PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique whereby, in an artificial soil medium comprising aggregates of artificial soil particles, water can be continuously supplied over a long period of time to a plant to be cultivated and a water supply rate can be highly precisely controlled depending on the plant to be cultivated.SOLUTION: An artificial soil medium 100 contains a plurality of artificial soil particles 50 provided with a core part 10 that is capable of absorbing and releasing water and a control layer 20 provided on an outer surface part of the core part 10, in which water-releasing properties for showing a state of releasing the water from the core part 10 are set to the control layer. The plurality of artificial soil particles 50 are configured from multiple kinds of artificial soil particles 50 that are designed so that the water absorbing/releasing properties of the control layer 20 differ from one another.COPYRIGHT: (C)2014,JPO&INPIT【課題】人工土壌粒子を集合してなる人工土壌培地において、栽培対象の植物に長期に亘って持続的に水分を供給したり、栽培対象の植物に応じて水分供給量を高度にコントロールすることが可能となる技術を提供する。【解決手段】水分を保持/放出可能なコア部10と、コア部10の外表部に設けられ、コア部10から水分が放出される状態を示す水分放出特性が設定されたコントロール層20と、を備えた複数の人工土壌粒子50を含む人工土壌培地100であって、複数の人工土壌粒子50は、コントロール層20の水分放出特性が夫々異なるように設定された複数種の人工土壌粒子50で構成されている。【選択図】図2
