Fertilizer

Fertilizer is a solid agricultural material used in Oxygen Not Included to accelerate plant growth when converted into Micronutrient Fertilizer. It is produced primarily by the Fertilizer Synthesizer from Polluted Water, Dirt and Phosphorite and also appears as a ranching byproduct and consumable for certain critters. Fertilizer is a very soft material (hardness 2) that melts into Dirt at 125 °C.

A constantly running Fertilizer Synthesizer produces 72 kg per cycle (equivalent to 120 g/s). This output equals 14.4 uses of Micronutrient Fertilizer per cycle; one synthesizer therefore supports about 14–15 plants being fertilized continuously, and five synthesizers can support roughly 72 plants. The synthesizer recipe and throughput are:

• Inputs per cycle: 39 kg Dirt, 23.4 kg Polluted Water, 15.6 kg Phosphorite (per second: 65 g/s Dirt, 39 g/s Polluted Water, 26 g/s Phosphorite).
• Outputs per cycle: 72 kg Fertilizer plus 10 kg Natural Gas (per second: 120 g/s Fertilizer and 10 g/s Natural Gas).

Resource and production notes:

• The synthesizer provides significant resource conservation compared with direct harvesting: its inputs can be supplied renewably via ranching (for example, tame Dreckos, Pips and Pufts) and a small herd can fully supply one synthesizer. Six wild Dreckos (or about 1.6 tame, happy Dreckos) can supply the Phosphorite need for one synthesizer.
• Because the synthesizer produces Natural Gas, that output can be burned to generate heat and power; burning the gas produces about 7.5 g/s Polluted Water and roughly 88 W of power when used in a Natural Gas Generator.
• The synthesizer’s heat economy is such that warm inputs can make the machine heat-destroying: feeding it with hot Polluted Water and warm solids can reduce the colony’s net heat. Specifically, 41 °C Polluted Water and 30 °C solids is enough to tip it into net heat destruction; feeding it with 75 °C water and 30 °C solids can destroy roughly 20% of heat.

Usage and interactions:

• Duplicants with the Crop Tending skill convert Fertilizer into Micronutrient Fertilizer at Farm Stations to speed plant growth. A single use of Micronutrient Fertilizer consumes a fraction of a Fertilizer unit (the synthesizer output equates to 14.4 uses per cycle).
• Sage Hatch and similar critters can eat Fertilizer as feed. A Sage Hatch can consume up to 140 kg per cycle and excretes Coal at a 1:1 ratio.
• In the Spaced Out! DLC, Fertilizer functions as a solid oxidizer for rockets. It is the least efficient oxidizer compared to alternatives but is easier to obtain; however, rockets can consume hundreds of kilograms per trip, so using large amounts for rockets competes strongly with farm use.

Bugs and trivia:

• Applying Micronutrient Fertilizer to plants triggers a Machinery attribute training errand for Duplicants (the game classifies the fertilization as a Tinkering errand), causing Duplicants to gain Machinery skill when performing fertilizer duties.
• The primary element of Micronutrient Fertilizer is recorded as Genetic Ooze.