Portable apparatus for growing vegetation

Abstract

A cabinet for growing plants has a divider. The divider hermetically separates a plant space of the cabinet from a control space of the cabinet. The divider has a plant side, a control side, and electro-magnetic radiation (EMR) emitters, mounted on the plant side of the divider. The EMR emitters are adapted to EMR frequencies primarily at or near visible light. There is a vent in the divider. A fan pulls air through the vent. A microprocessor controls the fan and the EMR emitters.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A cabinet for growing plants, said cabinet comprising: a housing;
 said housing having: a front; a top; a rear; two sides; a bottom; a reflective interior surface; and an air-tight sealed door on the front;   said air-tight sealed door having a reflective interior door surface;   said reflective interior surface having: an interior top; an interior rear; two interior sides; and an interior bottom;   lights on: the interior rear; the two interior sides; and the reflective interior door surface;   an exhaust port;   an air intake port near the bottom; and   a plurality of mounting rails spaced along the interior sides.   
     
     
         2 . A cabinet according to  claim 1 , in which:
 the interior rear comprises a partition;   a duct is formed between the partition and the rear of the housing in fluid communication with the air intake port and an air circulation vent; and   a circulation fan is disposed in the housing;   wherein the circulation fan is adapted to draw air in through the air intake port, pass the air through the duct and dissipate the air through the air circulation vent to an interior of the housing.   
     
     
         3 . A cabinet according to  claim 1  in which the air tight sealed door comprises two separate doors, which are joinable;
 an upper door of the two separate doors has a bottom surface; 
 a bottom groove is on the bottom surface; 
 a lower door of the two separate doors has a top surface; 
 a top groove is on the top surface; and 
 a door unifier is slidably mounted in the top groove and the bottom groove. 
 
     
     
         4 . A cabinet according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a divider, said divider hermetically separating a plant space of the cabinet from a control space of the cabinet;   said divider having a plant side and a control side;   a plurality of electro-magnetic radiation emitters, mounted on the plant side of the divider;   said electro-magnetic radiation emitters emitting electro-magnetic radiation primarily at or near visible light;   a vent in the divider; and   a microprocessor controlling said electro-magnetic radiation emitters.   
     
     
         5 . A cabinet according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a divider, said divider hermetically separating a plant space of the cabinet from a control space of the cabinet;   said divider having a plant side and a control side;   a plurality of electro-magnetic radiation emitters comprising light emitting diodes mounted on the plant side of the divider;   said electro-magnetic radiation emitters emitting electro-magnetic radiation primarily at or near visible light;   a vent in the divider;   a circulation fan disposed in the housing and adapted to draw air through the vent;   a microprocessor controlling said circulation fan and said electro-magnetic radiation emitters;   wherein the microprocessor controls the time, duration, and frequency of the emissions of the electro-magnetic radiation emitters;   a thermometer disposed on the plant side and connected to the microprocessor;   heat emitting elements adapted to emit heat into the plant space to raise a temperature to a programmed temperature;   wherein the microprocessor is responsive to the thermometer by controlling the circulation fan and the heat emitting elements;   a CO 2  concentration sensor;   a CO 2  emitter;   a pressurized CO 2  supply canister, supplying CO 2  to the CO 2  emitter;   wherein the microprocessor is responsive to a CO 2  concentration, which is less than a programmed CO 2  concentration, by releasing CO 2  from the CO 2  emitter until the CO 2  concentration is at the programmed CO 2  concentration; and   a humidity sensor disposed in the plant space;   
     
     
         6 . A method of growing a plant in a container of soil, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing a horizontal hermetically sealed barrier within a cabinet;   opening a door, thereby causing one or more door switches to activate a green light emitting diode to illuminate an interior of the cabinet and to deactivate a plurality of light emitting diode grow lights;   placing the container and plant and soil inside the cabinet;   closing the door to seal the cabinet, thereby causing the one or more door switches to activate the plurality of light emitting diode grow lights and to deactivate the green light emitting diode;   drawing air in through an air intake port duct with a circulation fan and dissipating the air through one or more air circulation vents to one or more chambers in the interior of the cabinet;   exhausting the air to an outside of the cabinet;   using a microprocessor to control the light emitting diode grow lights;   illuminating the interior of the cabinet with visible light, infrared, or ultraviolet light from the plurality of light emitting diode grow lights according to a schedule programmed into the microprocessor to simulate seasons of the year;   monitoring a progress of the plant by opening the door, causing the one or more door switches to activate the green light emitting diode to illuminate the interior of the cabinet with the green light emitting diode, but thereby not disturbing the simulated seasons because plants are generally insensitive to green light.   
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6  further comprising the steps of:
 opening a prepackaged nutrient package; 
 adding nutrients from the prepackaged nutrient package to a reservoir of water to provide a nutrient solution; 
 sensing temperature, humidity, CO 2  concentration; and soil moisture; 
 communicating said sensing to the microprocessor; 
 controlling heating elements and the circulation fan with the microprocessor to control temperature; 
 controlling an injection of water vapor into the cabinet with the microprocessor to control humidity; 
 controlling an injection of CO 2  into the cabinet with the microprocessor to control CO 2  concentration; 
 controlling an injection of the nutrient solution into the soil with the microprocessor to control soil moisture.