[Gardening] Applying Strength Potions

[Connor_Graham]

I just planted the my very first UO plants. I've been going through the FAQ above along with the Plant Growing pages on UO Stratics, and can't find anything that specifically says WHEN the Strength potions should be applied, or even how often. I went ahead and applied 1 potion to each of my 25 plants (Bright Orange Bulrushes for Orange Petal production) figuring that it couldn't hurt.

So my question is when and how often should the Strength potions be applied to the plants, and did I hurt anything by applying it to freshly planted seeds?

I sure hope not....

*chews on fertile dirt covered fingernails*

 

[Beastmaster]

If a plant has no malady, applying 1 strength potion will prevent 1 malady from occurring at next growth. A perfectly vibrant plant with no maladies always has a chance of 2 maladies at growth. So, the theory goes that applying 2 strengths to that plant will prevent anything from attacking it. That said, I have noticed its not perfect and sometimes a malady does occur. Strengths along with heals are also used when trying to revive ailing plants.

 

[Connor_Graham]

So applying it when the seed is first planted will prevent it from getting hit with something negative when it hits it's first growth cycle?

 

[Thiefy/Glorfiedel]

A strength a day, keep sorrows away!

 

[Beastmaster]

So applying it when the seed is first planted will prevent it from getting hit with something negative when it hits it's first growth cycle?

Yes, it will stop 1 of the 2 possible hits. So 2 potions stop both. Here's the catch in this. If it does get hit with something it takes 1 potion to fix it. So, while 2 potions prevent everything, you are paying for that peace of mind with 2 potions when in fact the averages tell you not every plant will get hit with 2 maladies at every growth cycle, in fact very few do.

So, you are paying for insurance up front more than the cost of treatment later.

 

[Connor_Graham]

Cost isn't a factor. I'm more interested in making sure not only do I not lose any, but that the maintenance is as easy as possible. If popping 2 pots on each plant per day will keep me from having to do a bunch of extra work, then it's worth it to me.

 

[Beastmaster]

I tended to 32 plants today that required a total of 16 potions. The strength method would have required 64. Which is more work?

 

[Connor_Graham]

That's why I'm asking. I was just saying cost wasn't a factor.

 

[Beastmaster]

It's probably a good investment if you do lockdown gardening. That way if you happen to miss a day for whatever reason, you're guaranteed no losses. Personally, I backpack garden since I don't have the luxury of tons of extra lockdowns.

 

[Yalp]

I've never used the preventative strength pot method. I've never had an issue because I didn't. I find it much easier and just as successful to apply the potions and water when they are actually needed.. which are almost 99% of the time poison and heal.

 

[DHMagicMan_1]

I watch the "Health Reading"... if the plant is "Vibrant" then I treat only whatever bugs or fungus it has and don't worry about any other potions... if it drops one stage from "Vibrant" to "Healthy" then I treat every malady I see and drop a heath and strength potion and it's almost always "Vibrant" the next day... If I'm missed a plant and it's "Wilting" or lower then I put in 2 Health and 2 Strength pots until it's "Healthy" then 1 until it's vibrant...

I don't remember the last time one of my plants died treating them this way.

 

[Connor_Graham]

It's probably a good investment if you do lockdown gardening. That way if you happen to miss a day for whatever reason, you're guaranteed no losses. Personally, I backpack garden since I don't have the luxury of tons of extra lockdowns.

I'm keeping them stored on my beetle. I've got the lockdowns available, but nowhere in my house to put them that wouldn't look stupid. I put a lot of time and effort into the deco in my house and don't want it looking dumb for the sake of orange petals when there's another option.


Another question on this:

I planted them around noon yesterday so I should be looking at server up tomorrow before I need to check them right?

 

[DHMagicMan_1]

If you planted them around noon yesterday and they are on your beetle, you need to watch them after 11 AM your time the next day. They can "Grow" after 23 hours on login. If you happen to login at say 3 PM today and they grow but you don't tend them, then you don't log in until 2 PM tomorrow they may get a second growth shot... two growths without tending on seedlings can easily be fatal for some of your plants.

Be aware.

 

[Beastmaster]

With backpack gardening they grow when you login, provided at least 23 hours have passed. One caveat is the first growth from day 1 to day 2, which is normally 24 hours.

If you login a few minutes early and they haven't grown, you will have to logout and wait as much as 15 minutes before logging in and checking again. They don't seem to grow if you're logged in when the time for growth hits.

 

[Beastmaster]

I've never used the preventative strength pot method. I've never had an issue because I didn't. I find it much easier and just as successful to apply the potions and water when they are actually needed.. which are almost 99% of the time poison and heal.

I think you mean poison and cure.

 

[Connor_Graham]

So I should be checking these plants in a couple of hours, or at the very least by tomorrow morning. Got it. I'd hate to lose any of this first batch. Finding seeds was a pain.

 

[Connor_Graham]

OK, so I just went through and took care of all of the plants. I'm glad I put the Strength pots on them yesterday as I had 15 out of 25 that had at least 1 malady, with 5 of them having 2. I noticed that not one single plant had more than a single day's growth even though I used fertile dirt. I figured I'd get at least a couple that would gain an extra day, but considering how many maladies I got hit with I'm not surprised. That's just my luck. Just to be on the safe side I went ahead and popped 2 Strength pots on each plant this time around. Hopefully tomorrow will just be watering and that'll be it.

 

[DHMagicMan_1]

OK, so I just went through and took care of all of the plants. I'm glad I put the Strength pots on them yesterday as I had 15 out of 25 that had at least 1 malady, with 5 of them having 2. I noticed that not one single plant had more than a single day's growth even though I used fertile dirt. I figured I'd get at least a couple that would gain an extra day, but considering how many maladies I got hit with I'm not surprised. That's just my luck. Just to be on the safe side I went ahead and popped 2 Strength pots on each plant this time around. Hopefully tomorrow will just be watering and that'll be it.

If you used FD for all your plants, that changes the equation somewhat.

When I use FD, I put 2x Greater Strength every time and normally by the time the plants pop, each plant has skipped one day with a few having skipped two and some having skipped none... seems like about a 15 or 20% chance to get double growth on any given growth check... but if you don't put the 2x Greater Strength then if you would have gotten double growth, you could lose it to a malady instead.

 

[Beastmaster]

Yep. Fertile dirt alters the equation. DHMagicMan_1 is correct. You can lose those extra growth spurts to maladies.

 

[Connor_Graham]

I went ahead and put 2 Strength pots on every plant yesterday so hopefully once I get around to checking my plants today I'll see some that gained an extra day.

 

[Connor_Graham]

Here's another question. I had the understanding that after the first day the growth check for the days after would happen at server up. I just checked my plants and they haven't grown yet. Does it go by the time you originally planted or is it going to do the growth check at server up tomorrow?

 

[Beastmaster]

already answered in post #14 above

 

[DHMagicMan_1]

The "Server Up" growth checks come into play when you are doing "Locked Down" gardening... basically you plant and wait until the next server up and nothing happens... then the NEXT server up you grow and you grow at every server up there after....


When you are "Backpack" gardening you ignore "Server Up" completely... The timer starts when you plant the seed (approximately)... 23 hours after that time, the next time you log that character in you will get a growth check. This means if I plant some seeds at 9 AM on Monday in my backpack and log out, my growth check would be available at (approx) 8 AM on Tuesday or after when I log in... If I log in at 6:30 AM on Tuesday and stay logged in until 2 PM I won't get a growth check that whole time because I didn't log in after my "Growth Check Time"... When I log back in at 4 PM on Tuesday I get the growth check and that means my next check will be available 23 hours later at 3 PM on Wednesday (not 8 AM on Wednesday based on original planting).

Let me know if this didn't make sense.

 

[Connor_Graham]

It made perfect sense, thanks. Is it just the character that has the plants that needs to be logged out so that I can play another character while I wait or does the entire account need to be logged?

 

[DHMagicMan_1]

Just that character... but if you are logged in on that toon and want to quickly log out to force the growth check you have to stay logged out for 10 min or so on that character... otherwise it says "Reconnecting" and you didn't really log out of the server even though you sort of did... and you won't get the check.

Basically, when the toon loads from the database, the growth check looks to see if any plants on you have been 23+ hours since last growth, if true then growth = yes... it won't check again until the next time the toon loads from the database... so if you stay logged in for hours your plants won't grow even if you pass the time they would have.

 

[Beastmaster]

Good explanation except for the very first growth check is 24 hours instead of 23.

 

[Yalp]

I think you mean poison and cure.

oh yes yes. my bad!

 

[Connor_Graham]

I solved the problem of the growth check with a simple solution....


I went and took a nap.