Seeds and plants are a big part of Astroneer's planets. Plant a seed and it grows into the same kind of plant, and most plants give you something back, such as seeds, Research Samples or Organic. Some plants fight back, some are safe to tap, and some came in with limited-time events.
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Defensive Flora
Mutant Flora
Tappable Flora
Harvestable Flora
Seasonal Flora
Fractal Roses
Mega Flora
How Astroneer Seeds and Plants Work
A seed is where every plant in Astroneer starts. Plant one and it grows into the same kind of flora, so a defensive seed grows a defensive plant and a mutant seed grows a harmless version of an aggressive one. Plants fall into a few groups, from ones that attack when you get close to ones you can tap for Organic. Each group has its own rules, so it helps to know what you're dealing with before you start digging.
How to Plant and Harvest Seeds
Place a seed on the ground and hold the Use button to plant it. The button depends on your platform: F on PC, Y on Xbox, Triangle on PS4, or X on Switch. Once the plant is grown, you can dig it up, or press Use on it if that type allows.
Digging up a grown plant gives you the same Research Samples, Research Items and seeds you'd get from one in the wild. That makes it a useful way to build up your supply of seeds. Some types can also be harvested by pressing Use, so you don't always have to dig.
Defensive Flora: Dangerous Plants and Their Seeds
Defensive plants hit back. They hurt you when you get close, step on them or dig them up. A few are especially risky. Lashleaf can send you very high, and the landing can be fatal, while Daggeroot releases spikes when you come near and can kill you fast. Planting one doesn't make it safe, since a grown defensive plant still attacks.
The reward is the seed. Digging one up sometimes drops its seed, which you can replant to grow more.
Mutant Flora: Harmless Seeds for Galastropods
Mutant seeds grow harmless versions of aggressive plants, so you get the look without the attack. A mutant plant swaps the red glow of its aggressive cousin for blue, which makes the two easy to tell apart. Mutant plants give two seeds when harvested, and mutant Boomalloons give three.
Mutant seeds can be planted, but they can't be used for Bytes in a Research Chamber, so their main job is feeding Galastropods. Galastropods are snail companions, and each one gives a different benefit, such as extra oxygen or power. Every snail has favorite seeds, and feeding it one of those gives the longest buff, while other seeds it accepts give a shorter one.
Tappable Flora for Steady Organic
Tappable plants are the harmless ones. Use a Tapper on them and they give Organic over time, without any risk to you, which makes them the easy pick when you need a steady supply. Honeypot, a low-growing plant on the Atrox plains, is one of the most productive tappable plants. Seeds from tappable plants can be planted to grow new ones, so one good find can start a farm.
Harvestable Flora and the Biodome
Arctichoke, Bubbulb, Conepod, Dewtrunk, Finwheel, Hornstalk and Nubcap came with the free Megatech update. They grow wild on the planets, and every player can plant their seeds.
The Biodome is the bigger step up. With the Megatech expansion, you can build one per planet, and inside it most plants you'd normally harvest for Organic give Seeds instead. Yields are greater, but the plants need more attention. A few types are exceptions, including hazardous plants, limited-time event plants and Fractal Roses, and some seeds planted in the Biodome's seed slots also give back resources such as Resin or Clay.
Mega Seeds and Museum Donations
With the Megatech expansion, some harvestable plants can drop Mega seeds, and those are meant for the Museum's collections. The Museum has Donation Stations, and seeds count toward one of their rewards. It also shows your progress and pays out when you hit collection targets.
Seasonal Plants from Limited-Time Events
Spookysquash and Sturdysquash are the seasonal squash plants, and they came in with limited-time events. During EXO F.A.R.M., wild Sturdysquash appears on Sylva, Calidor and Atrox. Their seeds can be kept and planted after the event ends, so you don't need to rush to farm them.
Once you've unlocked the PUM-KN Shelter, it can give you squash seeds year-round, so you don't have to wait for an event to get them.
Fractal Roses and Byte Farming
Fractal Roses are a special plant used in the Awakening missions. You can get Fractal Rose seeds by harvesting Fractal Roses on Novus. Hybrid Rose Seeds also grow Fractal Roses, and harvesting those gives seeds too.
Fractal Roses make a simple but powerful Byte farm. Each harvest guarantees one seed back, so you can replant right away, and a harvest also has a chance to drop a Research Sample, which can be researched for Bytes. You can automate the loop with a Proximity Repeater, which keeps planting and harvesting going and collects any samples that drop. Dig a pit about the size of the repeater's range, so seeds and samples don't land out of reach.
Which Seeds and Plants Matter Most
If Bytes are your goal, start with Fractal Roses. Mutant seeds matter most if you want Galastropod buffs, and Honeypot is the one to tap for steady Organic. Harvestable plants are worth planting early, since every player can grow them, and the Biodome, with the Megatech expansion, is where they give bigger yields.
FAQ
Where can't you plant seeds in Astroneer?
Seeds won't grow on Hardness 3 terrain, such as the outer core of Atrox. The exception is the structures of the Gateway Fast Travel Network, which you can plant on.
Can you automate seed farming in Astroneer?
Yes, with the Megatech expansion, inside the Biodome. The Auto-Planter plants seeds from canisters attached to the Biodome, and the Auto-Harvester picks plants, favoring fully grown ones, and fills canisters. The Auto-Fertilizer uses Organic to keep plants fully grown for longer. These Mega-Modules are printed at the Megastructure Component Printer, which comes with the Biodome's third build stage.
Do Research Samples come back after you harvest a plant?
Yes, harvested samples regrow over time, so you can come back for them later. Digging the plant up stops this, since a Research Sample on a dug-up plant won't respawn.
How do you remove a defensive plant in Astroneer?
Use the Terrain Tool to uproot it. Popcoral is the one to watch, since it's harmless until it's uprooted, and then it explodes and can kill players nearby.