Lorath Hydroponics

Lorath hydroponics systems were designed and refined by the Lorath that would become the Lmanel Caste. This technology was used extensively throughout the Lorath Exile to feed the Lorath Matriarchy and was redesigned several times before being perfected in the Reclamation Era. Though the overall efficiency of the design of the hydroponics systems have been perfected new advances in material science, horticulture, and the bio-sciences have continued to steadily improve the efficiency of the time-tested engineering.

Construction: The design used in Lorath hydroponic farms is a 25×25 meter shallow stone-lined pond. These ponds are dug into solid compressed bedrock, that has been coated with a concrete mixture. These farms are typically arrayed in a grid, with small footpaths for access, as well as stacked vertically to maximize the use of space.

Nutrients: Each pond's water level is carefully regulated and maintained while also being supplied with a steady supply of nutrient solution balanced to ensure optimal plant growth. The mixture is modified for optimal uptake by each crop, though it universally includes a varied mixture of minerals along with a steady supply of Gibberellic Acid.

Lighting: Every pond is lit by an array of sodium lamps. The lamps are hung either from cavern walls, ceilings, or from purpose-built poles. On the surface in open air applications, the ponds are universally lit by lamps placed on poles that are distributed along the edges as well as throughout the ponds. On Lor these lights are almost universally powered by the Geothermal Power grid, other power sources, however, may be used depending on convenience.

Water Supply: On Lor water is provided for the crops via the Geothermal piping infrastructure usually carried long distance as pressurized steam before being condensed and cooled on site. Once cooled, the water is passed through a filtration system to purify and remove unwanted mineral contaminants before being delivered to the crop pond. Low-pressure pumps pull water out of the crop pond constantly creating an equilibrium with water the water flowing into the pond to prevent flooding and stagnation. The drained water is once again filtered to remove the mineral content as well as well as any possible debris before being returned to the geothermal piping system where it returns to the geothermal generator for reheating and recycling.

Harvesting: Crops grown in the pools are harvested by hand; the collected food is then distributed to individuals who have placed a requisition for food. Other portions of plants find their way into various Lorath products such as materials or fuel. Any undesired waste biomass is recycled to produce more nutrient solution.

Computer Control: A post Reclamation Era technology, automated computer systems work to ensure that the water is PH balanced, that there is optimal nutrient, and water flow, and adjusts lighting based on the growth needs of the plants. This system is monitored and adjusted by agricultural personnel running the hydroponic farm as needed.

In the time of the Lorath exile below the surface of Lor, one of the earliest problems faced was the need for sustained crops sorely needed by an already wounded populace. With the knowledge that a large amount of food would need to be regularly grown to feed a recovering population, and the challenges posed by subterranean living that faced the Lorath people a solution to grow crops underground became the Lorath's greatest priority.

In the days following their exile, those survivors who could, immediately set about tunneling into what soil they could find deposited within the cavern systems, while also breaking up the rock to clear out the larger caverns for the purposes of setting up what farms they could, as well as facilitate the storage of the food supplies that they had managed to bring during their flight from the surface. These initial farming caverns were worked by the initial exiles using their bare hands and crudely constructed tools.

The very first subterranean farms constructed by the Lorath followed traditional methods of farming; the original crops relying upon the soil they had available mixed with fine gravel and powdered stone in the hopes of sustaining fertility and slowly expanding their soil reserves for the future. In this soil, plants and edible fungi were planted and provided with light by primitive electrical lighting systems to provide what energy for photosynthesis they could. Over time as the Lorath recovered from their initial traumas it was determined that the primitive farming methods they had available would not be sufficient to maintain the populace, let alone expand it especially with the slowly decreasing nutrient levels in the soil. With the need for new, more reliable methods of farming and the advent of the first geothermal generators to provide reliable power to electric lights as well as a method of transporting water more efficiently, a new method of farming was slowly introduced.

Over the years through extensive study and careful experimentation those who would become, and eventually were the Lmanel Caste introduced an artificial, balanced nutrient solution designed to be mixed into the water supplies fed to the Lorath crop systems. Over time the use of the depleted soil was phased out opting instead for a hydroponic method with the nutrient solution mixed into a constant supply of water, a technique that would form the basis of all Lorath farming for thousands of years.

With the development of the hydroponic farms, the Lorath exiles were able to sustain a steady supply of food to their culture allowing for steady growth and development, up to and beyond the day that they were able to free themselves. Following the reclamation of the surface the hydroponic farming method was moved above ground, however, though the surface was taken back, some individuals chose to continue their farming underground out of a sense of tradition and an appreciation of the regulated conditions that the caverns provide.

Even in the modern day, many years after the Lorath return to the surface most Lorath produce is still grown in hydroponic systems due to a mixture of practicality and a desire not to despoil the wilderness of Lor with the extensive farmland that would be required to support the population.