Patent ID: 6951076

Claim:
A system for growing plants without soil, the system comprising: (a) a main container, said main container having an open top and a base providing a plant liquid nutrient reservoir; (b) an elongate support unit mounted in said main container for physically supporting a plant or plant seed to be grown, said elongate support unit comprising a conduit mounted below said top and above said base to extend substantially horizontally across said main container, said elongate support unit having a top surface providing a support surface for the plant or plant seed, said elongate support unit defining an outer surface spaced inward from said main container to allow the growing plants to wrap around the elongate support unit; (c) means for continuously circulating a flow of liquid nutrient to said support unit for supplying liquid nutrient to a plant or seed supported by said support unit, said circulating means being arranged to flow the liquid nutrient across said support surface for supplying the plant or seed with nutrient; (d) means for charging said liquid nutrient reservoir; and (e) a close fitting lid for closing said main container to provide an enclosed space within said main container where a moist atmosphere can accumulate and where a plant or seed can grow, said lid being formed with a plant growth aperture for the plant to grow up through; (f) whereby in use a plant seed or bare-rooted plant seedling may be supported on said support unit in the absence of growth medium and may remain in contact with the flow of circulating liquid nutrient, so that the roots of the plant seed or seedling wrap increasingly around said support unit to anchor the plant in the container, and the plant seed or seedling grows both aeroponically in the environment between said lid and said support unit and hydroponically towards said plant growth aperture; (g) wherein said top surface of said elongate support unit has at least one aperture therein to allow overflow of the plant liquid nutrient therefrom.