Waterweed

Waterweed is a plant that can be found wild in watery biomes and can be domesticated for a steady supply of Lettuce. It is one of the few crops that must be grown partially submerged: the lower tile of the plant has to be in a single tile of Water, Salt Water, or Brine, while the upper tile must be exposed to gas or vacuum. If the bottom tile holds too much liquid, or if the top tile is not exposed, the plant becomes Too Wet and stops growing.

A wild Waterweed takes 48 cycles to mature, while a domesticated one takes 12 cycles. Each harvest yields 12 kg of Lettuce worth 4,800 kcal. Because of this, a wild plant supports food production at a much slower rate, while a domesticated plant produces 400 kcal per cycle and requires about 2.5 plants per duplicant to feed them efficiently. The crop grows only within a temperature range of 22 °C to 65 °C, and it provides 10 decor within a 1-tile radius.

Waterweed can be planted in a Planter Box, Farm Tile, or Hydroponic Farm. Domestication requires 500 g/cycle of Bleach Stone and 5 kg/cycle of Salt Water irrigation. Sustainable production can be achieved by ranching Squeaky Pufts for Bleach Stone or by using a Bleach Stone Hopper, combined with a Salt Water Vent for irrigation. In Spaced Out!, both Bleach Stone and Salt Water can also be mined from space POIs.

Lettuce is edible raw and can also be cooked into Mushroom Wrap or Frost Burgers. Waterweed variants can alter yield, growth time, temperature tolerance, and irrigation needs, but the base crop remains centered on producing Lettuce from wet environments.