Overview
The Fertilizer Box is a farming crafting station in Starsand Island that automatically produces fertilizer from organic input materials. Fertilizer is applied to crop plots to boost growth speed, increase yield, and most importantly raise the chance of growing Gmax Crops (giant-sized crops worth significantly more). There are five tiers of the Fertilizer Box, each producing progressively better fertilizer with higher GMAX bonus percentages.
What Is Fertilizer?
Fertilizer is a consumable item produced by the Fertilizer Box. When applied to a crop plot before or during the growing cycle, it provides two main benefits:
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Growth speed bonus | Fertilized crops grow faster, reducing the number of in-game days between planting and harvest. |
GMAX chance bonus | Higher-tier fertilizer dramatically increases the chance of a crop growing to Gmax size. Gmax Crops sell for premium prices and are required for certain cooking recipes and quest objectives. |
Fertilizer quality directly correlates with the tier of the Fertilizer Box that produced it. Higher-tier boxes produce stronger fertilizer with better GMAX bonuses.
Fertilizer Box Tiers
Each Fertilizer Box tier is a separate crafting station that must be built individually. You do not upgrade an existing box; instead, you craft the next tier as a new station. Higher tiers require more advanced materials and are unlocked through farming profession progression.
Tier | GMAX Chance Bonus | Fertilizer Quality | Unlock Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
Tier I | 0% (no GMAX bonus) | Basic Fertilizer | Junior Farmer |
Tier II | 5% | Standard Fertilizer | Intermediate Farmer |
Tier III | 15% | Quality Fertilizer | Senior Farmer |
Tier IV | 35% | Premium Fertilizer | Expert Farmer |
Tier V | 70% | Supreme Fertilizer | Master Farmer |
The jump from Tier III to Tier IV is significant (15% to 35%), and the jump from Tier IV to Tier V is the largest single increase in the entire progression (35% to 70%). Players focused on Gmax Crop farming should prioritize reaching Tier IV as quickly as possible, since the 35% GMAX chance makes giant crops a realistic and repeatable outcome rather than a rare occurrence.
How to Unlock
The Tier I Fertilizer Box blueprint is available early in the farming profession. After completing the Junior Farmer trial at the Farming Association, you can purchase the Tier I blueprint from the farming supply terminal. Each subsequent tier blueprint becomes available when you reach the corresponding farmer rank.
The farming profession trials involve growing specific crops, achieving certain harvest quantities, and demonstrating mastery of various farming mechanics including sprinklers and fertilizers, crop rotation, and seasonal planting.
Crafting Recipes
Each tier of the Fertilizer Box requires different materials. Higher tiers use rarer resources that reflect their increased power.
Tier | Key Materials | Crafting Station |
|---|---|---|
Tier I | Wood x10, Stone x5, Fiber x8 | Worktable I |
Tier II | Hardwood x8, Copper Sheet x2, Compost x5 | Worktable I |
Tier III | Hardwood Plank x6, Iron Sheet x3, Organic Matter x10 | Worktable II |
Tier IV | Refined Plank x8, Gold Sheet x2, Enriched Compost x8 | Worktable II |
Tier V | Ancient Wood x6, Primorite Sheet x2, Spirit Essence x4 | Worktable III |
How to Use
Place the Fertilizer Box on your Hopeland property.
Load organic input materials into the box (weeds, crop scraps, animal manure, compost).
Wait for the processing timer to complete. Higher-tier boxes process faster.
Collect the finished fertilizer from the output slot.
Apply the fertilizer to crop plots by interacting with the plot while holding the fertilizer.
Each Fertilizer Box processes one batch of fertilizer at a time. The input materials vary by tier, with higher-tier boxes requiring more refined organic inputs. You can run multiple Fertilizer Boxes simultaneously to increase your fertilizer stockpile.
Input Materials by Tier
Different tiers accept different input materials. Lower tiers accept common organic waste, while higher tiers require processed or enriched inputs.
Tier | Accepted Inputs | Output per Batch |
|---|---|---|
Tier I | Weeds, Grass Clippings, Rotten Crops | 3 Basic Fertilizer |
Tier II | Compost, Crop Scraps, Animal Manure | 3 Standard Fertilizer |
Tier III | Enriched Compost, Quality Crop Scraps | 2 Quality Fertilizer |
Tier IV | Premium Organic Matter, Rare Mushroom Compost | 2 Premium Fertilizer |
Tier V | Spirit-Infused Compost, Ancient Organic Matter | 1 Supreme Fertilizer |
Note that higher-tier fertilizer is produced in smaller quantities per batch. This is balanced by the dramatically higher GMAX percentages. One application of Supreme Fertilizer at 70% GMAX chance is worth far more than several applications of Basic Fertilizer at 0%.
GMAX Crops Integration
The Fertilizer Box is the primary tool for producing Gmax Crops. Gmax Crops are oversized versions of standard crops that appear as visually larger plants in the field. They provide more harvest items, sell for higher prices, and are required for certain advanced cooking recipes.
The GMAX chance from fertilizer stacks with other GMAX modifiers:
GMAX Modifier | Bonus | Source |
|---|---|---|
Fertilizer (Tier V) | Up to 70% | Fertilizer Box |
Crop quality seeds | 5-15% | Seed quality from harvesting with care |
Golden Soil plots | 10% | Special crop plots unlocked at Master Farmer |
Seasonal alignment | 5% | Planting crops in their preferred season |
With Tier V fertilizer, quality seeds, Golden Soil, and seasonal alignment combined, it is possible to achieve near-100% GMAX rates on every crop cycle. This makes the Fertilizer Box the centerpiece of any optimized farming operation.
Placement and Layout
Place the Fertilizer Box near your crop fields for convenience. Since you need to collect fertilizer and apply it to plots frequently, minimizing travel distance saves time. Many players create a dedicated farming station area with the Fertilizer Box, a compost bin, seed storage, and crafting stations all clustered together.
You can own multiple Fertilizer Boxes of any tier simultaneously. Running a Tier III and a Tier V box at the same time lets you use Quality Fertilizer on less important crops while reserving Supreme Fertilizer for your most valuable harvests.
Yield Fertilizer for Small-Plot Farming
One of the most effective strategies for the Fertilizer Box is concentrating high-tier yield fertilizer on intentionally small plots. Rather than spreading low-quality fertilizer across a large farm, experienced players keep their garden beds compact and apply Tier 4 or Tier 5 fertilizer to maximize output per plant.
With Tier 4-5 fertilizer, a small strawberry bed can produce around 60 strawberries, and a patch of 10-12 plants can yield approximately 250 fruit. This concentrated approach produces more total crops with less land, fewer sprinklers, and less daily maintenance.
The key ingredients for top-tier fertilizer production are Silver Poop and Gold Poop, which require maxed-out ranching Workpedia skills. Plan your profession progression to unlock these drops before committing to a small-plot, high-fertilizer farming strategy.
Tips
Start with a Tier I box as soon as you unlock it. Even Basic Fertilizer with no GMAX bonus still speeds up crop growth, which means faster harvests and more planting cycles per season.
Save organic waste materials from the start. Weeds, crop scraps, and rotten crops all have value as fertilizer inputs. Do not sell or discard them.
The biggest power spike is Tier IV (35% GMAX). Prioritize farming profession progression to unlock it as quickly as possible.
Use Tier V fertilizer exclusively on high-value crops like Starfruit, Golden Pumpkin, or crops needed for cooking recipes. Using Supreme Fertilizer on common crops like Turnips wastes the GMAX bonus.
Combine fertilizer with proper sprinkler coverage for a fully automated farm. Sprinklers handle watering while fertilizer handles quality.
Keep a stockpile of fertilizer before each growing season begins. Running out mid-season means some crops will miss the GMAX bonus entirely.
Check the GMAX chance on each crop plot before planting. The tooltip shows the total GMAX percentage from all active modifiers.