US 12,245,555 B2
System and method for plant indexing in a hydroponic farming environment and a hydroponic farming environment
Travis M. Joyner, Hamilton, MT (US); Ryan Sweeney, Hamilton, MT (US); and Jeff Leggott, Hamilton, MT (US)
Assigned to Local Bounti Operating Company LLC, Hamilton, MT (US)
Filed by Local Bounti Operating Company, LLC, Hamilton, MT (US)
Filed on Jan. 8, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/406,321.
Application 18/406,321 is a continuation of application No. 17/341,718, filed on Jun. 8, 2021, granted, now 11,895,954.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/062,609, filed on Aug. 7, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2024/0138327 A1, May 2, 2024
Int. Cl. A01G 31/04 (2006.01); A01C 1/02 (2006.01); A01C 21/00 (2006.01); A01G 9/14 (2006.01)
CPC A01G 31/042 (2013.01) [A01C 1/02 (2013.01); A01C 21/00 (2013.01); A01G 9/14 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for farming plants, comprising:
planting a plurality of seeds or seedlings on one or more plant trays having individual plant sites;
beginning a germination phase;
after the germination phase, identifying a plurality of plants germinated from the plurality of seeds or seedlings:
transporting the plurality of plants to a nursery in one or more nursery phases;
transplanting the plurality of plants to a greenhouse after the one or more nursery phases, beginning at least one greenhouse phase;
harvesting the plurality of plants from the greenhouse;
monitoring, by at least one sensor or monitoring device, a plurality of plant parameters;
adjusting, by a control unit, a plurality of environmental parameters, wherein machine learning is used to optimize and control the plurality of environmental parameters;
identifying an optimized plant density based on an identified growth of the plurality of plants from the plurality of plant parameters identified in the one or more nursery phases; and
arranging the plurality of plants according to the optimized plant density in the greenhouse to minimize an area between the plurality of plants, wherein the control unit is configured to:
adjust a plurality of growth parameters for each plant of the plurality of plants, and
adjust the environmental parameters differently according to the growth parameters and/or a plurality of requirements of each of the germination phase, the one or more nursery phases, and the at least one greenhouse phase depending on the identified growth for each plant of the plurality of plants.