Method for using cement combination boxes for Gastrodia elata cultivation
The box body is composed entirely of cement boards, with an inner cavity volume requiring a length of 60 cm, a width of 40 cm, and a height of 32 cm. Each box body consists of 5 boards, among which 2 are side panels: length 60 cm, width 32 cm, thickness 2 cm; two end caps: length 45 cm, width 32 cm, thickness 2 cm; one bottom board: length 65 cm, width 45 cm, thickness 3 cm--5 cm. The boards are connected to each other by connecting rings in a staggered interlocking pattern, and a pin rod is inserted into the rings to join them into one unit.
1. Bottom board. The load-bearing capacity of the open box body depends mainly on the bottom board, so the bottom board must be thicker than the other components. The bottom board consists of a 3 cm thick board body plus three reinforcing ribs 5 cm thick, with 8 circular holes of 2 cm diameter evenly distributed on the bottom board as drainage holes for drainage and aeration. The middle of the bottom board is tied with No. 8 iron wire into a square grid, and steel bars of 6 cm diameter are embedded in the reinforcing ribs to form a steel mesh, giving the bottom board sufficient prestress when bearing loads. When pouring the three reinforcing ribs, a certain proportion of stone chips can be mixed in to give them sufficient load-bearing capacity. The other board surfaces only need cement mixed with a certain proportion of coarse sand.
2. Side panels. The two side panels are composed entirely of cement boards, with a thickness of 2 cm, not exceeding 2.5 cm at the thickest. The middle is tied with No. 8 or No. 10 iron wire into a square grid as reinforcing ribs, and both sides are coated with 1 cm of cement. In the middle-lower part, two rows of 10 circular holes of 2 cm diameter are reserved as drainage and aeration holes. At both ends where they connect to the end caps, connecting rings are prefabricated for joining with the end caps into one unit.
3. End caps. The structure of the two end caps is similar in thickness to the two side panels, with the difference being that the upper edges of the two end caps are thickened, with a prefabricated reinforcing rib 3 cm wide and 4 cm thick. This is used to bear the weight of the upper box during three-dimensional cultivation of Gastrodia elata. At the intersections with the two side panels, connecting rings are also prefabricated. When the two rings overlap, a pin rod is inserted into the rings to join them into one unit.
The connecting rings prefabricated at the junctions between boards should preferably be made of plastic products to prevent corrosion. Generally, plastic pipes can be used. Cut the plastic pipes to the required length and bind them together with the embedded iron wire grid so that they are firmly combined and not easily detached. During pouring, the bound areas must be completely buried in the cement so that they do not contact the outside, preventing corrosion from water and moisture that could cause the connecting rings to fall off. The connecting rings are prefabricated on the outside of the box mainly for ease of assembly and disassembly.
When in use, simply set up the bottom board according to the spacing, then set up the side panels and end caps on the bottom board. The connecting rings overlap with each other, and pin rods are inserted into the holes to join them into one unit. Then filling and planting Gastrodia elata can proceed according to conventional methods. When not in use, pull out the pin rods and the box can be disassembled into individual cement boards.
Since this box body is made of cement components and the connecting rings are plastic parts, even in a humid environment they will not rot or rust. As long as they are not dropped, they can be used for a long time. Even if one component is broken, it can be replaced with other components and still be assembled for use, offering strong interchangeability of components.
To produce this kind of cement box body, one only needs to prefabricate a set of molds with corresponding dimensions for the bottom board, side panels, and end caps. The molds can be made with wood, and the bottom surface can be made with glass or plastic board to produce a certain smoothness during demolding. After tying the corresponding iron wire mesh frames, mass pouring can begin at very low cost. Especially for those preparing for factory-scale production, this method can save a large amount of investment. The key to production is to arrange the positions of the connecting rings on each board properly, so as to avoid conflicts between rings during connection that prevent them from overlapping. Therefore, the position dimensions of the rings on each component must be strictly defined to ensure assembly interchangeability.