Botanist

Botanists are responsible for growing food, medicines and resources aboard the station. Without you, the Chef may resort to "questionable" methods of food acquisition. Be sure to make use of your seed extractor and plant clippers  to maintain a steady supply of seeds.

Your role is primarily to assist the Chef; when starting, ask the Chef what ingredients they would like you to grow. You may assist chemistry and the medical bay, though they will generally not be aware you exist; your Lingzhi plants are much easier at producing epinephrine than a ChemDispenser, but not as easy as if the Chemists get a hold of an EMAG from Security. If Science, Chemistry and Cargo go down, and there are no more ChemDispensers, you are the station's only hope for medicine production. Your Hydroponics Trays are also the easiest way to produce wood for Crafting needs.

Beware suspicious colleagues asking for wood as it can be used for nefarious purposes, such as crafting weapons. Beware suspicious colleagues asking for Ambrosia vulgaris, Galaxy Thistle or Nettles, as these can be used as poisons. Be sure to give clowns an extra long stare when they ask for bananas (whilst not directly dangerous, they can be quite joyous to a mischievous clown or traitor). Protect your Water Tank from thieves.

In the middle of a Botanists shift, if you happen to be standing in a pool of unused ingredients for your Chef and feel a bit bored, there are other things you can do. You can make a pest of yourself by shoving a pool of medical plants at Chemists and tapping your shoe pointing angrily at them until they take them. You can batch produce bananas, eat them and scatter them across the station with glee. You can attempt to mutate your plants into highly nutritious versions or killer monsters (for defensive purposes, of course, but beware a possible demotion or ban). Or maybe you can pester the Chef to allow you to experiment in their kitchen. If you have access to a grinder and a drinking glass / beaker, you can make your own medicines and/or poisons. Consider selling unused plants to Cargo.

An expert botanist is a force to be reckoned with and oft underestimated / ignored. With the right tools and knowledge, you can easily trip unsuspecting antags / targets (banana peels or spill a bucket), punish them (with your shovel or poison) and potentially unleash critters on them (plant mutations). Meanwhile, you can stock up on healing meds, food and drink for self-preservation. All the while, under the radar of Security who typically will have bigger fish to fry.

Tools
You will have a number of tools at your disposal to help keep your crops healthy and growing. Don't forget to top up the hydroponics trays with water and/or nutrients every now and then, and make sure to pull any weeds as they pop up.

Chemicals
In addition to the tools above, Botanists will have a number of chemicals available to them, either from vendors or made via chemistry. Careless use of chemicals can have unintended side effects and should be used appropriately (or not). Radioactive chemicals may have an unexpected mutagenic effect on your plants if used.

Hydroponics Tray


These interstellar-grade hydroponics systems are where a botanist typically spends most of their time. Examining a tray by shift + Left Click will reveal details about its current status, including its water and nutrient levels, the presence of weeds and the status of any plants currently in the tray.

Seeds can be planted in a cleared hydroponics tray by clicking with a packet of seeds equipped. Once planted, the seeds will quickly sprout and begin to grow. Whilst growing try adding fertilizer. When the crops are ready to harvest the hydroponics tray will show a green indicator. Most plants can be harvested by hand; some, however, will require the use of tools. Some plants, such as apple trees, can survive multiple harvests. Others, such as wheat, will need be replanted each time.

Tray Maintenance
The lifecycle of a Hydroponics tray is the following:
 * Empty (no water, seed or nutrients).
 * Hydrated - you've added water to it (e.g. from a bottle or bucket).
 * Ready for planting - you've added water and nutrients to it (i.e. you've put unwanted food in it).
 * Planted - you've added a seed to it
 * Ready for Harvest - you've waited for the plant to grow
 * Sampled - you've taken a sample (seed)
 * Harvested - you've picked ready plants. Some plants will then grow again. Others will die and need replanting.
 * Unhealthy - You've sampled too many seeds or sprayed it with deadly chemicals. The plant isn't coping too well. It'll continue to grow. Health can be restored by some chemicals or you can cut your losses and extract a seed (plant clippers) and replant.
 * Dead / Old / Wilted - the plant has been harvested and ceased growing. It should be plucked out / chopped down. No seeds can be extracted.

Random Events:
 * Weeds Present - Over time, hydroponics trays can become filled with weeds. These can be removed either by using a mini hoe, or through chemical means. Be warned, however, that overuse of weed killers can lead to unhealthy plants, possibly killing them. Trays filled with weeds will have a flashing red indicator [[File:Hydro tray alert.gif]].

Working with the chemistry department
As indicated, a few of your plants are of use to the station chemists and medical department, and a few chemical products are of use to you.


 * Lingzhi will easily be the most useful to the chemlab: it is a precursor to Chemistry, which is normally made by a particularly complex process with multiple steps that actually requires them to leave their lab (!!) and hunt down ingredients like welding fuel and ethanol.
 * Nettles can provide them with histamine (for ultravasculine, a potent antitoxin, and diphenhydramine, an anti-histamine).
 * Galaxy thistle supplies stellibinin (an antitoxin); combined with aloe it makes siderlac (an anti-caustic). *These are niche medicines.*

If you want make friends with the chemists, the most useful of these by far is lingzhi. You might also bring a container, if you have it, and any ethanol needed in the formulas you are requesting. Speaking chemistry language and supplying formulas can also help, but don't try to boss them around at their job, and remember that they might be very busy.

These formulas are easy for chemistry to make:
 * 100u Ammonia fertilizer (NHHH at 25u per click)
 * 90u EZ nutrient (KPN, 30u each)
 * 90u Left-4-zed (KPN, 3xRa at 15u per click). This is a slightly suspicious request, but within your department's remit.

These formulas are a little harder:
 * 80u Diethylamine fertilizer (NHHH at 10u each, plus 40u ethanol). The chemist is unlikely to have the ethanol.
 * 180u Robust Harvest: H S O O at 25u a click (100u sulfuric acid), then K P N at 30u a click (90u of EZ Nutrient). Move both to the ChemMaster, transfer them back in equal proportions, discard excess 20u of sulfuric acid.

A chemist will never, ever, ever have the toxin in stock to make more Plant-B-gone.