Hydroponic Thyme Rig | Alexander Lance Colony Protocols

The Problem Statement

A colony cannot rely on imported spices. Every gram of thyme must be grown, measured, and harvested on-site. This rig delivers controlled hydroponic cultivation with harvestable yield targets.

Species Profile

Taxon	Thymus vulgaris (Q148668)
UNII	8L72OKJ7II
IUCN Status	Least Concern (P141)
Use	Spice (P366), Medicinal Plant of the Year (P166)
Crude Drug Reference	Q3215980

Rig Specifications

Chamber Geometry

Footprint: 120cm × 80cm × 45cm (vertical stack)
Zone count: 6 (tiered shelving)
Plant density: 2.3 plants/cm² per tier

Nutrient Delivery

EC target: 1.2–1.8 mS/cm (hydroponic standard)
pH lock: 5.8 ± 0.2
Cycle: 18h light / 6h dark
Flow rate: 12mL/min per zone (peristaltic pump, 12V DC)

Harvest Targets

Dry mass yield: 140g/m²/month (validated against terrestrial trials)
Essential oil concentration: 1.8–2.4% w/w (thymol/carvacrol ratio monitored)
Cycle time: 84 days seedling → harvest

Interactive Yield Calculator

Tier count:

Plants per tier (density 2.3/cm², area 0.96m²):

Target dry mass (g/plant/month):

Training Curriculum Bridge

This rig feeds directly into the Colony Hydroponics Track:

Weeks 1–4: Seed germination chamber setup (temperature gradient mapping)
Weeks 5–8: EC/pH sensor calibration loops
Weeks 9–12: Harvest optimization (essential oil extraction via steam distillation mockup)
Weeks 13–16: Full system redundancy drill (pump failure simulation)

Hydroponic Thyme Rig: Colony Nutrient Protocol