Watering Can
The watering can is a core farming tool in Starsand Island. It waters tilled soil so that planted crops can grow. Every farmer starts with the Wooden Watering Can during the tutorial and can upgrade through additional tiers as they progress through the Farmer profession and Crafter profession certifications. The area covered per pour increases with each tier, making daily crop maintenance faster and less tedious.
While watering cans are essential in the early game, they are eventually replaced by sprinklers, which automate watering entirely. The base Sprinkler actually requires a Bronze Watering Can as a crafting ingredient, so upgrading your watering can is a necessary step on the path to full irrigation automation.
How Watering Works
To water crops, you first need to fill your watering can at a water source. Valid refill points include the Hand Pump on your farm, natural ponds, rivers, and wells found around the island. Once filled, hold the use button near tilled soil to pour water onto your crops. The watering animation fills a small meter; once the meter completes, the tile is watered.
An important detail that many new players miss: the acts of planting seeds, watering crops, and harvesting do not cost stamina. Stamina is only consumed when refilling the watering can at a water source and when clearing land (chopping trees, breaking rocks). This means the main cost of manual watering is the time spent walking between your crops and the nearest water source, not the stamina drain.
Crops need to be watered regularly. Their soil tiles dry out over time, and unwatered crops grow more slowly or may wilt. You should check your farm at least once per day and water any dry tiles to keep your crops on schedule.
Watering Can Tiers
There are three watering can tiers in Starsand Island. Each tier is crafted at a progressively higher Worktable and covers a wider area per pour. Blueprints for upgraded watering cans are purchased at the Happiness Seed Shop run by Graminova.
Tier | Materials | Blueprint Source | Worktable | Watering Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
5 Softwood | Tutorial (Graminova) | 1 tile | ||
Bronze Watering Can | 20 Copper + 1 Wooden Watering Can | Happiness Seed Shop (400 Coins) | 1x3 line | |
Cosmos Watering Can | Endgame materials (exact recipe varies by game version) | Wide area |
The Cosmos Watering Can is the highest-tier watering tool in the game. It is crafted at Worktable III using endgame materials and covers a wide area with each pour. Because Starsand Island is still in Early Access, the exact crafting recipe may change between updates.
Wooden Watering Can
The Wooden Watering Can is the first watering tool you receive. Graminova gives you the blueprint during the Apprentice Farmer tutorial quest (Sprouting Hope). It costs just 5 Softwood to craft at a Worktable I, making it available within your first few minutes of gameplay.
Watering area: 1 tile per pour
Water capacity: Limited; requires frequent refills at a Hand Pump, pond, river, or well
Best for: The first few in-game days before you can afford the Bronze upgrade
The Wooden Watering Can gets the job done for a small starter farm, but its single-tile coverage becomes painfully slow once your crop plot grows beyond a handful of tiles. Upgrading to the Bronze Watering Can should be a priority as soon as you have the Copper.
Bronze Watering Can
The Bronze Watering Can is a significant upgrade over the wooden version. Its blueprint costs 400 Coins at the Happiness Seed Shop and requires Junior Farmer certification to purchase. Crafting it at a Worktable II takes 20 Copper and 1 Wooden Watering Can.
Watering area: 1x3 line (three tiles in a row per pour)
Water capacity: Larger tank; holds more water before needing a refill
Key ingredient: Required to craft the base Sprinkler
The jump from one tile to a 1x3 line triples your watering efficiency. If you plant your crops in neat rows (which you should), the Bronze Watering Can lets you water an entire row in just a few passes. It also holds more water per fill, reducing trips back to the Hand Pump.
Keep in mind that the Bronze Watering Can is a required crafting ingredient for the base Sprinkler. Once you build your first Sprinkler, you will lose the Bronze Watering Can. Plan ahead: if your farm is large enough to need multiple sprinklers, you may want to craft a second Bronze Watering Can as a backup for manual watering while you save up for more sprinklers.
Cosmos Watering Can
The Cosmos Watering Can is the endgame watering tool crafted at Worktable III. It has a distinctive otherworldly design, holds a large amount of water, and covers a wide area with each pour. For players who have not yet fully transitioned to sprinkler-based irrigation, the Cosmos Watering Can makes manual watering fast enough that it becomes a quick daily routine rather than a chore.
By the time you can craft the Cosmos Watering Can, you likely already have access to high-tier sprinklers. Its main use case is watering outlying tiles that sit outside your sprinkler grid, supplementing automation on irregularly shaped farm plots, or serving as a backup if you are still building out your sprinkler network.
Upgrade Path
The watering can upgrade chain feeds directly into the sprinkler progression. Understanding this connection helps you plan your material spending:
Craft the Wooden Watering Can (5 Softwood) during the Apprentice Farmer tutorial.
Buy the Bronze Watering Can blueprint (400 Coins) at the Happiness Seed Shop once you reach Junior Farmer.
Craft the Bronze Watering Can (20 Copper + 1 Wooden Watering Can) at Worktable II.
Reach Intermediate Farmer and buy the Sprinkler blueprint (1,500 Coins) from the Happiness Seed Shop.
Craft the Sprinkler (5 Hardwood Planks + 4 Iron Nails + 4 Bronze + 1 Bronze Watering Can) at Worktable II. This consumes your Bronze Watering Can.
Continue upgrading through Sprinkler I, Sprinkler II, Pressurized Sprinkler, and Sprinkler III as you reach higher Farmer and Crafter ranks.
Separately, the Cosmos Watering Can can be crafted at Worktable III for players who want the best manual watering tool. It does not feed into the sprinkler chain.
Tips
Plant in rows. The Bronze Watering Can waters a 1x3 line, so planting in straight rows means you can water three tiles with every pour. Align your rows with the watering direction for maximum efficiency.
Place your Hand Pump centrally. The biggest time sink with watering cans is walking back to refill. Put your Hand Pump in the center of your farm so the walk is short from every corner.
Rush Intermediate Farmer. The base Sprinkler unlocks at Intermediate Farmer and eliminates manual watering for most of your crops. Focus your early farming XP on reaching this milestone as fast as possible.
Keep a spare Bronze Watering Can. Building a Sprinkler consumes your Bronze Watering Can. If you still have crops outside sprinkler range, craft a second one before converting the first into a Sprinkler.
Advance Crafting alongside Farming. Sprinklers and the Cosmos Watering Can both require higher-tier Worktables, which unlock through the Crafter profession. Level Crafting in parallel with Farming so you are not bottlenecked when the blueprints become available.
Watering does not cost stamina. Only refilling the can drains stamina, so do not skip watering just because your stamina bar is low. Walk to the pump, fill up, and water your crops before spending stamina on other tasks.