Thimble Reed

Thimble Reed is a crop plant used primarily to produce Reed Fiber, one of the colony’s most important refined resources. It can be harvested for Reed Fiber and Thimble Reed Seeds, making it a renewable source for equipment and construction materials that depend on fiber, including Atmo Suits, clothing from the Textile Factory, and Insulation from the Molecular Forge.

A domesticated Thimble Reed can be planted on Farm Tiles or Hydroponic Farms. It requires 160 kg/cycle of Polluted Water and takes 2 cycles to grow. A wild Thimble Reed takes 8 cycles to grow. The plant grows in temperatures between 22 °C and 37 °C, and it can survive in Oxygen, Polluted Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Water, or Polluted Water atmospheres. Thimble Reed is also unusual in that it can grow underwater, but this does not remove its irrigation requirement; even when planted in polluted water, it still needs to be fed properly.

Because its main input is Polluted Water, Thimble Reed is often used as a practical sink for excess bathroom runoff. A closed bathroom loop can feed the plant with the surplus waste from Lavatories, since Lavatories produce more Polluted Water than they consume clean water. One Thimble Reed can consume about the amount of Polluted Water generated by 23.88 Lavatory uses per cycle in such a loop. This makes it a useful early-game solution for handling wastewater while also producing a valuable output. Since the plant does not require solid fertilizer, it fits this role especially well.

For colonies that rely heavily on Reed Fiber, wild plants are often worth harvesting whenever possible, since Reed Fiber does not rot and wild growth can supply a surprising amount of material without the need for irrigation. If a colony needs a steady fiber supply, cultivation is usually more reliable, especially when producing enough for suits and insulation. If Thimble Reed is placed in a Greenhouse, the water cost for producing a single Reed Fiber is halved, improving efficiency further.

• Thimble Reed is a major source of Reed Fiber.
• It grows on Farm Tiles and Hydroponic Farms when domesticated.
• Domestic plants need Polluted Water and mature in 2 cycles.
• Wild plants mature in 8 cycles.
• It thrives between 22 °C and 37 °C.
• It can be used to absorb excess polluted water, especially from Lavatories.
• It can grow underwater, but still needs irrigation.
• In a Greenhouse, its water cost for fiber production is reduced by half.