Guide to hydroponics

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Hydroponics. This is your home.

Basics of Botany

Hydroponics and the Botanists who work there are important to the station, especially on longer rounds. Botanists grow plants that the Chef can use for food. Without botany, the food choices will be limited.


Your Area

Hydroponics is divided into two rooms. The big section is where you'll spend most of your time growing goods. Trays are available where you grow plants and two vending machines, one with seeds and the other with miscellaneous items such as nutrients and tools for your job. The bio-generator can be used to grind plants and produce things for the station. In tandem is the seed dispenser used to reproduce your product. The northern area is where you can grab most of the equipment needed to work in botany.

Plants require nutrients (fertilizer) and water to grow. They are also bothered by pests and weeds.
Trays come equipped with alerts that flash specific colors to tell you what's happening with your plant.

From left to right -

  • Green: Ready to harvest.
  • Red: Low health, caused by toxins/lack of nutrients/low water/end of lifespan.
  • Red (middle): High weed, pest or toxicity levels.
  • Yellow: Low nutrients.
  • Blue: Low water.

Tools that are of use in botany -

  • Plant Analyzer: Shows detailed detailed plant statistics. Very useful for growing fragile plants like Ambrosia Deus.
  • Cultivator: Kills Weeds.
  • Plant Bag: Collects up to 50 items or 100 seeds from your harvest. Useful for moving those into the fridge or biogenerator.
  • Wrench: Used to move your trays around.
  • Hatchet: Chops tower-caps into planks, chops other things. This is also a robust tool that fits in pockets.
  • Shovel: Digs up grass floors and cleans the dirt.
  • Spade: Removes and destroys plants in a tray.
  • Secateurs: Can be used on a fully grown and harvest-able plant once to obtain a plant graft.
  • All-In-One Grinder: This is how you extract reagents from plants - throw them in and hit the "grind" button.
  • Portable Seed Extractor: This can harvest and pick up plants and turn up to 100 plants into seeds. Less efficient than the machine.

Tools that require techs for use in botany -

  • Floral Somatoray: A gun that requires the botany tech in order to produce. It has 3 modes, which can increase plant yields, mutate a plant's stats, or mutate a plant's species. With a full charge, using it on a tray in close range can limit its mutations to a single product, but requires at least 20 plant endurance.
  • Botanogenetic Shears: A tool that requires the Experimental Tools tech. These can remove a gene, chemical, or trait from a plant when used on a tray, but the plant must have a plant health or endurance higher than 15.

Seed Extractor Plant growing 101

Take some seeds from the vendor and put them into the trays. Now, take a look at the tray with a plant analyzer. For now, you only need to pay attention to the bottom five stats - Water/Nutrition and Weeds/Toxic/Pest levels.
Now, fill a bucket from the water tank and grab fertilizer from the vending machine. You get rid of weeds with the cultivator and remove pests with pest spray. Chemistry can give you better chemicals for this, which will be explained later in the guide.
Some plants have a varied growth times, such as wheat growing faster while watermelons or apple trees take a little longer before you can harvest from them.
Once your tray flashes green, you're set to harvest. If you want to replicate the plant to continue growing more, just insert it into the seed extractor.

You can click seeds with a pen to change the name of the plant, the seed's description, or the plant's description. After planting in a hydroponics tray the tray updates with the name and description of the plant inside it.

Bio-generator Biogenerator

The Biogenerator makes items out of the nutriment in plants. As a rule of thumb: More nutriment = more biomass. Watermelons and pumpkins are commonly used due to their 20% nutriment boost trait.
To get biomass, grab a spare bucket and equip the machine with it, then use the plant bag to put fruits inside.

If you somehow run out of fertilizer in the vendors, remember you can produce more here. Reagents produced will be poured into the inserted bucket. You can also craft a whole bunch of useful items from the leather/cloth sheets the biogenerator can create.

DNA Extractor

The DNA extractor allows you to extract and modify seed stats and traits. This machine is what lets you become a Chemist on speed.

This is a little complex, so look at: Advanced Botany Removed as of April 3rd, 2020.

Stats, reagents and traits

Three things determine how your plant will turn out: Their stats, reagents and traits.

Stats

Stats determine whether your plants are small and grow slowly, or are big and fast-growing.

Click expand to see what stats do:

  • Potency: The most important stat (0 to 100). This affects the amount of chemicals in the plant, though some have additional effects, such as stun length for bananas.

The amount of a reagent a plant will produce is reagent% x potency x plant capacity. Almost all plant have 100 capacity by default, so for example 10% nutriment in a 50 potency plant with 100 capacity will produce 5 units of nutriment.

  • Yield: How much product you get each harvest. Between 0 and 10. Pay attention to this, because if it drops to 0, you won't harvest anything.
  • Production Speed: How fast your plant reaches harvest. Between 1 and 10 -- the lower the faster. The plant has to wait (Production Speed) age cycles before each harvest.
  • Maturation Speed: Age cycles before the plant can start production. The first harvest will be (Maturation Speed + Production Speed).
  • Lifespan: When the age is above lifespan, the plant starts losing health. Between 10 and 100. Only important for plants with the Perennial Growth trait.
  • Age: Age of the plant. Only relevant in terms of the lifespan stat.
  • Endurance: Max health. Between 10 and 100.
  • Instability: The higher a plant's instability, the plant will passively recieve stat changes over time. Between 20-59, the plant will have it's stats mutate randomly. Above 60, but below 80, the plant will have a chance to mutate to one of it's possible mutations every time it ages. Above 80, the plant has a chance to gain random traits over time.
  • Weed growth rate: Determines how quickly weeds grow in the plant tray. Relevant above 0, but only relevant with high vulnerability value.
  • Weed vulnerability: The higher, the more easily a plant is overtaken by weeds. Only relevant with very high values.
  • Weeds: Reduces plant potency and yield. Remove with a cultivator.
  • Pests: Reduces plant potency and yield.
  • Toxicity: Hurts health. Can be reduced by overwatering the plant, which replaces water.


Reagents/Content

This determines what chemicals are present in a grown plant - New reagents can be transferred between plants with the use of cross-pollination, while reagents can be removed with botanogenetic shears..
With a bit of creativity, you can mix your own mutagen, produce unique healing chemicals or turn tomatoes into napalm grenades. Solid Chemistry knowledge will help you out immensely.
For a detailed list, check out: Plant reference chart

Traits

Traits give your plants unique properties. There are plenty - Perennial Growth for example lets you harvest plants multiple times.
These can be transferred, just like reagents.

List of traits:

Trait name Properties
Auto-Distilling Composition Causes the plant's food reagents to ferment instead. In practice it replaces the plant's nutriment and vitamins with half as much of its fermentated reagent. Mutually exclusive with Auto-Juicing composition.
Auto-Juicing Composition Causes the plant's food reagents to become that plant's juice instead. Simiar to auto-distilling composition, but with replaces the food with juice instead. Mutually exclusive with Auto-Distilling composition.
Bioluminescence Causes the plant to glow, emitting light based of potency. Varieties include Shadow Emission, White Bioluminescence, Red Bioluminescence, Yellow Bioluminescence, Green Bioluminescence, Blue Bioluminescence, Purple Bioluminescence and Pink Bioluminescence.
Bluespace Activity Gives the plant bluespace properties, making it teleport people hit if the plant has Liquid Contents, and on slip if it has Slippery Skin. Max radius is determined by potency.
Capacitive Cell Production Plants with this trait can be made into batteries with the addition of wire. Electrical Activity increases the cell's maximum charge.
Carnivory Makes the plant heal from pests instead of taking damage from them.
Densified Chemicals Doubles the reagent capacity of the plant (usually from 100 to 200), which in turn doubles the amount of reagents produced. Halves the maximum yield of the plant, to five.
Electrical Activity Gives the plant electrical charge, making it recharge batteries (in hand, worn container or pocket) when eaten, depending on potency. It also has potency/5 %chance to electrocute on slip if it also has Slippery Skin and on hit if it has Liquid Contents.
Endothermic Activity On harvest, consumes the plant's nutrients to cool the other chemicals inside. Cools the plant's reagents for 5 kelvin per 1 unit of nutriment consumed. Mutually exclusive with Exothermic Activity. Halves the maximum yield of the plant, to five.
Exothermic Activity Similar to endothermic activity, but instead consumes the plant's nutrients to heat the other chemicals inside. Heats the plant's reagents for 25 kelvin per 1 unit of nutriment consumed. Mutually exclusive with Endothermic Activity. Halves the maximum yield of the plant, to five.
Fire Resistance Makes the seeds and produce fireproof.
Fungal Vitality The plant acquires mushroom-like properties, removing the need for water and greatly reducing damage from lack of light. Minimum yield is always 1 and the tray can't be overtaken by weeds.
Gaseous Decomposition Plants with this trait emit a smoke cloud when squashed, spewing reagents everywhere. Requires Liquid Contents to be useful. Only available through Strange seeds.
Hallucinatory Feedback Plants (or plant trash, such as banana peels) with this trait will play a laughter sound effect when slipped on.
Hypodermic Prickles Plants with this trait will sting when thrown (or slipped on with Liquid Contents), transferring up to 20u (at 100 potency) of their chemicals to the target. Does not pierce hardsuits.
Invasive Spreading Plants with this trait will invade adjacent trays and destroy other plants growing there. Will not overwrite plants of the same species.
Liquid Contents Causes the plant to squash when thrown or slipped on (Slippery Skin), applying the reagents inside on the target and destroying the plant.
Oculary Mimicry The plant gains a pair of googly eyes.
Perennial Growth Plants with this trait don't die on harvest (and can be harvested multiple times).
Separated Chemicals Makes plant reagents not react with each other until squashed. Otherwise, they will mix on harvest. Requires Liquid Contents to be useful. Removed January 2019.
Prickly Adhesion When thrown at people plants will non-harmfully embed. If combined with Hypodermic Prickles they will harmfully embed instead. Plants are also set to have 5 throw damage (at max potency). Mutually exclusive with Liquid Contents trait, meaning a plant can't have both.
Slippery Skin Causes the plant, or any products of the plant, to become slippery. The knockdown time is (Potency * 0.08), divided by 3 unless the plant has lube or is a banana. Maximum knockdown is 7 seconds. Triggers Hypodermic Prickes and Liquid Contents when combined with them.
Weed Adaptation The plant acquires weed-like properties, removing the need for nutrients. Plant growth doesn't get slowed by weeds and the tray can't be overtaken by them.


Plants can also have core plant traits. These are irremovable traits that cannot be randomly mutated, but affects how that plant acts at its core.

Many of these traits require 'plant protection' to be picked up and used safely. Plant protection can be gained by using proper leather botanical gloves or a hardsuit / biosuit. Podpeople naturally have plant protection, as well.

List of core traits:

Trait name Unique Plant Properties
Anti-Magic Vacuoles
Holymelons
The plant acts as anti-magic when held in hand, stopping spells from affecting you. Has 1use per 20 potency, up to 5.
Heated Petals
Novaflowers
The plant acts as a weapon, increasing its force up to 25 (at 100 potency) and sets targets on fire. Degrades with every hit, lowering its force until it falls apart.
Burning Stem
Novaflowers
The plant burns people who pick it up or use it without proper plant protection. dealing moderate burn damage to the hand.
Bright Petals
Sunflowers
The plant displays a unique message when hitting people with it.
Rose Thorns
Roses
The plant pricks people who pick it up or use it without proper plant protection, causing minor brute damgae.
Stinging Stem
Nettles
The plant burns people who pick it up or use it without proper plant protection, causing moderate burn damage.
Aggressive Stinging Stem
Death Nettles
The plant stuns and burns people who pick it up or use it without proper plant protection, causing high burn damage and a chance to stun.
Sharpened Leaves
Nettles
The plant acts as a weapon, increasing its force up to 25 (at 100 potency). Degrades with every hit, lowering its force until it falls apart.
Aggressive Sharpened Leaves
Death Nettles
The plant acts as a weapon, increasing its force up to 45 (at 100 potency). Degrades with every hit, lowering its force until it falls apart.
Active Capsicum Glands
Ghost Chilis
The plant slowly heats the body temperature of people who pick it up without proper plant protection.
Bluespace Volatility
Bluespace Tomatos
The plant randomly teleports whoever picks it up or uses it without without proper plant protection.
Dormant Ferocity
Multiple Plants
The plant awakens and becomes a monster when used in hand. If not handled with plant protection, they may awaken pre-emptively and attack you.
Large Bites
Multiple Plants
The plant is always eaten in one bite.
Dank Vesicles
Omega Weed
The plant has a maximum reagent volume of 420 units.
Powder-Filled Bulbs
Cherry Bomb
The plant has a maximum reagent volume of 125 units.
Explosive Contents
Cherry Bomb
The plant's reagents are heated to maximum reagent temperature when used in hand, potentially triggering explosive reactions (such as gunpowder).
Explosive Nature
Combustible Lemons
The plant explodes like a grenade when used in hand, the explosive power scaling with potency.
Miasma Gas Production
Corpseflower (plant)
The plant expells miasma from its tray shortly after maturing.

Plant reference chart

All you need to know about plants - their reagents, traits and what they can mutate into.

Traits that can be copied with GRAFTING are underlined. If a plant does not have an underlined trait, it will default to Perennial Growth, even if the plant traditionally does not have it by default.

Plant Chart (mouse over (some of) the reagents to have a brief effect description)

Name Type Seed Potting Product Reagent Production Traits Available from Mutates into
Aloe Normal 5% nutriment, 5% vitamin. Can be microwaved to create aloe cream. Fermentation: Tequila. MegaSeed Servitor
Ambrosia deus Normal 5% nutriment, 15% omnizine, 15% synaptizine, 10% space drugs, 4% vitamin Perennial Growth Mutate Ambrosia vulgaris Ambrosia gaia
Ambrosia gaia Normal 6% nutriment, 5% earthsblood, 5% vitamin Mutate Ambrosia deus
Ambrosia vulgaris Normal 5% nutriment, 10% Libital, 10% Aiuri, 15% space drugs, 10% toxin, 4% vitamin Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor Ambrosia deus
Apple Normal 10% nutriment, 4% vitamin. Always eaten in one bite.

Fermentation: Hard cider

Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor Gold apple
Bamboo Normal Harvesting results in bamboo logs. Cut these logs with a hatchet to produce stackable bamboo cuttings. Use the bamboo cuttings in hand to craft a either a punji stick trap (paralyzes and hurts those who step on it, even with shoes on) or a blow gun (makeshift syringe gun that takes time to fire and deals stamina and suffocation damage to the user). Perennial Growth Mutate Sugarcane, Exotic Seeds Crate
Banana Normal Drops peels when eaten or destroyed. 10% banana juice, 10% potassium, 4% vitamin, 2% nutriment. Fermentation: Banana Honk

Grind banana peels for (20% of potency) units of pulped banana peel.

Slippery Skin, Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor, Exotic Seeds Crate Mimana, Blue-space banana
Barrelmelon Normal 20% ale, 10% nutriment. Fermentation: Antihol Auto-Distilling Composition Mutate Watermelon
Berry Normal 10% nutriment, 4% vitamin. Fermentation: Gin Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor, Seeds Crate Glow-berry, Poison-berry
Blood tomato Normal 10% nutriment, 20% blood, 4% vitamin. Fermentation: Bloody Mary Liquid Contents, Perennial Growth Mutate Tomato
Blue-space banana Normal 20% bluespace dust, 10% banana juice, 4% vitamin, 2% nutriment Slippery Skin, Bluespace Activity, Perennial Growth Mutate Banana
Blue-space tomato Normal 20% bluespace dust, 20% space lube, 10% nutriment, 4% vitamin. Fermentation: Laughter Slippery Skin, Bluespace Activity, Liquid Contents, Perennial Growth Mutate Blue tomato
Blue cherry Normal 7% nutriment, 7% sugar, 7% oxygen. Perennial Growth Mutate Cherry
Blue tomato Normal 10% nutriment, 20% space lube, 4% vitamin Slippery Skin, Perennial Growth Mutate Tomato Blue-space tomato
Blumpkin Normal 20% ammonia, 10% chlorine, 20% nutriment Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor, mutate Pumpkin
Bungo tree Normal Harvest will yield a fruit. Grinding or eating the fruit yields a pit.
Fruit: 10% nutriment, 10% Enzyme.
Pit: 10% Bungotoxin, 4% nutriment.
Only the fruit can have other chems from manipulated genes, but both the fruit and pit can have additional plant traits (such is Hypodermic Prickles).
Perennial Growth Mutate Cocoa
Cabbage Normal 10% nutriment, 4% vitamin Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor Replica pod
Cannabis Normal 15% space drugs, 35% lipolicide Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor (hacked) Rainbow weed, Deathweed, Lifeweed, Omega weed
Carbon Rose Normal 10% carbon, 5% plastic polymers. Perennial Growth, Natural Insecticide Mutate Rose
Carpet Normal 2% nutriment, 5% hydrogen. Use the product in hand to create carpet tiles. Perennial Growth Mutate Grass
Carrot Normal 5% nutriment, 4% vitamin, 25% oculine. Can be carved into a shiv . MegaSeed Servitor, Seeds Crate Parsnip
Chanterelle Mushroom 10% nutriment Fungal Vitality MegaSeed Servitor, Seeds Crate, can overtake a tray Jupiter Cups
Cherry Normal 7% nutriment, 7% sugar Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor Blue cherry, Cherry bulb
Cherry bomb Normal 10% nutriment, 10% sugar, 70% blackpowder Perennial Growth Only available from Xenobiology
Cherry bulb Normal 7% nutriment, 7% sugar Perennial Growth, Pink Bioluminescence Mutate Cherry
Chili Normal 4% nutriment, 25% capsaicin, 4% vitamin Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor Ghost chili, Ice Pepper
Cocoa Normal 10% nutriment, 25% cocoa. Fermentation: Creme de Cacao Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor Vanilla, Bungo tree
Coffee arabica Normal 10% coffee powder, 4% vitamin, 5% nitrogen. Fermentation: Kahlua Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor Coffee robusta
Coffee robusta Normal 10% coffee powder, 4% vitamin, 10% ephedrine Perennial Growth Mutate Coffee arabica
Combustible lemon Normal 5% nutriment, 5% Welding Fuel (can be thrown like an IED) Perennial Growth Mutate Lemon
Corn Normal 10% nutriment, 20% corn oil, 4% vitamin. Fermentation: Whiskey MegaSeed Servitor, Seeds Crate Snapcorn
Corpse Flower Normal 10% Formaldehyde. Right before it blooms it starts producing miasma until harvested. Miasma production only works around normal pressure. Potency determines how high the pressure must be for miasma production to work. 50-60 potency is needed in standard pressure. Yield determines the output rate of the miasma. Harvesting does not yield any fruits. Mutate Starthistle
Cotton Normal None. Can be turned into fabrics by using a loom, buildable with planks. MegaSeed Servitor Durathread
Death berry Normal 10% nutriment, 8% coniine, 10% tirizene, 4% vitamin Perennial Growth Mutate Poison-berry
Death nettle Weed 50% fluorosulphuric acid, 50% sulphuric acid. Hurts if you pick it up without gloves, but is a powerful weapon at high potency. You must be on
Combat Mode
Toggle with 4 or F by default. Left-clicking people with an empty hand will Harm them if on, or Help them if off. Prevents you from switching places or being pushed when colliding with people.
to hit people, or you'll try to forcefeed them instead. Repeatedly attacking with the same nettle will reduce damage each hit and eventually cause it to wither away.
Perennial Growth, Weed Adaptation, Hypodermic Prickles Mutate Nettle, weed mutation
Deathweed Normal 35% cyanide, 15% space drugs, 15% lipolicide Perennial Growth Mutate Cannabis
Destroying angel Mushroom 10% amatoxin, 4% mushroom hallucinogen, 20% amanitin Fungal Vitality Mutate Fly amanita
Durathread Normal None. Can be turned into durable fabrics by using a loom, buildable with planks. Mutate Cotton
Eggplant Normal 10% nutriment, 4% vitamin Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor, Seeds Crate Egg-plant
Egg-plant Normal 10% nutriment, egg inside. Fermentation: Eggnog Perennial Growth Mutate Eggplant, Exotic Seeds Crate
Embershroom (numerous mushrooms) Normal Yields mushroom stems. 4% tinea luxor, 2% vitamin, 2% space drugs Fungal Vitality, Bioluminescence, Fire Resistance Lavaland
Extradimensional orange Normal 15% haloperidol, 5% nutriment, 4% vitamin. Fermentation: Mindbreaker Toxin Perennial Growth Mutate Orange
Fairy grass Normal 15% space drugs, 5% hydrogen, 2% nutriment. Use the product in hand to create fairy grass tiles. Blue Bioluminescence, Perennial Growth Mutate Grass
Fly amanita Mushroom 35% amatoxin, 4% mushroom hallucinogen, 10% growth serum Fungal Vitality MegaSeed Servitor (hacked)
Exotic Seeds Crate, can overtake a tray
Destroying angel
Fraxinella Normal 5% nutriment, 5% oil. Fermentation: Ash Natural Insecticide Mutate Geranium
Fruiting cactus Normal 2% vitamin, 2% nutriment, 4% vitrium froth Fire Resistance Lavaland Star cactus
Galaxythistle Weed 5% nutriment, 10% silibinin Weed Adaptation, Invasive Spreading Mutate Starthistle
Garlic Normal 15% garlic juice, 10% nutriment MegaSeed Servitor
Gatfruit Normal 10% sulfur, 10% carbon, 7% nitrogen, 5% potassium, a goddamn .357 revolver Perennial Growth Xenobiology
Geranium Normal 5% nutriment, 20% libital Natural Insecticide Mutate Poppy Fraxinella
Glow-berry Normal 10% nutriment, 25% uranium, 20% iodine, 4% vitamin. Luminosity: 20%. White Bioluminescence, Perennial Growth Mutate Berry
Ghost chili Normal 4% nutriment, 55% capsaicin, 30% condensed capsaicin Perennial Growth, Exothermic Activity Mutate Chili
Glowshroom Mushroom 10% radium, 10% phosphorus, 4% nutriment. Bioluminescence, Fungal Vitality MegaSeed Servitor (hacked) Glowcap, Shadowshroom
Glowcap Mushroom 10% teslium, 4% nutriment. Electrical Activity, Red Bioluminescence, Fungal Vitality Mutate Glowshroom
Gold apple Normal 10% nutriment, 20% gold, 4% vitamin. Always eaten in one bite. Perennial Growth Mutate Apple
Grapes Normal 10% nutriment, 10% sugar, 4% vitamin. Fermentation: Wine Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor Green grapes
Grass Normal 2% nutriment, 5% hydrogen. Use the grass in hand to create grass tiles. Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor Carpet, Fairy Grass
Green grapes Normal 10% nutriment, 20% aiuri, 10% sugar, 4% vitamin. Fermentation: Cognac Mutate Grapes
Harebell Weed 4% nutriment. Fermentation: Vermouth Weed Adaptation, Natural Insecticide Can overtake a tray with weeds.
Holymelon Normal 20% holy water, 4% vitamin, 10% nutriment. Has anti-magic properties when held in hand. Has limited anti-magic charges. Will block 1 spell per 20 potency. Perennial Growth, Yellow Bioluminescence Mutate Watermelon
Chilly pepper Normal 2% nutriment, 25% frost oil, 2% vitamin Perennial Growth, Endothermic Activity Mutate Chili
Inocybe mushroom (tall mushrooms) Normal Yields mushroom caps. 4% mindbreaker toxin, 8% entropic polypnium, 4% mushroom hallucinogen Fungal Vitality, Fire Resistance Lavaland
Jupiter cups Mushroom 10% nutriment, 10% Liquid Electricity (unremovable gene) Carnivory (unremovable gene), Fungal Vitality Mutate Chanterelle
Killer tomato Normal 10% nutriment, 4% vitamin, can be awoken by using it in hand. Fermentation: Demon's Blood Liquid Contents Mutate Tomato
Koibean Normal 5% nutriment, 10% carpotoxin, 4% vitamin Perennial Growth Mutate Soybean
Korta Nuts Normal 10% nutriment, 4% vitamin. Grinds into Korta Flour, juices into Korta Milk. Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor Sweet Korta Nut
Sweet Korta Nuts Normal 10% nutriment, 4% vitamin, 10% korta nectar. Grinds into Korta Flour, juices into Korta Milk. Perennial Growth Mutate Korta Nuts
Kudzu Weed 2% nutriment, 4% multiver. Special, see this. Perennial Growth, Weed Adaptation Mutagen weed mutation
Kronkus Vines Normal 5% nutriment. Fermentation: Kronkus Extract, used in making Kronkaine. Maintenance
Odious Puffball Mushroom 20% spore toxin, 4% nutriment. Gaseous Decomposition, Fungal Vitality, Liquid Contents Maintenance
Laughin' peas Normal 7% nutriment, 5% sugar, 5% Laughter. Can be juiced for laughin' syrup. Perennial Growth, Purple Bioluminescence, Hallucinatory Feedback Mutate Peas World peas
Lemon Normal 5% nutriment, 4% vitamin Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor Combustible Lemon
Liberty-cap Mushroom 2% nutriment, 25% mushroom hallucinogen Fungal Vitality MegaSeed Servitor (hacked), Exotic Seeds Crate, weed mutation
Lifeweed Normal 35% omnizine, 15% space drugs, 15% lipolicide Perennial Growth Mutate Cannabis
Lily Normal 5% nutriment, 20% libital Natural Insecticide Mutate Poppy Spaceman's Trumpet Plant
Lime Normal 5% nutriment, 4% vitamin Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor, mutate Orange Orange
Meatwheat Normal 5% nutriment, 4% vitamin. When harvested, you can get "meat" from this by using it in hand. Mutate Wheat
Mimana Normal 10% nothing, 10% mute toxin, 2% nutriment. Fermentation: Silencer Slippery Skin, Perennial Growth Exotic Seeds Crate, Mutate Banana
Moonflower Normal 2% nutriment, 2% vitamin, 20% moonshine. Fermentation: Absinthe Purple Bioluminescence, Natural Insecticide Mutate Sunflower
Nettle Weed 50% sulphuric acid Perennial Growth, Weed Adaptation MegaSeed Servitor (hacked), Exotic Seeds Crate, can overtake a tray Death nettle
Novaflower Normal 25% condensed capsaicin, 30% capsaicin, 4% nutriment. Can deal burn damage. Natural Insecticide Mutate Sunflower
Oat Normal 4% nutrient. Fermentation: Ale Mutate Wheat
Omega weed Normal 30% space drugs, 30% mindbreaker toxin, 15% mercury, 15% lithium, 15% atropine, 15% methamphetamine, 15% bath salts, 15% crank, 15% krokodil, 15% lipolicide, 10% nicotine Perennial Growth, Green Bioluminescence Mutate Cannabis
Onion sprouts Normal 4% vitamin, 10% nutriment Red onion sprouts
Orange Normal 5% nutriment, 4% vitamin. Fermentation: Triple Sec Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor, mutate Lime Lime, Extradimensional orange
Parsnip Normal 5% vitamin, 5% nutriment, 5% aluminium Mutate Carrot
Peas Normal 10% vitamin, 5% nutriment, 5% water Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor Laughin' peas
Plump helmet Mushroom 10% nutriment, 4% vitamin. Fermentation: Manly Dorf Fungal Vitality MegaSeed Servitor (hacked), Exotic Seeds Crate, can overtake a tray Walking mushroom
Pineapple Normal 20% nutriment, 4% water, 2% vitamin Perennial Growth, Auto-Juicing Composition MegaSeed Servitor
Poison-berry Normal 10% nutriment, 15% cyanide, 20% tirizene, 4% vitamin Perennial Growth Mutate Berry Death berry
Polypore mushroom (large mushrooms) Normal Yields mushroom shavings. 6% sugar, 4% ethanol, 6% stabilizing agent, 2% mint toxin. You can craft mushroom bowls from this. Fungal Vitality, Fire Resistance Lavaland
Poppy Normal 5% nutriment, 20% libital. Fermentation: Vermouth Natural Insecticide MegaSeed Servitor Geranium, Lily
Porcini mushroom (leafy mushrooms) Normal Yields mushroom leaf. 6% nutriment, 4% vitrium froth, 4% nicotine Fungal Vitality, Fire Resistance Lavaland
Potato Normal 10% nutriment, 4% vitamin. Can be turned into a potato battery by using cable coil on it. Increase potency and add the Electrical Activity trait for higher capacity. Always eaten in one bite.

Fermentation: Vodka.

Capacitive Cell Production MegaSeed Servitor, Seeds Crate Sweet Potato
Pumpkin Normal 20% nutriment, 4% vitamin Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor Blumpkin
Rainbow flowers (Rainbow Bunch seeds) Normal 5% nutriment, 3u color powder of type depending on flower color. Harvest yields flowers of random colors. Perennial Growth, Natural Insecticide Exotic Seeds Crate
Rainbow weed Normal 15% lipolicide, 10% mindbreaker toxin, 10% happiness, 5% colorful reagent, 3% psicodine Perennial Growth Mutate Cannabis
Redbeet Normal 5% nutriment, 5% vitamin Densified Chemicals Mutate Whitebeet
Red onion sprouts Normal 4% vitamin, 10% nutriment, 5% tear juice Mutate Onion Sprouts
Rice Normal 4% nutriment. Fermentation: Sake MegaSeed Servitor
Reishi Mushroom 35% multiver, 35% morphine Fungal Vitality MegaSeed Servitor (hacked), can overtake a tray
Replica pod Normal Special. Yields max 2 seeds on harvest. Exotic Seeds Crate, Mutate Cabbage
Rose Normal 5% nutriment, 10% granibitaluri, 5% oil. Can prick you if you aren't wearing gloves. Can be made into bouquets. Perennial Growth, Natural Insecticide Carbon Rose
Seraka Mycelium Normal 10% mushroom powder, 2% seraka extract Fungal Vitality, Fire Resistance Lavaland
Shadowshroom Normal 20% radium, 4% nutriment Shadow Emission, Fungal Vitality Mutate Glowshrooms
Shrub Normal Use in hand to plant on the ground to grow a hedge. Hedges block sight but can be trimmed with a sharp implement if you have the hedge trimming skillchip. Exotic seeds crate
Snapcorn Normal 10% nutriment, 20% corn oil, 4% vitamin. Use in hand to pick a snap pop from the cob. Mutate Corn
Soybean Normal 5% nutriment, 4% vitamin Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor, Seeds Crate Koibean
Space tobacco Normal 3% nutriment, 8% nicotine, 5% salbutamol Mutate Tobacco
Spaceman's Trumpet Plant Normal 5% nutriment, 15% Polypyrylium Oligomers (unremovable gene) Natural Insecticide Mutate Lily
Star cactus Normal 5% nutriment, 5% helbital, 8% water Prickly Adhesion, Hypodermic Prickles, Fire Resistance Mutate Fruiting cactus
Starthistle Weed None Weed Adaptation Can overtake a tray Corpse Flower, Galaxythistle
Steel Cap Mushroom 5% iron, 5% cellulose fibers. Can't be ground. Fungal Vitality Mutate Tower Cap
Strange seeds Normal File:Question.gif File:Question.gif Random, read this. Fermentation: Wine with 10-150 boozepower, and tiny chance of 200. Hacked vending machine, cargo crates
Sugarcane Normal 25% sugar. Fermentation: Rum Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor, Seeds Crate Bamboo
Sunflower Normal 8% corn oil, 4% nutriment Natural Insecticide MegaSeed Servitor, Seeds Crate Moonflower, Novaflower
Sweet potato Normal 10% nutriment, 10% sugar, 10% vitamin. Always eaten in one bite. Fermentation: Sbiten Mutate Potato
Tea aspera Normal 10% tea powder, 4% vitamin Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor Tea astra
Tea astra Normal 10% tea powder, 10% synaptizine, 4% vitamin Perennial Growth Mutate Tea aspera
Tobacco Normal 3% nicotine, 3% nutriment. Fermentation: Creme de Menthe MegaSeed Servitor Space tobacco
Tomato Normal 10% nutriment, 4% vitamin. Fermentation: Enzyme Liquid Content, Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor, Seeds Crate Blood, Blue or Killer tomato
Tower Cap Mushroom 5% cellulose fibers. Can't be ground. Yields logs. Turn logs into planks with a hatchet. Fungal Vitality MegaSeed Servitor, can overtake a tray Steel Cap
Vanilla Normal 25% vanilla, 10% nutriment. Fermentation: Vanilla Perennial Growth Mutate Cocoa
Walking mushroom Mushroom 15% nutriment, 5% vitamin. Can be awoken by using it in hand. Oculary Mimicry, Fungal Vitality Mutate Plump helmet
Watermelon Normal 20% nutriment, 20% water, 4% vitamin Perennial Growth MegaSeed Servitor Barrelmelon, Holymelon
Wheat Normal 4% nutriment. Fermentation: Beer MegaSeed Servitor, Seeds Crate Oat, Meatwheat
Whitebeet Normal 5% nutriment, 20% sugar, 4% vitamin MegaSeed Servitor Redbeet
World peas Normal 15% nutriment, 10% Happiness, 10% Pax. Extremely slow maturation speed (20). Can be juiced for laughin' syrup. Blue Bioluminescence Mutate Laughin' peas

Chemicals

A lot of chemicals influence plants when in their trays or dirt piles.

  • Some reagent effects scale with amount of units stored in the hydroponics tray's or dirt pile's container. This means using more units can cause faster stat changes. These are listed per unit.
  • Reagents with random stat changes will have their average (avg) effects listed. These typically do not scale with amount, and require at least 1 unit in the tray.
  • Effects without randomness and without scaling are listed as a simple number. They need at least 1 unit in the tray to work.
  • All reagents count as "nutrient" for the dark yellow tray lights to go away.
  • Reagents will be consumed over time. Remember to refill.


The listed effects in this table happen (tick) about every 20 seconds.

Name How to get Description Potency Yield Production speed (lower is better) Health Instability Pests Weeds Toxicity
E-Z-Nutrient Vendor or biogenerator Trays and dirt piles start with this fertilizer by default. 0.3 per unit 0.1 per unit 0.2
Left 4 Zed Vendor or biogenerator Raises instability but does little else. Heals the plant. 0.1 per unit 0.2 per unit
Robust Harvest Vendor or biogenerator Potent nutriment for increasing yield. Slowly decreases instability. Good for maintaining a plant when you don't want more mutations. 0.1 per unit 0.2 per unit -0.25
Ammonia 3 parts Hydrogen

1 part Nitrogen

10% chance to increase yield and instability by 1. Heals the plant. 0.1 avg 0.12 per unit 0.1 avg
Diethylamine 1 part
Ammonia
3 parts Hydrogen
1 part Nitrogen

1 part Ethanol

Quickly maxes yield and health. Removes instability and 1-2 pests. 1 per unit 1 per unit -1 per unit -1.5 avg
Saltpetre 3 parts Oxygen

1 part Potassium
1 part Nitrogen

Quickly increases potency and can improve production speed. Heals the plant. 1 per unit -0.05 per unit avg 0.18 per unit
Ash 1 part
Oil
1 part Welding Fuel

1 part Carbon
1 part Hydrogen


Temperature 480K

Heals plant and kills weed. 1 per unit -1 per unit
Multiver 1 part
Sodium Chloride
1 part Chlorine

1 part Sodium


1 part
Ash
1 part
Oil
1 part Welding Fuel

1 part Carbon
1 part Hydrogen


Temperature 480K


Temperature 380K

Removes toxicity. -2 per unit
Unstable Mutagen 1 part Chlorine

1 part Phosphorus
1 part Radium

Special and slightly toxic. Each roll causes one of the following:
  • A 50% chance to increase the plant's instability by 5.
  • A 10% chance to mutate weeds into their more dangerous counterparts (needs high 'weeds' stat for effect).
  • A 10% chance to mutate pests to create spiderlings from the tray (needs high 'pests' stat for effect).
  • A 10% chance to damage the plant -10 health. Visible message "plant starts to wilt and burn".
-1 avg 2.5 avg 3
Uranium Grind uranium sheets Causes the same special rolls as unstable mutagen but also hurts health by 1 (per unit) and adds toxicity by 2 (per unit). -1 avg and -1 per unit 2.5 avg 2 per unit
Enduro Grow Biogenerator A specialized nutriment, which decreases product quantity and potency, but strengthens the plant's endurance. Increases endurance by 0.35 per unit. -0.1 per unit -0.075 per unit
Liquid Earthquake Biogenerator A specialized nutriment, which increases the plant's production speed, as well as it's susceptibility to weeds. Increases weed rate (0.1 per u) and weed chance (0.3 per u). -0.075 per unit Special
Stabilizing Agent 1 part Iron

1 part Oxygen
1 part Hydrogen

Stabilizes. -1
Cryoxadone 1 part
Acetone
1 part
Oil
1 part Welding Fuel

1 part Carbon
1 part Hydrogen


1 part Welding Fuel

1 part Oxygen

1 part
Unstable Mutagen
1 part Chlorine

1 part Phosphorus
1 part Radium


1 part Stable Plasma

Heals plant and removes toxicity. 3 per unit -3 per unit
Honey Beekeeping 20% chance to pollinate nearby plants and 80% chance to feed weeds and pests. 1.2 avg 1.2 avg
Blood Crew and monkeys Helps pests grow. 2.5 avg
Sugar Chemistry or a Bar Helps pests and weeds grow. 1.5 avg 1.5 avg
Soda Water Bar Keeps plant watered and slightly heals it. 0.1 per unit
Holy Water Chaplain Heals the plant and keeps it watered. Raises instability. 0.1 per unit 0.15 per unit
Strange Reagent 1 part
Unstable Mutagen
1 part Chlorine

1 part Phosphorus
1 part Radium


1 part
Omnizine
Grown from Ambrosia Deus or found in lollipops and heated Donk Pockets

1 part Holy Water

Spawns either a killer tomato or an angry tree. (Other requirements?)
Nutriment Food Slightly heals plant. 0.2 per unit
Chlorine Chemistry Kills all plant life in the tray. Even drains water. -1 per unit -2 avg 1.5 per unit
Fluorine Chemistry Quickly kills all plant life in the tray. Even drains water. -2 per unit -2.5 avg 2.5 per unit
Phosphorus Chemistry Hurts plants and drains water. -0.75 per unit -1.5 avg
Radium Chemistry Hurts the plant and increases toxicity. -1 per unit 1 per unit
Toxin NanoMed Plus Vendors, Emagged Chem Dispenser Toxic. Most other toxins have same effect. 2 per unit
Plant-B-Gone 1 part Toxin
4 parts Water
Harmful toxic mixture to kill plantlife. -10 per unit -6 avg 6 per unit
Weed Killer

4 parts

Ammonia
3 parts Hydrogen
1 part Nitrogen


1 part

Toxin
Hacked NanoMed vendors, Emagged Chem Dispenser


Harmful toxic mixture to kill weeds. -1.5 avg 0.5 per unit
Pest Killer 1 part Toxin
4 parts Ethanol
Harmful toxic mixture to kill pests. -1.5 avg 1 per unit
Natural Pest Killer Biogenerator Harmful toxic mixture to kill pests. Organic version with much lower side effects. -1.5 avg 0.1 per unit
Nicotine Cigarettes Toxic. -1.5 avg 1 per unit
Sulphuric Acid Chemistry Harmful. -1 per unit -1.5 avg 1.5 per unit
Fluorosulfuric Acid 1 part Fluorine
1 part Hydrogen
1 part Potassium
1 part Sulphuric Acid
Temperature 380 K
Harmful. -2 per unit -2.5 avg 3 per unit
Napalm 1 part
Oil
1 part Welding Fuel

1 part Carbon
1 part Hydrogen


1 part Welding Fuel
1 part Ethanol

Has no ill effects if the plant has the fireproof trait. Effective against weeds. -6 per unit -7 avg 7 per unit
Milk Brahmin, Biogenerators Waters plant and reduces potency. -0.5 per unit
Beer Bar Waters plant and hurts it. -0.05 per unit

Beekeeping Beekeeping

Bees greatly increase plant yield, potency and the probability of you getting lynched. Great stuff, and very useful even if you're no traitor!

For more info, click here for the guide on beepeeking.


Advanced Botany

This is where you get to PLAY GOD and mess with the stats, reagents and traits of plants.

Plant Grafts

Once any plant has fully grown, it can now be grafted. Grafting a plant costs a small amount of plant health, but it will produce a plant graft. Plant grafts can be be scanned with a plant analyzer to keep track of what traits have been grafted off. Grafting a trait onto a plant freely integrates that trait into the plant. Plant grafts are always physical traits, and can only be grafted once for every instance of the plant grown.

Plant grafts can also be used to average another plant's stats together. It will add 2/3rds of the difference between the two plants, or the graftee's stats, whichever is the higher of the two. This will affect the plant's Lifespan, Endurance, Production, Yield, Weed Production Rate, as well as Weed Vulnerability. This Grafting is good for health related stats and yield, but typically damaging for weed stats and plant production speed.

Crosspollination

File:Turbotanypollination.png

Crosspollination is available for any two trays who have plants placed right next to each other (including diagonally). When any 2 plants are adjacent to each other, they will slowly average their potency, yield, and instability off into each other, at a rate of 1/10th of their difference every time the plant grows older (1/2 for yield), either upwards or downwards. This allows for using extra plants with high potency or yield to be planted next to plants with signifigantly lower starting stats, in order to either raise up, or drain off stats to where you would want them.

If trying to increase potency or yield, plants like watermelons or Tea Aspera are typically the best for this purpose. If trying to increase instability, Corn is one of the best for improving a plant's instability (In real life, corn was originally a kind of wheat grass, until it was crossbred for centuries into growing larger and larger wheat kernels, eventually growing into maize). The best plants to grow to decrease a plant's instability are any of the flowers, all with a natural instability of 1.

When a plant has over 20 instability, it will begin to accept chemical traits from adjacent plants at random. As a result, this can mean that having plants meant for the chef, like wheat, tomatoes, etc. should be grown next to similar, stable plants if that's your goal. It can also enable you to create chemical mixes within plants, given enough time. Extra chemicals can be removed from a plant through the use of Gene Shears at the cost of health, so if planning to make pure chemical mixes through your plants, you should also plan on improving the plant's endurance to enable them to lose more unwanted chemicals like nutriment faster. A receiving plant can have a chemical production trait upgraded if a sender has the same production with higher percentage.

Mutations

Many plants can be mutated to change species, change stats or add random new traits or chemical traits.

Instability

For each new threshold of instability in a plant, a different effect is added. These effects stack on each other.

  • For 0-19 instability, the plant will not be affected by mutations, and will not accept reagent genes from other plants. This is where you want your plant to be if you're happy with its current reagents/traits/stats, and you want to keep it that way.
  • At 20+ instability, the plant will casually mutate. Their stats will mutate up and down randomly over time, and can lead to very lopsided stats if left alone.
  • At 30+ instability, each of the plant's harvested produce has a chance to be a wild mutation, becoming the produce of one of the possible species mutations instead. The chance is (instability/3)%, so a minimum of 10% and maximum of 33~%. Wild mutations will carry over traits from the parent plant.
  • At 40+ instability, the plant will mutate much more strongly, and can result in a larger change in stats than the 20-39 range.
  • At 60+ instability, every time they age they have a chance to hard mutate into one of their possible species mutations. This chance is their (instability/2)%, so a minimum of 30% and a maximum of 50% every time the plant ages.
  • At 80-100 instability the plant will roll a 5-25% chance every time it ages to gain a new random trait or reagent, similar to what strange seeds can get. Starts at 5% chance at 80 instability and scales to 25% at 100 instability.


  • The agonizingly slow way to raise instability is using E-Z Nutriment to make the plant gain it at a static rate. Left 4 Zed is a faster alternative, which improves the plant's instability based on the amount of it within the tank!

Mutating with unstable mutagen

You can speed up the process by asking your local Chemist for a few bottles of Unstable Mutagen.
Having at least 1u mutagen in a tray has the following effects as of current, with odds and effects rolled every time the plant increases in age:

  • A 50% chance to increase the plant's instability by 5, useful for statically increasing a plant's instability without the use of other reagents.
  • A 10% chance to mutate weeds into their more dangerous counterparts.
  • A 10% chance to mutate pests, and create spiders within the tray.
  • A 10% chance to harm the plant inside, damaging the plant's health.

Due to how the effects work, using mutagen on a plant tray should be used in combination with other reagents to produce the best results.

Floral Somatoray

  • R&D can also research a wonderful thing called a Floral Somatoray. It has three options: randomly increase yield, mutate the plant stats and force a species mutation. Print it from the service techfab after research.

Botanogenetic Shears

  • R&D can produce gene shears after researching Experimental Tools, which will allow you to remove plant genes from a plant. This can be useful when mutating a plant, and whittling down their available reagents to what you need for crosspollination. Print it from the service techfab after research.

Fixing awful stats

Mutating plants has a chance of really ruining stats. Luckily, there are a few ways to fix them. Check the chemical table for the stats you want. Examples:

  • Saltpetre. Increases potency and decreases production time.
  • Ammonia. Increases yield.
  • Floral Somatoray. Can increase yield and can randomize stats.

Dude weeds

Trays, whether empty or occupied by plants, can be occasionally overtaken by a weed if their level is 5 or more. In that case the old plant is destroyed, and a new one will sprout in its place.

Possible plants include:

  • 1/6 chance for Reishi/Starthistle.
  • 1/9 chance for Nettle/Harebell/Amanita/Chanterelle/Tower Cap/Plump Helmets

Having unstable mutagen in high weed level trays can result in different plants:

  • Kudzu, Deathnettle, Destroying Angel, Liberty Cap

Other Notes

Autogrow Mode

On any non-dirt tray, ctrl-clicking it will give it a golden shine, activating autogrow. Now it will generate its own water, self-tend weed/pest removal, and consume less nutrients if the tray is upgraded, but at the cost of a large amount of power. This is good for high maintenance plants that require a lot of tending if you need to leave botany for a few moments. Autogrow also prevents species mutations, but does not prevent stat/trait/chem mutations.

This is great in combination with plants that have the Perennial Growth trait, if you can manage the power drain!

Upgraded trays can hold more nutrients, water, and will consume less nutrients every time chemicals are processed. This makes upgrades for individual trays much more valuable, especially when using difficult to produce chemicals.

If possible, growing glowcaps to power your APC automatically can heavily offset the cost of using autogrow on a tray. Even with self-regenerating power cells like a Yellow Slime core, you'll need a lot of power output in order to generate enough electricity to have all your trays on autogrow, so it's best to individually manage only 1-2 using this feature.

Connecting Trays with Plumbing

Hydroponics trays can be connected to a plumbing system, to feed them reagents or water.

Replica Pod Cloning

Replica pods can be used to grow dead people back to life - even when their brain and head are missing.

To clone someone, follow these simple steps:

  • Take a blood sample from the body using a syringe.
  • Inject it into the bag of seeds.
  • Plant the seeds.
  • Let the plant grow and then harvest it.
  • If the ghost of the corpse is still online, and did not turn on "Do not Resuscitate", that person will be cloned as a Podman.
  • If there was no ghost available, the resulting harvest will simply produce up to two new packs of seeds.

The podmen are a little different from normal humans. E.g. they regenerate in light but suffer in darkness and don't get attacked by bees or plants.

Cabbage can be mutated into Replica Pod.

Strange Seeds notes

Strange seeds (from hacked vendors or cargo crates) have completely random reagents and traits.

Notable examples are:

  • Gaseous Decomposition
  • Nitroglycerin
  • Any drink, like Gin Tonic or Beepsky Smash
  • Glitter
  • Plasmaman Mutation Toxin
  • Hell Water

Of course, this is pretty gimmicky and unreliable.

Kudzu

Kudzu is a weed that can appear when having Unstable Mutagen in a tray with a weed level of 5 or above. The tray version of kudzu will grow normally in its tray. When harvested it will produce kudzu pods . The kudzu pod is like any other fruit/vegetable and can be eaten or ground. To create wild-spreading kudzu, you must put a kudzu pod into a seed extractor, which will create packs of kudzu seeds . Then activate a kudzu seed in your hand to start planting wild-spreading kudzu on the floor.

Some plant stats will affect the wild-spreading version of kudzu in specific ways:

  • Potency of the seed will make kudzu mutate more on spread. The chance to mutate on each new piece is [potency / 10].
  • Production speed will affect how fast the kudzu will spread. Better (lower) production speed stat speeds up the process. Production speed used to have inverse effect on kudzu spread until a fix in July, 2020. Fastest kudzu spread is now achievable with a production speed stat of 1.

Killing the last piece of kudzu will create a kudzu seed in its place with all the ackumulated mutations saved in the seed. So if you reactivate it, the new kudzu on the floor will have all the same mutations the seed had, and will spread it to all its progenitors. You can examine a wild kudzu to see what mutations it has. Color is decided by the last mutation gained.

Kudzu can gain mutations only on spread, here is the list of all of them:

Click expand to see Kudzu traits and mutations:

  • CO2 consumption - positive mutation, consumes CO2 from the air
  • Space covering - positive mutation, makes vines grow vine floors over space Removed as of August 23 2017.
  • Light - positive mutation, about 40% of the vines with this mutation emit light slightly more powerful than PDA
  • Transparency - positive mutation, makes vines look-through
  • Toxins consumption - positive mutation, absorbs plasma from the air
  • Bluespace vines - minor negative mutation, makes vines be able to grow through anything Removed as of August 23 2017.
  • Explosive - minor negative mutation, on death vines with this mutation explode with 0,0,2 power, so clusters of this vine will chain-explode one after another
  • Fire resistant - minor negative mutation, makes vines ignore fire damage, be it plasma fires or welders
  • Vine eating - minor negative mutation, eats vines from same seed if it lacks this mutation, and always eats vines from other seeds.
  • Toxicity - negative mutation, eating vine with this mutation or walking thought it will cause you toxin damage
  • Aggressive spreading - negative mutation, will deal heavy damage to mobs when spreading to their tiles or when they get buckled.
  • O2 consumption - negative mutation, absorbs O2 from the air around
  • N2 consumption - negative mutation, absorbs N2 from the air
  • Thorns - negative mutation, makes mobs touching or going through vines recieve physical damage
  • Hardening - negative mutation, makes vines not die fast from sharp objects, but makes non-sharp objects(hands included) be more effective agaisnt them, on the full maturation block the passage
  • Flowering - negative mutation, makes vines very entangly and spawns harmful flowers occasionally, flowers that after destruction spawn aggressive venus human trap mobs. Ghosts can take control of these by clicking them.


Having special chemicals in the tray when the seeds are growing will affect the specific kudzu mutations:

  • Having 5u of welding fuel will remove random positive mutation with a 20% probability
  • Having 5u of phenol will remove a random minor negative mutation with a 20% probability
  • Having 5u of sterilizine will remove a random negative mutation with a 20% probability
  • Having 15u of blood will change the production value of the seeds by a random number in the range from -5 to +15
  • Having 5u of amatoxin will change the production value of the seeds by a random number in the range from -15 to +5
  • Having 5u of plasma will change the potency value of the seeds by a random number in the range from -15 to +5
  • Having 10u of holy water will change a potency value of the seeds by a random number in the range from -5 to +15

Sandstone and Soil

If you pick up the grass and use it (click on it in your hand), you will prepare astroturf. Get a crowbar and remove some floor tiles, then place astroturf in their place. In addition to looking nice, it can be used to get some sand. Just dig it with your spade and you'll get two piles. Now, pick up the sand and use it; you will make a sandstone brick. Using three bricks, you can make a soil plot, which is like a tray, except you can walk over it and there are no lights. You can also build a sandstone door with 10 bricks.

Science can build hydroponics trays. They can also upgrade them by replacing the matter bins, and this increases the water and nutrient capacity of the tray.

Wood and Drying Racks

First you need to get some tower-caps, grow them and harvest them. You can then use hatchet (and some other things, but it's not important) on the logs to chop some planks. They have many uses: you can make chairs, tables, wooden floors and so on. A unique thing here is a drying rack. You can use it to dry a plant, and then smoke it. First, build a rack with 10 planks. Then, grab a plant you want to dry and put it in the rack. Click on the rack and toggle drying so that the red arrows light up. Give it a few seconds and it's done.

Note: you can dry any plant, and smoking it will give you all chemicals that were in it. You can smoke dried apples if you want, and get nutriment from them.


Fermentation Barrel

You can craft wooden barrels with the crafting menu (under tribal)( or by using planks in hand), which requires 8 wood planks . Clicking it will toggle it between open and closed. When open you can insert plants or liquid. When closed you can draw liquid by using a container on it.

Inserting a plant into the barrel will ferment the plant after a few seconds (even if not closing it). This will grind the plant, adding all the plant's contained reagents to the barrel. But it can also add an additional reagent depending on plant used. Most plants will create a special wine with varied boozepower depending on plant used. Some plants will create other reagents than wine, and some plants will not work at all.


Growing your own mutagen

This can only be done mid-game or later since you need gene shears.

  • First, plant pumpkins and mutate them into blumpkins.
  • Now, crosspollinate their Chlorine production trait into glowshrooms and remove all chemicals except chlorine, phoshorus and radium from the glowshrooms.
  • You now have a plant that grows unstable mutagen - just pop the produce into the grinder.
  • You might want to add Perennial Growth to optimize your harvest.

Alternatively you can grow and grind the plants separately and mix the chemicals manually.

Other ways to mutagen

Chemistry is busy curing the plague too high to help you out?

  • Bad idea: Steal a chem dispenser. This will start a blood feud and is one of the biggest reasons why Botanists are hated by some. Think of it as someone stealing all your plant trays.
  • Better: Ask Medbay to print you a spare chem dispenser board. After very basic research (Biological Technology), the medical protolathe is able to print chem dispenser boards.
  • Or: Grab the spare chem dispenser board from tech storage. The AI, silicons and all members of the Engineering department can let you in.
  • For stock parts: Print them from a public autolathe (if such has been built) or ask RnD/Engineering for a part replacer with stock parts.
  • For stock parts you can also disassemble a hydroponics tray and a cell charger. A cell can then be found or gotten from disassembling a cyborg recharger.

Things You Can Make Out of Your Plants

  • Separated Chemicals + Liquid Contents lets you grow grenades. Glow-berry Uranium + Towercap Iron = EMP. Watermelon Water + Banana Potassium = Boom. Separated chems trait removed january 2019.
  • Add some cable to a potato to make a potato battery. Botany cells have potential to be better than bluespace cells.
  • Glowberries and glowshrooms, as the name suggests, glow.
  • You can carve a pumpkin with a hatchet. Carved pumpkins can be worn and you can toggle them to emit a weak light.
  • You can make a cob-pipe out of a corn cob.
  • You can carve a carrot with a hatchet to make a shiv. It's not very strong but it's good at slicing things.
  • Flowers and ambrosia can be worn on your head.
  • Add dried ambrosia, wheat, tea aspera tips or tobacco leaves to a tower cap log to make a torch.
  • Dried ambrosia, tobacco or any mutations of those are able to be smoked from wrapping paper, found in smoking vending machines. You can also grind them and put the liquid in an e-cig.

Old guides

CLICK EXPAND FOR OLD MUTATING METHOD FOR SERVERS NOT RUNNING THE APRIL 2020 HYDROPONICS REWORK:

Repeatedly click the plant with 5 units of unstable mutagen and prepare for...

  • 10% chance of mutation into a related species. This destroys the old plant and plants a new one. See the Plant reference chart for information on these mutations.
  • 10% chance of the plant losing lots of health instantly. The plant can die because of this
  • 15% chance of heavy stat mutation with a 3% chance of a new trait appearing.
  • 15% chance of normal stat mutation.
  • 20% chance of nothing. You get a message when this happens.
  • 10% chance of weeds mutating. If weed level is less than 5, nothing happens, otherwise you get a random, special mutated weed (Kudzu, Deathnettle, Destroying Angel, Liberty Cap).
  • 10% chance of pests mutating. Again, if pest level is less than 5, nothing happens. Otherwise, spiderlings are spawned.
    • This is bad. If the spiderlings escape, they'll grow big and you'll likely get lynched.
  • You can use radium or uranium, but they require double amounts compared to mutagen and cause ill effects, and if you can get radium, you can get mutagen.

Using 1u mutagen slightly changes stats, 2u has more drastic effects. You can use this to randomize stats until yield and potency are maxed, but you will need a way to heal the plant repeatedly.

CLICK EXPAND FOR OLD CHEMICAL LIST FROM BEFORE THE APRIL 2020 REWORK:

Fertilizers

  • Nutriment: A fertilizer that adds 1 nutrient to the tray and heals the plant 0.5 health per unit added. You can get it by putting your plants and regular food in the grinder.
  • Ammonia: Similar to nutriment, but also increases yield (25u to increase 1 yield). Get it from the Chemist or hack the Nutri-Vend to get this.
  • Diethylamine: Adds 2 nutrient to the tray, heals the plant 1 health per unit added and increases yield (50u to increase 1 yield). Also kills pests. Get it the same way you get Ammonia.
  • Saltpetre: Heals your plant, increases potency and decreases production time. Doesn't add nutrient to the tray.
  • Robust Harvest: Adds 1 nutrient to the tray per unit, and permanently increases plant yield of the tray 30% (without mutating the plant). Doesn't work on plants with 0 yield. A tray can only have the modifiers of one of the three special fertilizers at a time (Robust Harvest, E-Z-Nutrient and Left 4 Zed).

Pest Removal

  • Pest Killer: Kills pests, and adds a small amount of toxicity.
  • Weed Killer: Same as above, but for Weeds.

Mutation

  • E-Z-Nutrient: Makes your plant mutate once every time it's ready for harvesting, and resets the tray's yield modifier to x1 (if another special fertilizer had previously been used on the tray). A tray can only have the modifiers of one of the three special fertilizers at a time (Robust Harvest, E-Z-Nutrient and Left 4 Zed).
  • Left 4 Zed: Makes your plant mutate twice, but the yield will permanently be 1 at best. If the plant's yield is 0, then nothing is produced! You'll have to use another mutagen to harvest the normal yield of the plant. A tray can only have the modifiers of one of the three special fertilizers at a time (Robust Harvest, E-Z-Nutrient and Left 4 Zed).
  • Unstable Mutagen: Used to randomly mutate plants - 5u for a chance to change the plant type, 1u/2u to only change stats.
  • Radium and Uranium: Also usable for mutation (10u for plant type, 2u/5u for stats), but damages plants and adds toxicity. Radium is more damaging.

Plant Meds

  • Ash: Adds 0.5 nutrient to the tray, heals the plant 0.25 health per unit added and kills weeds.
  • Multiver: Makes your plant less toxic. You can get it by whining to anyone who works in Medbay.
  • Cryoxadone: Heals your plant, via miracles science. Also lowers toxicity. Don't expect the Chemist to give this to you, but the medbay probably has extra beakers of this.
  • Holy water: If you can get the Chaplain's attention and make him bless your water, it will heal your plant a bit.

Unorthodox chemicals

  • Soda Water: Mostly adds water, but also heals the plant and adds nutrient to the tray by a tiny amount.
  • Milk: Adds some water and a tiny bit of nutrient to the tray.
  • Beer: Adds a bit of water and nutrient to the tray, but damages the plant a little.
  • Blood: Feeds both your plant and pests.
  • Virus Food: Adds nutrient to the tray while damaging the plant.
  • Nicotine: Kills pests while adding toxicity.

The bad stuff

  • Sugar: Makes pests and weeds grow stronger. Unless you plan to use unstable mutagen to unleash giant spiders or Kudzu upon the station, it's of no use.
  • Toxin: Increases toxicity. Good job!
  • Plant-B-Gone, Sulphuric Acid, Fluorosulfuric Acid: Damages the plant, adds toxicity and kills weeds. What do you think would happen?
  • Fluorine, Chlorine: Same as above, but also drains water.
  • Phosphorus: Same as Flourine/Chlorine, but adds nutrients to the tray instead of toxicity. Just use a spade.
  • Napalm: Kills weeds, hurts plant and adds toxicity. This is just going downhill. Unless your plant has the fireproof trait, you might as well space the whole tray. On fireproof plants it will just kill weeds.
  • Strange Reagent: Spawns either a killer tomato or an angry tree.

[Click here for a long bonus guide for the pre-2020 system.] It also includes a lot of extra "recipes" for what you can turn your plants into.