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Guide to Hydroponics

From Ishkod Outpost

Flower Power

Hydroponics staff (Botanists) grow plants in trays. Without plants, the kitchen cannot produce many foods, and the colony may run short on supplies in long rounds. This guide covers the garden SeedMaster (standard seed storage), trays, and care.

Plants

The following plants are available from the garden SeedMaster. Reagents are base amounts; potency and traits can increase them.

Name Product / Reagents (base) Source / Notes
Apple Nutriment Seed Storage
Banana Banana (juice); drops slippery peel Seed Storage
Berry Nutriment, Berry Juice Seed Storage
Blueberry Nutriment, Blueberry Juice Seed Storage
Cabbage Nutriment Seed Storage
Carrot Nutriment, Imidazoline, Carrot Juice Seed Storage
Chanterelle Nutriment (spores) Seed Storage
Cherry Nutriment, Sugar, Cherry Jelly Seed Storage
Chili Capsaicin Oil, Nutriment Seed Storage
Cinnamon Cinnamon powder Seed Storage
Cacao Nutriment, Coco (powder) Seed Storage
Corn Nutriment, Corn Oil; cob trash Seed Storage
Eggplant Nutriment Seed Storage
Grape Nutriment, Sugar, Grape Juice Seed Storage
Grass Nutriment; harvest for grass tiles Seed Storage
Lemon Nutriment, Lemon Juice Seed Storage
Lime Nutriment, Lime Juice Seed Storage
Mint Blended mint Seed Storage
Moon tear Sugar, Moon water Seed Storage
Orange Nutriment, Orange Juice Seed Storage
Peanut Nutriment Seed Storage
Pineapple Nutriment, Pineapple Juice Seed Storage
Plump helmet Nutriment, Spaceacillin (spores) Seed Storage
Poppy Space drugs, Monocaridine Seed Storage
Potato Nutriment, Potato (juice) Seed Storage
Pumpkin Nutriment; can be carved Seed Storage
Rice Nutriment, Rice Seed Storage
Space alocasia Monocaridine, lg_anti_toxin Seed Storage
Soybeans Nutriment, Soymilk Seed Storage
Strawberry Nutriment, Strawberry Juice Seed Storage
Sugarcane Sugar Seed Storage
Sunflower Mostly decorative; companion plant Seed Storage
Tomato Nutriment, Tomato Juice Seed Storage
Tower cap Wood pulp; chop with hatchet for planks Seed Storage
Watermelon Nutriment, Watermelon Juice Seed Storage
Wheat Nutriment, Flour Seed Storage
White-beet Nutriment, Sugar Seed Storage

Mutants

Mutate with Unstable Mutagen or Radium (see Chemicals section). Only first-step mutants from garden-available plants are listed.

  • From Apple: Poison apple (Cyanide), Golden apple (Nutriment, Gold)
  • From Ambrosia: (Ambrosia not in garden SeedMaster; in Xenobotany)
  • From Berry: Glowberry (Nutriment, Uranium), Poison berry → Death berry
  • From Chili: Ice pepper (Frost oil, Nutriment)
  • From Tomato: Blue tomato (Lube) → Bluespace tomato (Singulo); Blood tomato (Blood) → Killer tomato (mob)
  • From Grape: Green grape (Kelotane, Grape Juice)
  • From Nettle: (Nettle in Xenobotany) → Death nettle (Polytrinic acid)
  • From Mushrooms: Chanterelle → Reishi, Amanita, Plump helmet; Reishi → Liberty cap, Glowshroom; Amanita → Destroying angel, Plastellium; Plump helmet → Walking mushroom, Tower cap
  • From Potato: Blood root (Sanguinum) — Broot seed in Xenobotany
  • From Eggplant: (No egg-plant in this codebase)

Growing Plants

  • Locate hydroponics trays (planting pots). One seed per tray.
  • Click tray with seed in hand to plant. Click with empty hand for basic analysis (plant name, water, nutrients).
  • If weeds take over (weed level 10 and chance), the tray can be overtaken by a random weed species. Message: "hydroponics tray has been overtaken by [plant]!"
  • Weed invasion species (from code): reishi, nettles, amanita, chanterelle, plumphelmet, towercap, harebells, weeds, grass, wheat.

Caring for Plants

Care by type

  • Mushrooms: Feed fertilizer (nutrients) only; no water needed.
  • Weeds (e.g. nettles): Water only; no plant food.
  • Other plants: Both water and fertilizer.

Tray lights (mechanical trays)

  • Green / harvest icon: Ready for harvest
  • Blue (over_lowwater3): Low water (waterlevel ≤ 10)
  • Yellow (over_lownutri3): Low nutrients (nutrilevel ≤ 2)
  • Red (over_lowhealth3): Low health (health ≤ half of plant endurance)
  • Red/alert (over_alert3): Weeds ≥ 5, Pests ≥ 5, or Toxins ≥ 40

Actions

  • Water: Bucket from water tank, pour on tray. Do not overfill (excess spills).
  • Nutrients: Use nutrient dispenser; add solution to tray only when needed. Excess is lost; dispenser supply is finite.
  • Weeds: Mini-hoe in hand, click tray until "This plot is completely devoid of weeds."
  • Dead plant: Click once to clear tray.
  • Unwanted plants: Plant-B-Gone spray (slow), or hatchet to damage then remove.

Chemicals

Applied by adding reagents to the tray (e.g. vial, spray). Values are per unit of reagent. "Toxins" = tray toxin level; positive raises it, negative lowers it.

Toxicity (tray toxins)

Chemical Effect
anti_toxin −2
toxin +2
hydrazine +2.5
acetone +1
sacid (sulfuric acid) +1.5
hclacid +1.5
pacid (polytrinic acid) +3
plantbgone +3
cryoxadone −3
radium +2

Water (per unit)

water 1, adminordrazine 1, milk 0.9, beer 0.7, sodawater 1; hydrazine −2, phosphorus −0.5

Nutrients (per unit)

ammonia 1, diethylamine 2, nutriment 1, adminordrazine 1, eznutrient 1, robustharvest 1, left4zed 1, protein 5; milk 0.1, beer 0.25, phosphorus 0.1, sugar 0.1, sodawater 0.1

Weed killer (reduces weed level)

plantbgone −8, adminordrazine −5, hydrazine −4, pacid −4, sacid −2, hclacid −2, phosphorus −2; sugar +2 (increases weeds)

Pest (pest level change; positive = more pests)

sugar +2, protein +3, toxin −1, beer −0.5, ethanol −1, diethylamine −2, adminordrazine −5

Beneficial (health, yield_mod, mutation_mod per unit)

Chemical Health Yield mod Mutation mod
cryoxadone +3
ammonia +0.5
diethylamine +1
nutriment +0.5 +0.1
adminordrazine +1 +1 +1
robustharvest +0.2
left4zed +0.2
sodawater +0.1
carbon +0.1 +0.01 +0.01
beer −0.05
ethanol −0.25
hydrazine −2
phosphorus −0.75
sacid / hclacid −1
pacid −2
plantbgone −2 +0.2
radium −1.5 +0.2

Mutagen (mutation_level toward mutation)

  • radium — min 8 per unit
  • mutagen (Unstable Mutagen) — min 15 per unit

Mutation level also gains from mutation_mod and is reduced each tick.

Potency (potency_mod; plant potency + mod capped at 100)

diethylamine +1, carbon +0.01

Seed Extraction

Seed extractor: insert plant product (fruit, vegetable, mushroom, etc.) to get 1–4 seed packets (or mycelium). Use it to multiply seeds when the SeedMaster runs low. Store extra seeds in crates. Exotic seeds (e.g. from cargo exotic seeds crate) or weeds that appear in trays can be kept and extracted for more.

Soil

Sand → sandstone → 3× sandstone → soil. Sand from mining or by growing grass in trays, planting grass tiles, and digging with spade. No tray lights or automation; remove soil with shovel/spade.

Plant Analyzer

Use the Plant Analyzer (e.g. from botanist apron) on a tray for a detailed readout. Traits include:

  • Age — when age reaches lifespan, the plant dies
  • Endurance — how low water/nutrients can go before death
  • Lifespan — max age
  • Yield — max products over lifetime
  • Production — products per harvest
  • Potency — strength of effects (heat/cold for chili, toxicity for mushrooms, damage for nettles, drug duration, etc.)

The analyzer also shows tray status: weeds, pests, toxicity, water, nutrients. Weeds/pests: mini-hoe or pest spray. Toxicity matters especially for mushrooms.

Cargo / Supplies

  • Seeds Crate: assorted basic seeds (chili, berry, corn, eggplant, tomato, apple, soy, wheat, carrot, harebell, lemon, orange, grass, sunflower, chanterelle, potato, sugarcane).
  • Exotic Seeds Crate: liberty cap, reishi mycelium, random seeds, kudzu.
  • Hydroponics Supply Crate: Plant-B-Gone, ammonia, hatchet, mini-hoe, plant analyzer, botanist gloves, botanist suit.
  • Hydroponics Tray Crate: portable hydroponics trays.
  • Water Tank Crate / Large Water Tank Crate.