PLANTING & CROP FARMING GUIDE

Seed Loops, All Crops, Consumable Crafting & Growth Chamber

Last updated: 2026-02-14

* TL;DR - Key Points

  • * Planting unlocks via Basic AIC II -- spend 1 Basic AIC Index on the Planting node under Processing
  • * The Seed-Picking Unit converts one plant into two seeds; pair with Planting Units for an infinite self-sustaining loop
  • * Roughly 10 plantable crops across Valley IV, Wuling, and later regions -- each with unique products
  • * Sandleaf Powder is the most critical endgame product, feeding Grinding Machine recipes for Dense Ferrium and Cryston Powder
  • * The Growth Chamber on the Dijiang ship cultivates rare growths and ores for operator promotion and skill materials
  • * Manual Eco Farms (Backpack crafting plots) serve as an early alternative before AIC automation
  • * Finished goods like Buck Capsules and Industrial Explosives are worth far more Stock Bills than raw materials -- always process before selling
  • * Craft Bumper-Rich fertilizer at the Forge of the Sky (Wuling) to double crop yields in Valley IV and Wuling Eco-Farms
  • * Rare plant variants (Thorny Yazhen, Firebuckle, etc.) from Eco-Farms make the best potions -- better than factory meds and easier than Delicate recipes

Contents

Unlocking the Planting System

Planting is not available from the start. You need to invest AIC research resources to gain access to the core machinery that makes automated crop farming possible.

AIC Research Path

  1. 1. Open the AIC Planning Interface and navigate to the Processing tree
  2. 2. Ensure you have Basic AIC II unlocked as a prerequisite
  3. 3. Spend 1 Basic AIC Index to research the Planting node
  4. 4. This single node unlocks both the Seed-Picking Unit and the Planting Unit

The Seed-Picking Unit requires 20 Amethyst Parts to construct, so have those ready before researching.

Eco Farm (Manual Alternative)

Before AIC planting is available, you can grow crops manually through the Eco Farm system. This is the only method available during the early game and remains viable for all crops even after unlocking automation.

Backpack > Crafting > Planting -- Craft a Plot for the specific plant you want (requires seeds + Carbon). Plot recipes unlock automatically when you first collect a plant in the overworld.

Place at Eco-Farm -- Take the plot to a designated Eco-Farm location (Originium Science Park for Valley IV, Wuling City Agricultural Test Site for Wuling) and place it in a vacant farming spot.

Germinate and Water -- Interact with the plot to germinate the seeds, then water the plants. Each crop has unique growth times and watering needs.

Wait and Harvest -- Return after the growth timer completes to harvest your crop. Timers vary by plant type.

Wuling Exclusive: The Agricultural Test Site in Wuling features a Sprinkler facility that automatically waters plots, eliminating manual watering. This is not available in Valley IV.

Wuling Eco-Farm Layouts & Sprinklers

The Wuling Agricultural Test Site supports automated watering via sprinklers. Proper sprinkler placement prevents operator pathing issues and makes farming fully automated.

Wuling Eco-Farm Layout - Optimized sprinkler placement prevents operators from getting stuck

Recommended Wuling Eco-Farm layout - Sprinklers and pylons placed to create straight paths between patches, preventing operator pathing issues.

Setup Tips: Place Relay Towers & Pylons with Fluid Pumps at the top-left water source. Use Pipe Splitters to feed multiple sprinklers. Position sprinklers to cover 2 fields at once for optimal efficiency. Always double-check that all water pipes are connected and sprinklers are powered.

Tartpeppers: Eco-Farm Exclusive

Tartpeppers are introduced through the "Farming Toils" Exploration Mission at the Eco-Farm near the Infra-Station in Originium Science Park. This quest serves as the tutorial for the manual planting system.

  1. 1. Gather 5 Tartpeppers from the field north of the Eco-Farm (Cliffside Trail area)
  2. 2. Give them to Vera at the farm
  3. 3. Obtain Tartpepper Seeds (buy from Wellmorin for 2000 Stock Bills)
  4. 4. Craft Tartpepper Plot: Open backpack > Crafting > Planting section > Select Tartpepper Plot (needs seeds + Carbon)
  5. 5. Place the plot at the Eco-Farm and complete the planting process

Important: Tartpeppers are Eco-Farm exclusive. While you can process them in Seed-Picking Units to get seeds, those seeds cannot be planted in AIC Planting Units. They can only be grown via manual Eco-Farm plots.

Pro Tip: Collect One of Everything

Even if you have no immediate use for a crop, picking up a single specimen unlocks its plot recipe permanently. This habit pays off later when you need to spin up automated farms for materials you previously ignored.

The Self-Sustaining Farm Loop

This is the core mechanic that makes planting so powerful. A properly configured loop produces crops indefinitely from a single initial input -- no manual restocking needed.

How It Works

The Seed-Picking Unit accepts one plant and outputs two seeds. Each seed goes to a Planting Unit, which grows it back into a full plant. One plant feeds back into the Seed-Picker (sustaining the cycle), while the other exits to storage or processing (your profit).

Step-by-Step Setup

  1. 1. Place the Seed-Picking Unit in any PAC zone with sufficient power
  2. 2. Place two Planting Units on either side, facing outward from the Seed-Picker
  3. 3. Loop the first Planting Unit -- route its output back to the Seed-Picking Unit via Transport Belt (this sustains the cycle)
  4. 4. Route the second Planting Unit to a Protocol Stash or processing machine (Shredder, Filling Unit, etc.) -- this is your usable output
  5. 5. Power everything with a Relay Tower or Electric Pylon positioned to cover all three machines
  6. 6. Seed the loop by inserting one crop into the Seed-Picking Unit -- from here, it runs indefinitely

Blueprint Reference

Community blueprint code EFO017i8euu8365uO0Ai provides a working farm loop that can be imported directly into your AIC if the layout is tricky to build manually.

Output Port Awareness

The Planting Unit has two output slots. One must always feed back to the Seed-Picker. If both go to storage, the loop breaks after one cycle.

Manual Eco Farm vs AIC Automation

Not all crops support full AIC automation. Some can only be grown manually at Eco-Farms, while others work with both systems.

Feature Manual Eco Farm AIC Automation
Unlock Time Early game (Farming Toils quest) Mid game (Basic AIC II research)
Setup Craft plot, place at Eco-Farm, germinate, water Build Seed-Picking + Planting Units, route belts
Maintenance Manual watering (unless in Wuling), timer-based harvest Fully automated once seeded, runs offline
Scale Limited by Eco-Farm plot slots Infinite with proper loop configuration
Best For All crops including Tartpepper, Reed Rye, Redblade Ginseng Buckflower, Citrome, Sandleaf, Aketine, Yazhen, Jincao
Crop Availability ALL crops (once collected) SELECT crops only (see list below)

Important: Tartpeppers can be processed in Seed-Picking Units to get seeds, but those seeds cannot be planted in Planting Units. They are Eco-Farm exclusive crops.

All Plantable Crops

Each region of Talos-II introduces new crops. Collecting a single specimen in the wild unlocks its plot recipe. Important: Not all crops support full AIC automation. Tartpepper and several others are Eco-Farm exclusive and cannot be planted in AIC Planting Units.

AIC Automation vs Manual-Only Crops

Full AIC Support (Seed-Picking + Planting Units)

Buckflower, Citrome, Aketine, Sandleaf, Echotin, Yazhen, Jincao

Eco-Farm Manual Only

Tartpepper, Reed Rye, Redblade Ginseng, Mossfield, Amber Rice, Thorny Yazhen

Crop Region Key Products Primary Use
Buckflower Valley IV (all areas) Buck Capsule (C/B/A), Buckflower Powder Healing, Stock Bills
Citrome Valley IV Canned Citrome (C/B/A), Citrome Powder Healing, Citrobucky Mix
Echotin Valley IV Echotin Powder, Industrial Explosives Factory products, Stock Bills
Aketine Valley Pass, Valley IV Aketine Powder, Industrial Explosives Explosives, Stock Bills
Sandleaf Power Plateau, Valley IV Sandleaf Powder (via Shredder, 1:3 ratio) Endgame material
Tartpepper Originium Science Park Tartpepper Salad, Tartpepper Pickle Buff foods
Yazhen Jingyu Valley, Wuling Yazhen Spray (S/L), Yazhen Syringe (C/A) Advanced healing
Thorny Yazhen Jingyu Valley marshy areas, Stragglers Grove, near regular Yazhen clusters (Wuling) Yazhen Syringe C (high-value trade good), higher-tier sprays/meds Endgame crafting, Stock Bills
Jincao Wuling Jincao Drink, Tea, Tisane, Infusion Buff consumables
Redblade Ginseng Later regions Ginseng Meat Stew High-tier healing food
Mossfield Later regions Mossfield Pie, Mossfield Powder Advanced consumables

Regional Progression

Valley IV -- Buckflower, Citrome, Echotin, Aketine, Sandleaf, Tartpepper (early-to-mid game)

Wuling -- Yazhen, Thorny Yazhen, Jincao (unlocks with Wuling region access)

Later Regions -- Redblade Ginseng, Mossfield (story progression)

Fertilizer (Bumper-Rich)

Fertilizer in Arknights: Endfield takes the form of an item called Bumper-Rich. Unlike typical fertilizers that speed up growth, Bumper-Rich doubles the harvest yield when applied to planting plots during the growth phase. This works for both Valley IV and Wuling Eco-Farm plots.

Crafting Recipe

Use the Forge of the Sky AIC unit (Wuling) to craft Bumper-Rich:

1 Burdo-Muck + 1 Liquid Xiranite = 1 Bumper-Rich

The recipe unlocks automatically the first time you input these materials together. No prior recipe unlock is required.

Gathering Burdo-Muck

Burdenbeasts are large, docile creatures found in pastures around Wuling City. Pet them once per day to collect Burdo-Muck.

Three Herd Locations:

  • • Southeast of Wuling City (pasture area)
  • • Northwest of first herd (near glow-locked chests)
  • • South of the Field Logistics Depot

Daily Yield: ~25 Burdo-Muck (enough for 25 fertilizer units)

Tip: Complete the "Burdenbeast Tales" side quest from LiFeng to be introduced to the southeast herd.

Liquid Xiranite Source

Liquid Xiranite is produced at the Forge of the Sky from base resources. Since this material is used for other crafts (including gear), you may need to balance your production priorities.

Note: One bag of Bumper-Rich can also be purchased from a vendor near the Wuling City entrance, which many players use to first discover the item.

Usage in Valley IV & Wuling

Bumper-Rich can be applied to any Eco-Farm plot in both Valley IV and Wuling:

  1. 1. Plant your crops (Buckflower, Citrome, Tartpepper, etc.) in Eco-Farm plots
  2. 2. Apply Bumper-Rich fertilizer before harvest (during growth phase)
  3. 3. Wait for crops to fully mature
  4. 4. Harvest to receive doubled yields

Important: The countdown timer on your plots does NOT change after applying Bumper-Rich. The fertilizer only affects yield, not growth speed. Also note that Valley IV plots must be watered manually (no sprinklers like in Wuling).

Daily Fertilizer Routine

For optimal farming: Step 1: Travel to all three Burdenbeast herd locations and pet each creature. Step 2: Return to your Wuling base and craft Bumper-Rich at the Forge of the Sky. Step 3: Transport fertilizer to Valley IV or apply in Wuling, then fertilize plots before harvest. Building a zipline to the farming areas can save significant travel time.

Key Production Chains

Crops become significantly more valuable when processed through your AIC factory before selling. Raw plants yield minimal Stock Bills; finished goods multiply that value several times.

Priority Production Lines

Production Line Inputs Output Value
LC Valley Batteries Amethyst Fiber + Originium Powder Batteries High
Buck Capsules Amethyst Fiber + Buckflower Powder Buck Capsule C Moderate
Industrial Explosives Amethyst Fiber + Echotin/Aketine Powder Industrial Explosive High

Sandleaf Powder Loop

Sandleaf is unique because its output goes through a Shredder rather than a standard production chain. One Sandleaf yields three Sandleaf Powder, which feeds the Grinding Machine for endgame materials like Dense Ferrium and Cryston Powder. For the full infinite loop setup, see the AIC Factory Guide.

Processing Priority

Raw materials should always be converted before selling: Crops → Powder (via Shredder) → Finished Goods (via Filling/Refining Unit). Finished goods sell for the highest Stock Bill value at the Outpost. Setting up even basic chains early prevents bill shortages later.

Consumable Crafting Reference

Consumables fall into several categories. Some are crafted manually through the Backpack, others are mass-produced through the AIC factory.

Healing Items

Consumable Key Ingredient Effect
Buck Capsule C/B/A Buckflower Powder HP restoration (tiered quality)
Canned Citrome C/B/A Citrome Powder HP restoration (alternative)
Yazhen Spray S/L Yazhen Powder Quick-use field healing
Yazhen Syringe C/A Yazhen (factory processing) Sustained HP recovery

Buff Foods

Consumable Key Ingredient Effect
Tartpepper Salad / Pickle Tartpepper Temporary stat buff
Ginseng Meat Stew Redblade Ginseng High-tier stat buff
Mossfield Pie Mossfield Moderate stat buff
Jincao Drink / Tea / Tisane / Infusion Jincao Progressive quality buff tiers

Backpack Crafting

Quick, on-the-go production of basic consumables and plot recipes. No power or AIC infrastructure required. Best for early game and situational needs.

AIC Factory Automation

Mass production with much higher throughput. Runs while you are offline. Worth the setup investment for any item you need in bulk or plan to sell for Stock Bills.

Growth Chamber (Rare Growths & Ores)

The Growth Chamber is a separate cultivation system aboard the Dijiang ship. It handles rare growths and ores that cannot be farmed through normal planting -- materials required for operator promotion and skill upgrades.

How It Works

  1. 1. Obtain a specimen -- Collect at least one rare growth or ore from the overworld (fixed nodes, daily reset refresh)
  2. 2. Extract seeds/cores -- Convert the specimen into a plantable seed. This consumes the specimen, so keep extras if you need them for immediate upgrades
  3. 3. Plant in Growth Slots -- Place the extracted seed into an available slot in the chamber
  4. 4. Assign operators -- Operators with cultivation skills speed up growth. In the early game, any operator works
  5. 5. Harvest and replant -- Once mature, collect the growths and optionally replant or switch materials

Upgrading the Chamber

Level cap is tied to your Control Nexus level on Dijiang. Upgrade it first, then spend Aerospace Materials (from Recycling Stations) to unlock more Growth Slots and operator assignment slots.

Recycling Stations

Found across Talos-II (marked by owls). Activate and upgrade them with Stock Bills to increase your Regional Development Level and boost Aerospace Material yields.

What Rare Growths Are Used For

Fungal Growths (boletes, etc.) -- Operator promotion materials

Rare Growths (Kalkodendra, etc.) -- Operator skill advancement materials

Rare Ores (Igneosite, Cosmagaric, etc.) -- Equipment crafting and advanced upgrades

Pro Tip: Pick Up One of Everything

The Growth Chamber only unlocks cultivation formulas for materials you have collected at least once. Even a single pickup from the overworld grants permanent access to grow it in bulk. Always grab new nodes during exploration.

Rare Variants & Potion Optimization

This section is for players who want to make the best available potions with the least amount of effort. If that isn't you, feel free to skip ahead.

The Three Plant Classes

Plants used in crafting consumables fall into three categories:

Common: Buckflower, Citrome, Jincao, Yazhen, Sandleaf, Aketine, etc. These can be grown in plant factories and used in production lines.

Delicate: Reed Rye, Tartpepper, Redjade Ginseng, Amber Rice. These must be grown on Eco-Farm plots (2 per region).

Rare: Firebuckle, Umbraline, Fluffed Jincao, Thorny Yazhen. These upgraded variants spawn occasionally when farming their Common counterparts.

Why Rare Beats Delicate

Delicate-based recipes produce noticeably stronger consumables than factory-produced tacticals, so you might be tempted to dedicate farmland to Reed Rye, Tartpepper, Rice, and Ginseng. Don't do it.

The problem with Delicate-based recipes is that all of them also use monster parts. If you want those potions, you'll spend significant time hunting critters across the map. Meanwhile, Rare-based recipes are stronger AND can be reliably farmed with no monster hunting required.

Farming Rare plants is simple: when you grow Common plants (Buckflower, Citrome, Jincao, Yazhen) in Eco-Farm plots, you get approximately 2 Rare variants per plot on a one-hour cooldown. A fully planted Valley IV farm yields ~32 Firebuckles or Umbralines, while a Wuling farm yields ~40 Fluffed Jincao or Thorny Yazhen every harvest cycle.

Potion Comparison

With a late-game character (6,000+ HP), here's how the healing options compare:

Potion Type Healing Amount Source
Yazhen Spray (Thorny) ~4,300 HP over 6s Rare variant (Eco-Farm)
Thorny Yazhen Powder ~3,800 HP Rare variant (unbottled)
Yazhen Syringe (Factory) ~1,920 HP Common (Factory line)
Best Delicate Recipes ~4,100 HP Delicate + Monster parts

16 Yazhen Sprays can be crafted per hour from 40 Thorny Yazhen plants (assuming steel bottle supply). That's more than double the healing of factory-produced syringes, with no monster farming required.

Heal-Over-Time vs Instant

HoT meds consistently heal for about 50% more than their instant equivalents. Unless you're dying so fast that a 6-second heal is too slow (in which case a different potion probably won't help), use the HoT versions. Yazhen Spray beats Yazhen Syringe in almost every scenario.

Steel Bottle Supply

Craft steel bottles in the Valley where Ferrium is plentiful. You don't need to transfer them to Wuling -- crafting in a depot zone pulls from your global inventory automatically.

Food Buff Recommendations

Don't bother with food buffs before reaching Wuling except for zone bosses. When you're ready to make them a regular part of your diet:

Offense: Kunst Tube (Scorch Bug + Ferrium bottle) offers roughly the same damage boost as alternatives but requires no farming. Far more convenient than Jakub's Legacy or Crit Rate foods.

Ultimate: Perplexing Medicine (Buckflower Powder + Citromix) provides 24% Ultimate Efficiency and is fully farmable. The alternative (Bamboo Sprouts + Meat) gives 21% UE plus 35% Treatment Received but requires hunted ingredients.

Defense: Wuling Fried Rice (Amber Rice + Fillet) is the easiest to make if you need to farm ingredients. All defense options offer similar net protection, so pick based on what you have stocked. Since you can only have one food buff active, offense or ultimate foods are usually better choices unless you specifically need the defensive boost.

TL;DR - Potion Strategy

As soon as you have access to farming, plant Citrome/Yazhen plots to get Umbraline/Thorny Yazhen. Hand-shred it (craft the powder), optionally hand-bottle it for maximum efficiency, and never use factory meds again. Use Kunst Tube or Perplexing Medicine for food buffs. Monster farming is for suckers, and Delicate plants are a trap.

Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

1. Not Researching Planting Early

The Planting node in Basic AIC II is easy to overlook. Players who skip it miss out on infinite crop production for the entire early game. Research it as soon as Basic AIC II is available.

2. Breaking the Seed Loop

If both Planting Unit outputs go to storage instead of feeding one back to the Seed-Picker, the loop runs once and stops. Always verify one output belt returns to the Seed-Picking Unit before activating.

3. Selling Raw Crops Instead of Processed Goods

A raw Buckflower is worth almost nothing at the Outpost. Processing it into Buck Capsules or Buckflower Powder multiplies the Stock Bill value. Never sell unprocessed crops.

4. Extracting All Rare Growths Without Saving

Extracting seeds in the Growth Chamber consumes the specimen. Players who extract everything sometimes find they needed that material for an immediate operator upgrade. Keep at least one spare.

5. Ignoring Eco Farm Plots

The Backpack crafting plots are the fastest way to grow specific crops before AIC planting is unlocked. Waiting for full automation means missing early consumable production entirely.

6. Forgetting to Power the Loop

Seed-Picking Units and Planting Units both require power. If the Relay Tower or Pylon does not cover all machines, part of the loop goes dormant. Check power coverage after every setup.

7. Not Upgrading the Growth Chamber

The base-level chamber has very few slots. Players who never invest in Control Nexus and Aerospace Materials are stuck growing one or two rare materials at a time, creating a bottleneck for operator progression.

8. Skipping Sandleaf Collection

Sandleaf only appears in Power Plateau with 17 nodes. You only need one to start an infinite farm. Players who skip this area miss the most critical endgame planting crop. Grab it early.

Quick Reference Checklist

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you unlock planting in Arknights: Endfield?

Open the AIC Planning Interface, navigate to the Processing tree under Basic AIC II, and spend 1 Basic AIC Index to research the Planting node. This unlocks both the Seed-Picking Unit and the Planting Unit. The Seed-Picking Unit costs 20 Amethyst Parts to build.

How does the infinite farm loop work in Arknights: Endfield?

The Seed-Picking Unit converts one plant into two seeds. Connect two Planting Units: one loops its output back to the Seed-Picking Unit (sustaining the cycle), while the other routes output to storage or processing (your profit). Insert one crop to start, and the loop runs indefinitely.

Where do you find Sandleaf in Arknights: Endfield?

Sandleaf is found at Power Plateau in Valley IV, with 17 gathering nodes. You only need to collect one Sandleaf to start an infinite Sandleaf farm via the Seed-Picking and Planting Unit loop. Sandleaf Powder (processed via Shredder, 1 Sandleaf = 3 Powder) is a critical endgame material.

What is the Growth Chamber in Arknights: Endfield?

The Growth Chamber is located aboard the Dijiang ship. It lets you cultivate rare growths and ores for operator promotion and skill materials. Extract seeds from collected specimens (consumes them), plant in Growth Slots, and assign operators to speed cultivation. Upgrade via Control Nexus and Aerospace Materials from Recycling Stations.

How do I farm Thorny Yazhen in Arknights: Endfield?

Thorny Yazhen is a rare variant of the Yazhen plant found in Jingyu Valley marshy areas near teleport points, Stragglers Grove, and across bridges near regular Yazhen clusters in Wuling City. It is <strong class='text-orange-400'>Eco-Farm exclusive</strong> -- you can only grow it via manual plots at Eco-Farm locations. Buy seeds from the Wuling Market NPC or gather from overworld spots. Craft Thorny Yazhen plots (Backpack > Crafting > Planting), place at the Wuling Agricultural Test Site (which has sprinklers for automatic watering), and harvest. Gathering spots respawn every 3 days. Cannot be automated via AIC Planting Units.

Continue Exploring

🌾

Farming Guide

Material locations
🏭

Factory Guide

Production chains
🧪

Consumables

Crafting recipes

Related Content

*
AIC Factory Guide
Power & production chains
 *
Farming Guide
Every material & where to farm
 *
Stock Redistribution
Elastic Goods & Stock Bills