Patent Publication Number: US-2019191639-A1

Title: Automated indoor cannabis growing facility and methodology

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119 to U.S. application Ser. No. 62/610,275 filed on Dec. 25, 2017, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     In the burgeoning medical  cannabis  plants industry, the supply chain of growing facilities is operated by a multitude of licensees utilizing random facility construction practices and materials, and a grow methodology that is driven by a “master grower&#39;s” experience. While this method of growing  cannabis  plants is effective, the yield, quality, and cost can be highly variable. With the exponential rise in use of medical  cannabis  plants to minimize opiate use, the medical  cannabis  plants supply chain will consolidate based on best practices and cost. Existing growing systems include but are not limited to hydroponics, soil, or aeroponics that provide a medium to deliver nutrients to plant roots that are positioned either horizontally or vertically. The nutrient medium can be any fluid, solid material, or combinations that provide for root support and allow delivery of nutrients to the plant. These systems also employ a lighting component to provide photosynthesis energy required for plant growth. Existing grow house construction materials, operating practices, and grow methodologies are highly variable and kept confidential as each grower believes his or her methods and the quality are best. Currently, there is a high degree of variability in medical  cannabis  plants purity and cost. Further, the existing supply chain methodology will not be able to meet future demand of quality low-cost medical  cannabis  plants. Thus, there is a need for a system that achieves high plant yield and consistent quality at reduced unitized cost. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     A method of growing plants includes providing a plant growing apparatus, the apparatus including a vertical stack plant assembly, wherein the vertical stack plant assembly includes rows of plant pot holders for pots, said pots adapted to include grow medium and plants; a movable light array, wherein the position of the movable light array with respect to the plant pot holders is adjustable to allow light from the movable light array to be in an effective, possibly optimal position for growing plants in the plant pot holders of the vertical stack plant assembly; and an outer shell assembly including at least one of a wall, a floor, a ceiling, and combinations thereof, thereby creating a plant space, wherein the plant space includes the vertical stack plant assembly and the movable light array. The method further includes placing pots including grow medium and plants into the plant pot holders, providing light, water, and nutrients to the plants, wherein the light is provided by the movable light array, water is provided by a watering system, and nutrients are provided by a nutrient delivery system, monitoring at least one of the environmental conditions, the grow medium composition, the condition of the grow medium, plant health, and combinations thereof, and adjusting at least one of the position of the movable light array to provide optimal light to the plants, the quantity of water and frequency of delivery of water by the watering system to provide optimal moisture to the plants, the quantity and type of nutrients and frequency of delivery of nutrients by the nutrient delivery system to provide selectively specialized nutrients to the plants, and combinations thereof. 
     A plant growing apparatus may include a vertical stack plant assembly, wherein the vertical stack plant assembly includes rows of plant pot holders for pots, said pots adapted to include grow medium and plants; a movable light array, wherein the position of the movable light array with respect to the plant pot holders is adjustable to allow light from the movable light array to be in an effective, possibly optimal position for growing plants in the plant pot holders of the vertical stack plant assembly; and an outer shell assembly including at least one of a wall, a floor, a ceiling, and combinations thereof, thereby creating a plant space, wherein the plant space includes the vertical stack plant assembly and the movable light array. 
     A plant growing system may include a vertical stack plant assembly, wherein the vertical stack plant assembly includes rows of plant pot holders for pots, said pots adapted to include grow medium and plants; a movable light array, wherein the position of the movable light array with respect to the plant pot holders is adjustable to allow light from the movable light array to be in an effective, possibly optimal position for growing plants in the plant pot holders of the vertical stack plant assembly. The movable light array may include light assembly including at least one grow light; a frame assembly including a frame, wherein the light assembly is mounted on the frame assembly and a track assembly, wherein the track assembly includes a track that accepts a portion of the frame assembly and facilitates movement of the frame assembly toward or away from the vertical stack plant assembly. The system may further include an outer shell assembly including at least one of a wall, a floor, a ceiling, and combinations thereof, thereby creating a plant space, wherein the plant space includes the vertical stack plant assembly and the movable light array. The outer shell assembly may include an internal surface exposed to the plant space and an external surface not exposed to the plant space, wherein the internal surface includes at least one of wall materials that reflect light, ceiling materials that reflect light, floor materials that reflect light, and combinations thereof. The system may further include a nutrient delivery system for delivering nutrients to the plants, a watering system for watering the plants, a control system; and a monitoring system. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a plant growing apparatus  100  in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a plant space  200  in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a plant space  300  in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a plant space  400  in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a movable light array  500  in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a vertical stack plant assembly  600  in accordance with one embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Disclosed herein are embodiments of a solution to the medical  cannabis  plants supply chain problem by utilizing a method, system, and apparatus for growing plants, including  cannabis  plants. In an embodiment a large, scalable commercial vertical growing system is provided that creates a highly automated and controlled growing environment which includes plant pot holders located either in linear or circular multi-level stacks perpendicular to the light assemblies. Lighting systems are strategically positioned to the plant vertical stack so that each plant receives the desired intensity and frequency of light. Automated nutrient delivery systems are embedded in the rack system or delivered by a movable robotic feeding system, so each plant can receive a custom nutrient feed and amount. The invention utilizes a combination of a space efficient vertical stack plant assembly, a movable light array, and thermodynamics to achieve maximum plant yield and consistent quality at the lowest unitized cost. 
     Different species of plants may be grown using the methods, systems, and apparatuses disclosed herein. The plants may include  cannabis , flowers, microgreens, herbs, vegetables,  ginseng , and other biomass such as mushrooms, but are not limited thereto. Although references to  cannabis  plants are made throughout the disclosure, those methods, systems, and apparatuses may be also be applied to plants and biomass. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a plant growing apparatus  100  may comprise a vertical stack plant assembly  102 , rows of plant pot holders  104 , a movable light array  106 , an outer shell assembly  108 , a wall  110 , a ceiling  112 , a floor  114 , and environmental condition controls  116 . A plurality of plant growing apparatus  100  may be used to construct a cubical farm. 
     Cubical Farm 
     In traditional grow operations, approximately 4 to 5 plants are placed in about 25 square feet of floor space. The present invention provides several apparatuses that may accommodate an increase in the amount of plants per square foot. In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus is a cube that is stackable with other cubes. The cube may contain a vertical stack plant assembly  102 , a movable light array  106 , and environmental condition controls. The volume within the cube may be considered a plant space, which may or may not allow the regular entrance of or physical interaction with the grower. The cube may be self contained, thereby allowing a grower to create a microclimate in the plant space within the cube. The plant space and the grower space may be bifurcated to the greatest extent possible to maintain the most purified growing space possible for the  cannabis  plants. 
     The “cube” may be a square box or a different shape such as a rectangular box or a circular box. In an exemplary embodiment, the cube is an 8 foot×8 foot×8 foot box. A cube of this size may allow up to 70 plants in about 64 square feet of floor space. There are no limitations on size and number of plants in a vertical plant stack assembly. The available floor space, configuration of the light and nutrient delivery system assembly and design of the vertical stack plant assembly  102  may be used to determine the optimum size and geometry of each facility. 
     The cube may be modular in design, thereby allowing one cube to be stacked on another cube. A cubical farm may be formed by as few as two cubes stacked on one another or next to each other. Each cube may have a hookup for power, a water intake, and an effluent out connection, thereby allowing for rapid expansion of the cubical farm. If additional growing space is desired, a grower may simply add a cube, provide power, water, and effluent removal hookups to the new cube. This modular arrangement allows expansion of the cubical farm without having to disturb the existing cubes in the cubical farm. Within the cubical farm, the environmental condition controls  116  of each cube may be independent, but the data collection, monitoring and control system may all be linked together. The environmental condition controls  116  may also be provided from a central location for all of the cubes in the cubical farm. 
     The modular cubes allow for growing different strains of plants within the same cubical farm. Each cube may contain a different strain of plant or multiple strains of plants. If each cube is isolated from the other, cross-contamination between different strains may not occur. If one cube has a problem, such as disease, low productivity, or environmental condition controls  116  failure, the problem may be isolated to only the one cube. 
     The cubical farm may also include a detoxification chamber. The detoxification chamber provides an area where personal protective wear may be applied before a grower is allowed to enter the plant space. 
     Outer Shell Assembly 
     The outer shell assembly  108  may include at least one wall  110 , a ceiling  112 , and a floor  114 . In some embodiments, multiple walls  110  and a ceiling  112  may be added to a space that has an existing floor  114 . 
     The wall  110 , ceiling  112  and or floor  114  may include a material that reflects light back into the room. An example of a commercially available material is LUMI, available from GrowLife Innovations in Kirkland, Wash. In addition reflecting light, because of its composition, it&#39;s a good thermal conductor of heat, because it has a large percentage of iron ferrite and other components that allow it to transfer heat well. Copper foil may be placed under the floor  114  or behind the inner surface of the wall  110  or ceiling  112 , before installing the reflective tiles on top of the copper foil. The copper foil may be thermally grounded to the earth so that heat generators in the plant space have their heat shunted passively outside of the room. These heat generators may include the movable light array  106 . Therefore, as heat reaches the wall  110 , the ceiling  112 , or the floor, it is transferred out through the thermal ground in the earth. 
     To further increase the thermodynamic efficiency of the cubical farm, the outer shell vertical stack plant assembly  102  may include an internal surface exposed to the plant space, an external surface not exposed to the plant space, and a vacuum layer between the internal surface and the external surface. The vacuum layer may provide thermal isolation between the internal surface and the external surface of at least one of the wall  110 , ceiling  112 , and floor  114  of the outer shell assembly  108 . The material in the vacuum layer may include a honeycomb lattice. In some embodiments the outer shell assembly  108  includes dual wall stainless steel materials with a honeycomb lattice between them. To construct this dual wall material, holes may be drilled in each of the sides of the hexagons in the honeycomb lattice to allow airflow, and then a vacuum is pulled on the interior of the dual wall materials. The resulting structure may have improved thermodynamic efficiency in part because heat gain from the external environment is reduced. 
     If magnetic wave and radio frequency control is desired, the wall  110 , the ceiling  112 , and the floor may be enmeshed in a grounded copper wire mesh to effectively create a Faraday Cage to block magnetic waves and radio frequencies. 
     The wall  110 , floor  114 , and ceiling  112  materials may be toxin free, water proof, antimicrobial by design, and easy to clean with purified water. A commercially available example of these materials is FREEFIT™ “Lotus” Surfacing, which is available from GrowLife Innovations in Kirkland, Wash. All ancillary items such as Storage Racking, Pipes, Wires, Paint, Conduits, Lighting, etc., may utilize toxin free materials. By controlling every surface material and environmental variable, a clean room environment may be created. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the plant space  200  may comprise a vertical stack plant assembly  202 , rows of plant pot holders  204 , pots  206 , grow medium  208 , plants  210 , a movable light array  212 , an environmental condition controls  214 , a frame assembly  216 , and a track assembly  218 . 
     Vertical Stack Plant Assembly 
     The cubes of the present invention include a vertical stack plant assembly  202 . The multi-level vertical stack assembly may include linear rows of plant pot holders  204  located around and substantially perpendicular to the movable light array  212 . The multi-level stack assembly may also include circular rows of plant pot holders  104 , in which case the movable light array  212  may also have a curved shape. The vertical stack plant assembly  202  may be designed to maximize the number of plants  210  within a given volume. One of skill in the art will realize that the spacing of the plant pot holders may adjusted for different types of plants  210 . 
     In some traditional growing operations, the plants themselves are moved toward or away from a stationary light source as they grow. By contrast, certain embodiments of the present invention include a stationary vertical stack plant assembly, whereby instead of moving the plants towards or away from the light source, the light source itself is moved. The design of the vertical stack plant assembly allows for the pots to be at the strategic angle and position relative to the movable light array. The vertical stack plant assembly may be a trellised structure with holes for pots that are angled toward the movable light array. The vertical stack plant assembly  202  may be anchored to at least one of the wall or the floor. 
     The vertical stack plant assembly may include a mechanical means that allows each individual plant to be positioned or removed independent of other plants within the vertical stack plant assembly. In an embodiment, a removable retaining bar allows for the removal of individual plants, particularly those located in the upper portion of the plant space. The positioning may also include rotating the pots  206  in the rows of plant pot holders  204  using a pot rotating system, wherein the pot rotating system adjusts the orientation the plant pots  206  with respect to the movable light array  106  by rotating the pots  206  in the vertical stack plant assembly  202 . 
     Movable Light Array 
     The cubes of the present invention include a movable light array  212 . The movable light array  212  may include a light assembly (not shown in  FIG. 2 ) including at least one grow light, a frame assembly  216  including a frame, wherein the light assembly is mounted on the frame assembly  216 , and a track assembly  218 , wherein the track assembly  218  includes a track that accepts a portion of the frame assembly and facilitates movement of the frame assembly  216  toward or away from the vertical stack plant assembly  202 . If the vertical stack plant assembly  202  includes circular rows of plant pot holders  104 , portions of the movable light array  212  may also have a curved shape, including elements of the frame assembly  216  such as the frame itself. 
     A portion of the frame assembly may be configured to slide in the track included in the track assembly  218 . The portion may include a section with a T shape that is accepted into the track thereby allowing the frame assembly  216  to suspend from the track and move along the track toward or away from the vertical stack plant assembly  202 . The portion of the frame assembly with a T shape may include wheels to allow for smooth sliding along the track in the track assembly  218 . 
     A portion of the frame assembly may also be configured with a clip or ring that slides on the outside of the track as seen in  FIG. 2 . The sliding clip or ring may also be located on the track, and the portion of the frame assembly attaches to the sliding clip or ring. 
     In traditional growing, a large percentage by volume of light and the energy associated with the light is wasted. The traditional techniques may have lights mounted 30 feet above the plant canopy. This means that a large light needs to be used to provide enough light to a plant leaf 30 feet away. By contrast, as the plants  210  grow in the present invention, the light assembly may be moved to optimize the delivery of light to the plant. Initially, the light assembly may be in a position to deliver light 6 inches from the plants  210 . To maintain this 6 inch distance as the plant grows, the movable light array  212  may be moved toward the center of the plant space  200 . To control the distance from the plant canopy, an ultrasonic sensor may be used to measure distance from the plant canopy to the movable light array  212 . A control system may then and then the movable light array  212  may slide on the track assembly  218 , automatically indexing towards the middle of the plant space  200  from both sides. 
     Environmental Control and General Control 
     All properties of the environment may be controlled and managed including but not limited to: barometric pressure, humidity, ionization, O 2  level, CO 2  level, magnetic fields, pathogens, air flow, plant temperature (root, stem, and leaf), Schumann resonant frequency, microbe monitoring, sound waves, light levels and frequencies, pH monitoring, density and dose from the nutrient delivery system, water temperature, nutrient temperature, effluent temperature. Atmospheric conditions may be part of environmental conditions and vice versa. 
     To control and/or monitor the environment within the plant space  200 , a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC system) may be used. Light delivery to the plants  210  may be controlled by adjusting the distance of the movable light array  212  from the plants  210 . 
     The cubical farms of the present invention may further include cultivation and drying facilities. The facilities may be fully automated, monitored, and controlled. 
     As part of the general control system, a database of all manufacturing processes and yield data may be maintained to learn and improve the production of plants  210 . The general control system may utilize self-learning manufacturing technology, to allow for machine initiated alterations to the manufacturing processes. All process variables may be input to a computer system for real time algorithmic input and response. There are no limitations on size and number of plants in a vertical plant stack assembly. The available floor space, configuration of the light and nutrient delivery system assembly and design of the vertical plant stack assembly determine optimum size and geometry of each facility. 
     Monitoring System 
     The environmental condition controls  214  may be linked to a monitoring system. The monitoring system may be part of the environmental condition controls  214 , a general control system, or be a separate function from them. The monitoring system may monitor at least one of barometric pressure, humidity, ionization, O 2  level, CO 2  level, magnetic fields, pathogens, air flow, plant temperature (root, stem, and leaf), Schumann resonant frequency, microbe monitoring, sound waves, light levels and frequencies, pH monitoring, density and dose from the nutrient delivery system, water temperature, nutrient temperature, effluent temperature. 
     Cameras may be utilized to monitor activities within the plant space  200 , or outside of the outer shell assembly  108 . Cameras may monitor the distance of the movable light array  212  from the plants  210 . High resolution cameras and advanced environmental monitoring systems may be mounted in the plant space  200 , or may be mounted on monitoring drones that are controlled remotely by technicians. Cameras may also be used to monitor the health of individual plants  210 , or sections of the plant canopy. 
     If a sample is needed from any of the plants  210 , test or diagnostic drone may be used to obtain a clipping from a plant for lab testing. 
     Magnetic and radio waves may be monitored, and a Schumann resonant frequency pulse generator may be utilized to maintain an ambient magnetic pulse frequency. The ambient magnet pulse frequency may be 7.83 Hz. 
     Electrical power utilization may be monitored such that electrical power usage is minimized to the greatest extent possible through use of advanced alternative power generation equipment and sound power management procedures. Because the plant growing systems and methods of the present invention may be viewed as a complete terra system and not discrete elements, effective power management and control systems may be utilized. 
     Grow Medium 
     The plants  210  may be grown in grow medium  208 , which may be determined by the growing technique including hydroponics, soil, and aeroponics. Aeroponics is practiced without grow medium  208 , although water may be used to deliver and transmit nutrients to the plants  210 . Selection of grow medium may depend on the type of plants and/or the needs of the plant growing system. Some factors considered may be pH balance, water retention properties, and aeration abilities. Different materials for soil and hydroponic systems may include, but are not limited to, at least one of expanded clay, peat moss, coco coir, gravel, Rockwool, sand, perlite, vermiculite, diatomite, glass, and combinations thereof. 
     Watering System 
     The plant growing apparatuses, methods, and systems of the present invention may include a watering system. The watering system may deliver water to the top of the plant and pots  206  or the bottom of the pots  206 . For top delivery, numerous methods may be utilized, including sprinklers, drippers, and misting systems. Water may also be delivered hydroponically, using a water pump and pot drain system to provide and remove water from watering vessels. The watering vessels may receive the pots  206  such that an inner pot (contains plant) and outer pot (contains plant pot and plant) arrangement is created. The watering vessels may be interconnected in parallel by fittings at their bases using tubing or hose, thereby forming a watering manifold. Because the watering system with the watering vessels is bottom fed, an ebb and flow system may be used to water the plants. A pump may fill and drain the watering vessels several times a day, allowing even watering. An additional advantage of utilizing the watering vessels is that plants may be removed by lifting out the inner pots without having to remove the watering vessels, thereby saving time and space. Effluent from the watering system may be directed outside of the growing apparatus. 
     The watering system may also be used to purify and detoxify well or city water while simultaneously augmenting the water with nutrients to facilitate maximum plant yield. By combining filtering and augmenting activities, the effluent from the watering system may be minimized. 
     Nutrient Delivery System 
     The plant growing apparatuses, methods, and systems of the present invention may include a nutrient delivery system for delivering a nutrient formulation to the plants  210 . The nutrient formulation composition and quantity can be customized based on the unique needs of each plant. A nutrient medium may be used by the nutrient delivery system to deliver a nutrient formulation. The nutrient medium may be any fluid, solid material, and combinations thereof that provides for root support and allows delivery of nutrients to the plant. 
     The nutrient delivery system may be permanently mounted to a structure in the plant space  200 , or may be dispersed through a movable robotic feeding system. The nutrient delivery system may be piped into the same delivery pipes/hoses used in the watering system described above, or may be a separate piping system to the plants  210 . 
     In an embodiment, the nutrient delivery system includes a cartridge system that allows the nutrient delivery system to deliver nutrients to all of the plants at once. The canister may be an inline device in the delivery hose/pipe system to deliver nutrients to all the plants at once. The delivery system may include a positive displacement pump and a control solenoid. The canister may have a quick connect to allow easy installation and removal from the delivery hose/pipe system. When connected to a water or fluid supply, such as the watering system, the canister may dispense measured nutrients to the plants  210 . The nutrient media used in the cartridge may be a solid mass that slowly dissolves, or sheds an exposed layer, when exposed to a fluid such as water. The solid mass may have different layers as one goes toward the center of the solid mass. Each layer may have a different composition of nutrients. The outer layers of the solid mass may contain nutrients beneficial to a young plant, and as the layers dissolve, the composition of nutrients that is dissolved is more beneficial to a more mature plant. Because the metered nutrient may be delivered to the plant for its entire life cycle, from clone to harvest, a grower may never have to manually feed it again. The canister may contain a cylinder with nutrients densely packed on it and/or inside of it. The outer nutrients on the outer walls of the cylinder may be nutrients that the plant needs at a young age. As the cylinder is exposed to a fluid such as water, the outer surface may be dissolved or eroded away, thereby exposing a different layer of nutrients to the fluid. The shape of the cartridge or the mass of nutrients may be any shape that fits into the canister. The shape may be a block, cylinder, sphere, ellipsoid, but is not limited thereto. 
     The terms “core portion” and “shell layer” of a cylinder or block refer to relative locations of the layers along a cross-section of the cylinder or block that is orthogonal to a longitudinal length of the cylinder or block, where the core portion is an inner layer relative to the shell layer. Additionally the term “core portion” and “shell layer” may be applied to the resulting nutrient cylinder or block created after the nutrient cylinder or block is eroded or dissolved by a nutrient delivery fluid. 
     The nutrient delivery system may include a nutrient delivery fluid, a canister in fluid communication with the nutrient delivery fluid, and a nutrient block inside of the canister. The nutrients may be present in multiple shell layers surrounding a core portion of the nutrient block, wherein the outer layers of the nutrient block include nutrients that are beneficial to plants at a young age, and the inner layers of the nutrient block include nutrients that are beneficial to plants at an older age. Upon exposure of the nutrient block to the nutrient delivery fluid, the outer layers of the nutrient block dissolve or erode into the nutrient delivery fluid, which carries the nutrients to the plants. 
     Harvesting 
     Harvesting of the plants  210  may be performed manually by growers by hand or with the assistance of a machine. The harvesting process may also be automated with the use of machines. In an embodiment, harvesting drones may be used to remove plants from the indoor grow facility and to move them to a harvesting platform. This automated plant extraction from the grow room for cultivation may be performed by an automatic storage and retrieval system to minimize human contact and possible contamination. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates two different views of the plant space  300 . An angled view of the plant space  302  and an end view of the plant space  304  demonstrate the relative positions of the vertical stack plant assembly, movable light array, and environmental condition controls. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , a plant space  400  may include climate atmospheric condition controls  402 , an HVAC system  404 , and a plant space  406 . The HVAC system  404  may be utilized to monitor and/or control at least one of air flows, humidity and temperatures throughout the plant space  406 . The HVAC system  404  may be controlled by the climate atmospheric condition controls  402 , a general control system, or by internal controls within the HVAC system. In an embodiment, the HVAC system  404  is a ductless unit mounted on a wall inside of the plant space  406 . 
     The HVAC system  404  may also be part of a multi-zone, filtrated HVAC system that has a central unit in the cubical farm. In an embodiment, a centralized geothermal based cooling and heating system may provide cooling media through a geo-piping system to an HVAC system  404  in each cube assembly. With a centralized ground heat exchanger servicing all of the units in the cubical farm, individual closed loop fields may not be necessary. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a movable light array  500  may include a frame  502 , a light assembly  504 , a grow light  506 , and a portion of the frame assembly  508 . The light assembly  504  is attached to the frame  502  and the light assembly  504  includes at least one grow light  506 . A portion of the frame assembly  508  is inserted or attached to a track assembly  218  (not shown). The light assembly  504  components are mounted in a horizontal configuration in  FIG. 5 . If the horizontal portions of the frame  502  were vertical instead of horizontal as shown, the light assembly  504  components may be mounted to the vertical members of the frame, thereby creating a vertical configuration of grow light assembly  504  components. In either a horizontal or vertical configuration, the grow light assembly  504  components are mounted in positions on the frame  502  such that all of the plants in a vertical stack plant assembly will receive appropriate light coverage and intensity to maximize plant quality, growth and health. 
     Any type of light may be used as a glow grow light  506  including fluorescent lights, high-intensity discharge lights, and LED grow lights. LED lights typically last longer than fluorescent lights and are capable of greater light intensity. One of skill in the art will realize that the grow lights within the light assembly or the light assembly itself may be adjusted up or down left or right within the frame assembly to achieve optimal photon efficacy at the plant canopy. 
     The grow light  506  may be an LED emitter. The light assembly  504  components may include multi-strip LED emitters. Each grow light  506  may be a “full-spectrum” light or may emit a certain frequency. Because each light assembly  504  may contain a plurality of grow lights, a wide range of frequencies may be produced by each light assembly  504  by turning on or off certain grow lights. If a full-spectrum of light frequencies is desired from a light assembly  504  containing non full-spectrum lights, then all of the grow lights in the light assembly  504  may be turned on. 
     Because most LED emitters have a large heat sink, heat buildup may become a problem. In an embodiment, heat transfer tape is applied to the LED emitter heat sinks, and the heat transfer tape is attached to a grounding cable that terminates into the earth outside of the plant space and the outer shell assembly. The grounding cable may include copper. 
     In an embodiment, the light assembly  504  may include an optical fiber lighting system. This system may include a light source, a light transmission device (e.g., optical fiber), and a light output device (e.g., lamp), for delivering the light to a plant. The optical fiber lamps may be located closer to the plants with the heat generating light sources located significantly away from the plants. In some embodiments, a solar optical fiber lighting system may be used. This system may include a light guiding device for collecting the sunlight, a light transmission device (e.g., optical fiber), and a light output device (e.g., lamp), for delivering the light to a plant. A light guiding device may be positioned on the roof and/or wall of the cube assembly, to collect sunlight. The optical fiber lamp “cone of light” may be physically constructed to focus on one plan, or the “cone of light” may be constructed to focus on several plants at once. In an embodiment, multiple optical fiber lamps may be physically arranged so that the light cones overlap in a more uniform pattern covering multiple plants. 
     A general control system may be used to control the grow lights. The system may control the on/off frequency, spectral frequency, and amplitude of the light emitted to the plants. The system may also simulate a certain time of day, a sunrise, and a sunset by manipulating the amplitude and spectral frequency of the lights. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , a vertical stack plant assembly  600  may include a removable retaining bar  602 , pots  604 , and plant pot holders  606 . The removable retain removable retaining bar  602  allows for the removal of the plant pots  604  from the plant pot holders  606 . This may be useful when retrieving plant pots  604  located in the upper levels of the vertical stack plant assembly  600 . 
     Herein, references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although they may. Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number respectively, unless expressly limited to a single one or multiple ones. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below” and words of similar import, when used in this application, refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. When the claims use the word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list and any combination of the items in the list, unless expressly limited to one or the other. Any terms not expressly defined herein have their conventional meaning as commonly understood by those having skill in the relevant art(s). 
     While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, modifications thereof can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and teachings of the invention. The embodiments described herein are exemplary only, and are not intended to be limiting. Many variations and modifications of the invention disclosed herein are possible and are within the scope of the invention. Use of the term “optionally” with respect to any element of a claim is intended to mean that the subject element is required, or alternatively, is not required. Both alternatives are intended to be within the scope of the claim. 
     Numerous other modifications, equivalents, and alternatives, will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such modifications, equivalents, and alternatives where applicable.