one essentially horizontal cultivation platform configured to support a stem portion of at least one long-stem vegetable plant rooted in a static cultivation tray, wherein each the cultivation platform is established by a conveying device and wherein speed of the conveying device is adjustable such, as to correspond to the speed of plant growth.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for cultivating plants, the apparatus includes a cabinet having a cultivation space; a door opening and closing the cultivation space; a cultivation shelf disposed inside the cultivation space and on which a seed package containing plants for cultivation is seated; a lighting device for radiating light to the cultivation shelf; a water tank provided inside the cultivation space and storing water; and a water supply pipe supplying water from the water tank to the cultivation shelf.

Abstract: A lighting system for a vertical garden includes at least one light ring including a central hub member configured to be removably mounted to the vertical garden, an outer ring member, and a plurality of spoke members extending radially between the central hub member and the outer ring member, a plurality of light sources supported in the outer ring member, and a drive circuit for the plurality of light sources, a power supply, and at least one power connector connected between the drive circuit and the power supply.

Abstract: Described herein are animal collars and methods of using animal collars. Also described herein are buckles for animal collars.

Abstract: Facility layouts and configurations for an automated crop production system for controlled environment agriculture. In particular implementations, the core of the facility comprises a controlled growth environment and a central processing system. The controlled growth environment includes systems for exposing crops housed in modules, such as grow towers, to controlled environmental conditions. The central processing system may include various stations and functionality both for preparing crop-bearing modules to be inserted in the controlled growth environment, for harvesting crops from the crop-bearing modules after they have been extracted from the controlled growth environment, and for cleaning or washing crop-bearing modules for re-use. The controlled growth environment may include vertical farming structure having vertical grow towers and associated conveyance mechanisms for moving the vertical grow towers along one or more grow lines.

Abstract: A rotational sprouter system, is disclosed including: a chamber comprising an opening; a porous end cap that is configured to engage the opening of the chamber; a reservoir; wherein the chamber and the porous end cap are at least partially submerged in the reservoir such that an interior of the chamber is in communication with the reservoir via the porous end cap; and wherein the porous end cap is adapted to engage a drive mechanism that is configured to rotate the chamber and the porous end cap while the chamber and the porous end cap are at least partially submerged in the reservoir.

Abstract: The present development is a device to restrain an animal during grooming. The device comprises a semi-flexible band or sling attached to a strap, wherein the strap is adapted to attach to a grooming table.

Abstract: A method of growing plants in a coherent growth substrate product can comprise: providing at least one coherent growth substrate product comprising man-made vitreous fibres (MMVF) bonded with a cured aqueous binder composition free of phenol and formaldehyde; positioning one or more seeds, seedlings, cuttings or plants in contact with the growth substrate product; and irrigating the growth substrate product. The aqueous binder composition prior to curing can comprise; a component (i) in form of one or more lignosulfonate lignins having a carboxylic acid group content of 0.03 to 1.4 mmol/g, based on the dry weight of the lignosulfonate lignins; and a component (ii) in form of one or more cross-linkers.

Abstract: A greenable wall element with at least one wall component oriented in the vertical direction or in the diagonal direction. The wall component delimits a cavity of the wall element is fillable with planting substrate, and has a multiplicity of plant openings through which plants rooting in the plant substrate can grow onto the side of the wall element directed away from the plant substrate. The at least one wall component has, at least in a subregion, a slatted grating formed from crossing groups of bars, of which a first group of spaced-apart parallel bars is oriented in the vertical or diagonal direction and of which a second group of spaced-apart parallel bars is oriented in the horizontal direction, and the plant openings are each bounded by adjacent horizontal and vertical or diagonal bars.

Abstract: A strawberry treatment platform includes an outer housing with at least one UV-C light array enclosed in the outer housing, and at least one strawberry plant manipulating assembly that extends downwardly from the outer housing. The strawberry treatment platform is structured so that, as the strawberry treatment platform moves across a strawberry plant bed, the plant manipulating assembly combs through the strawberry plants and creates a canopy gap in the strawberry bed plant canopy so that radiation from the UV-C light array treats the strawberry plants in the strawberry plant bed.