Hydroponics Feedback

[Val]

Grafting plants in real life isn't particularly difficult if you know how to do it, so I don't know why it sounds silly in a game where sticking an arm in a butt creates a robot.

Buttbot works because it's hilarious. I totally forgot that plant grafting is a thing, so pardon my ignorance. Not sure how this would actually work without changing how the chainsaw works. I'm much more in favor of seed splicing, anyway.

I never liked babysitting plants...I think it makes more sense than dousing the pot with cryoxadone or sulphuric acid.

I like the idea of incorporating light and temperature needs for optimal results, although I must say that a nutrition system wouldn't be as bad as people would think it is. Sure, it'd make things a lot more hectic in trying to also feed everything, but that's what plants do.

If you can propose a system for light/heat, then why not also a system for nutrition? Water is just one thing plants need. They need nutrition, light, air, and time. I'd also say they need the loving attention and care of the person growing it, particularly in this circumstance.

If dispensed nutrients don't have a limit and don't have strong stat trade-offs, I can see this working.

But see, that's the thing. You have a limited supply of special nutrients, but you can always make more yourself or with the help of any scientist who isn't just making napalm or poly acid or whatever else. This is in line with the suggestions that chemicals are fantastic, but only certain kinds will work.

Composting and You
First, let's take a look at your compost cart. It's that mostly unused cart that looks like the water cart, only brown and with a big C on it, which stands for "crap". Even your compost bags proclaim it's a big bag of crap and it does not leave much to the imagination.

Compost makes your plants grow faster, but at the cost of them needing more water. To make more compost, you drag seeds or plants into the compost cart, at which point they turn into compost that you can use to refill your compost bag. If you apply heat to a tub that has a plant + compost, it turns into plant nutrients.

This is a very rudimentary nutrition system, but a good example of what I'm proposing.

Nutrition System explained
With the nutrition system, plants will need regular amounts of plant nutrient in order to survive, however different kinds of nutrients will do different things, as I have outlined previously. Composting should instead make plain plant nutrient rather than straight compost, which can be used to feed plants.

Plain plant nutrients obtained from composting have no unique effect other than fulfilling the nutrient needs of your grows. With the nutrition system in place, you will be required to compost regularly if you want materials to keep your plants going. Plant nutrients are also a base for making special nutrients.

Special Nutrients explained
The special nutrients are those that you get from the nutrient vendor and from scientists who haven't burned to death yet in the chemistry department. Each of the special nutrients has a unique advantage and drawback that change the traits of a growing plant in a significant way. It also fulfills their nutrition needs when used.

You start with a limited amount of the special nutrients. If you run out, you'll have to ask for more or try and make it yourself if you know the recipe for a specific type of nutrient. Some of the recipes can be made with just things you find around the station, while others will require a reagent that's specifically coming out of the chem dispensers.

Self-Sufficient Botanist
For example, one of the recipes for a specific type of nutrient may be plant nutrients + sugar + heat.

You could make this one yourself. First you would compost something to get plant nutrients, then you could extract the sugar reagent from a sugarcane plant. Mix the two into a beaker and then use an igniter to heat it up. Voila, you have your special nutrient.

Some other recipes will not be so simple or easy to make as a botanist, however.