Waterweed

Waterweed is an aquatic two-tile crop that grows with its lower tile submerged in a single tile of Water, Salt Water or Brine and its upper tile exposed to gas or vacuum. It appears both in the wild and as a domesticated crop and is commonly used as a reliable early and mid-game food source. Waterweed must meet strict environmental conditions to grow: a temperature window, liquid pressure limits on the submerged tile, and correct irrigation and fertilization when domesticated.

Domesticated Waterweed reaches maturity in 12 cycles and yields 12 kg per harvest (commonly represented in English sources as 4800 kcal total per harvest). Domesticated plants produce the equivalent of 400 kcal per cycle, requiring about 2.5 plants per duplicant to meet one duplicant’s calorie needs. Domesticated Waterweed must be planted in a Planter Box, Farm Tile or Hydroponic Farm and fertilized with 500 g/cycle Bleach Stone while receiving 5 kg/cycle Salt Water irrigation. Domestication routes include ranching Squeaky Pufts or using a Bleach Stone Hopper, and Salt Water Vent output is typically used to supply irrigation; the weakest Salt Water Vent can support up to ~240 plants (practical limits vary with desalination), while a single Squeaky Puft can support about 57 plants. In Spaced Out! both Bleach Stone and Salt Water can also be sourced from space POIs.

Wild Waterweed grows more slowly, maturing in 48 cycles, producing the same 12 kg harvest but yielding 100 kcal per cycle (roughly 10 plants per duplicant if relied on as primary lettuce/food source). Variants and mutations exist that change harvest frequency, yield, irrigation, light requirements and temperature tolerance (examples include Blooming, Bountiful, Easygoing, Exuberant, Juicyfruit, Leafy, Licey, Specialized and Wildish), with some variants increasing total yield, shortening life cycle, or imposing special requirements such as darkness or high lux. These variants alter calorie-per-cycle, irrigation mass and fertilizer needs.

Growth mechanics and limits are strict: Waterweed requires a temperature range of 22°C to 65°C (some variants shift this range), the lower submerged tile’s liquid mass must be below the elemental single-tile maximum mass threshold (Chinese sources note the lower tile liquid mass must be below about 95% of that element’s single-tile max), and the upper tile must be in gas or vacuum. If the bottom tile holds too much liquid or the top tile is not exposed to gas/vacuum, the plant will display a “Too Wet” status and stop growing.

Each harvest produces 12 kg of edible crop that can be eaten raw or cooked into recipes such as Mushroom Wrap or Frost Burgers. English-language sources list the harvest as 12 Lettuce (4800 kcal); a Chinese source documents an alternate representation that Waterweed can produce Plant Meat at a different total kcal/harvest cadence (this is presented in that source as 12000 kcal/30 cycles). Variants can also change whether harvest drops on the floor, require light or darkness, or produce additional byproducts.

Additional practical notes:

• Waterweed grants +10 decor within a 1-tile radius.
• Plant height is two tiles; the bottom must be submerged while the top must be exposed. Construction and plumbing should account for this vertical requirement when designing farms.
• Domesticated irrigation and fertilizer requirements are consistent per cycle; ensure steady Salt Water supply and Bleach Stone input for continuous production.
• Using Salt Water Vents, desalination and ranching setups, planters and hydro farms allow large-scale sustainable Waterweed farms; monitor vent throughput and desalination losses when calculating supported plant counts.
• Mutations can be exploited to optimize yield, cycle time, light or temperature tolerance; inspect variant requirements before committing large-scale setups.