Editing Guide to hydroponics (section)

== Advanced Botany ==

This is where you get to PLAY GOD and mess with the stats, reagents and [[#Traits|traits]] of plants.<br>

=== Using the DNA manipulator ===

1. Go to the locker in the back and take out the box of plant data disks.<br>
2. Load a disk into the machine along with any seed of choice.<br>
3. Extract any gene, this will destroy the seed and save it to the disk.<br>
4. Put in another seed.<br>
5. You can now modify the seed's stats and genes based on what's on the plant data disk.<br>

Obviously, this can be quite powerful in the right hands, and even for more basic tasks it can be a major boon.

It is worth noting, however, that the DNA manipulator has an upper limit on how high a stat can be when you try to extract it and save it to disk, and any stats higher than that will be brought down to that cap. Though these caps can be lowered or eliminated if you can get RnD to upgrade your machine, at round-start the caps are very bad, with certain stats like production speed being capped at a level worse than what nearly every plant has initially. [[#Traits|Traits]], on the other hand, can be extracted just fine no matter what parts are used. 

Useful genes from default seeds:
* Wheat has a production speed of 1, the fastest possible.
* Tower-caps have very long lifespans (around 80), as well as potency and endurance stats of 50.
* Tobacco plants have a yield of 10, the cap for that stat.
* Apples have the perennial growth [[#Traits|trait]], which allows for you to get multiple harvests from a single plant.
* Watermelon has an endurance nearly on par with tower-caps, making it a good substitute when starting out so you can avoid using up all of your starting tower-cap seeds.
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=== Mutations ===

You can mutate plants to A) change stats or B) mutate them into a different subspecies. To do this in a timely manner, you'll need to work with the [[Chemistry]] department.

* The agonizingly slow way is using '''E-Z Nutriment''' to make the plant mutate once every time it's ready to harvest. '''Left 4 Zed''' makes it mutate twice, but kills the yield!

* You can speed up the process to bearable levels by asking your local [[Chemist]] for a few bottles of '''[[Guide_to_chemistry#Unstable Mutagen|Unstable Mutagen]]'''.<br>

Pour 5 units on your plant and prepare for...

* 10% chance of '''mutation into a related species'''. This destroys the old plant and plants a new one. See the [[Guide_to_hydroponics#Plant reference chart|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 [[#Traits|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. 

Or, if you don't want to bother with species mutation, pour 2 units for a guaranteed heavy stat mutation with a 3% chance of a new [[#Traits|trait]] appearing, or even 1 for a guaranteed normal stat mutation. This method is safe even if you don't have backup seeds, and you can use a bottle for it.

* You can use '''radium''' and '''uranium''', but they cause ill effects, and if you can get radium, you can get mutagen.

* R&D can also research a wonderful thing called a '''Floral Somatoray'''. It has two options: increase yield and mutate the plant. In yield more mode, every time you fire it at the plant, there is a chance the yield will increase. The chance becomes very small when you reach high levels, but it's very useful for low-yield plants. It can even raise yield from zero! In mutation mode, it will always induce a normal stat mutation.

=== Fixing awful stats ===

Mutating plants has a chance of really ruining stats. Luckily, there are a few ways to fix them:

* Unstable Mutagen. Using 1u slightly changes stats, 2u has more drastic effects.
* Saltpetre. Increases potency and decreases production time.
* Floral Somatoray. Increases yield and works as a substitute for Unstable Mutagen.

=== 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/Starshittle.
* 1/9 chance for Nettle/Harebell/Amanita/Chanterelle/Tower Cap/Plump Helmets

Using 5u of unstable mutagen on high weed level trays results in different plants:
* Kudzu, Deathnettle, Destroying Angel, Liberty Cap