The plant refinery: A strategy guide to time reducing, tools and artisan drops.

There's a new addition, Perhaps the most important for those who know how to work with refinements but lost focus.
It's in "Strategies, hints and suggestions". Look for in the contents (also a new addition).
It's somehow very helpful to all new players and to many long-time players, too!

@ Mir and d5aisy
I couldn't explain better myself, Mir about artisan drops. And I would totally agree with your logical reasoning if there wasn't a "tiny" detail: The lack of logic reason about artisan drops enhancement!
You see, Pretzel and Obatzda recipes (to the name the few I can remember the name) have an increase of 10% on salt and sugar. Unfortunately, I never saw salt or sugar increasing in a way that they would be most of the times the higher type of artisan drop "dropped". In most of the cases of my experiments, they aren't.
With the artisan refinements, it is the same feeling. More often than not, they aren't the highest drop of artisan drops. And they're supposed to be, since it increases the rate by 15% or 20% (better than the recipes). I only see visible drops when I use Beady-eye Jelly and Venus Fly-feast, too.
For me, this defies logic and make it very expensive...

 

Section 7 should be required reading for every player new to refinements. I didn't know much of that myself! I may opt for working on roses as they can usually be purchased for a reasonable price (watch that change because of this comment, lol). I dabbled in refinements early on and have even placed one in a slot but it's been so long, I can't even remember which one.

Thanks, Arrouquelas!

 

The good thing is that the hammer refinement for strawberries doesn't have any negative effects I can totally understand about the "growing hammers"

 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, d5aisy!
But perhaps the truth lies somewhere between my observations and Mir's? One's hoping!...

You're welcome!
And I'm glad you read and said that!
I think Section 7 is the real conclusion of everything. It was the focus I needed for me to go on refining. Giving importance to what's important and dismiss the irrelevant. Hope anyone can see it in the same way, too. Even if it's through a different method.
And also, I added a new perspective on how to use refining. For those who appreciate more the goodies returned instead of the refinements or crops.
Someone mentioned this perspective in another thread and I thought that it was original and relevant to see refinement from that point of view.
Don't know much about it, but the few things I know, I hope it helps!

 

I do love my Refinements:

 

Artisan Refinements of Sugar and Salt is not that Impressive or can be very disappointing Same goes to Herbals, wires and Mandrakes As There is only 3 Crops That has Refinements of Sugar,Salt, Wires, Herbals and Mandrakes.

The Artisan Refinements is Either 15% or 20% Effectiveness. When you come to actually using it very often you will get less Artisan Drops than you are Hoping.

On Lilies you can get 20% Boost on Sugar. But The Need to use Buff of Beady Eye Jelly (50%) and Obatzda (10%). The Reason Why I Suggest do refinements on Lilles as it also have a refinement of Super Grow Love at 25%. Plus has Early Bloomer at 9% and Water Love at 7.2%

Formula to Boost Your Sugar Drops Using Refinements

You need Seven Basic Requirements....

1. Happy to Use Supergrow to Boost Sugar Drops
2. Prepare to Use Beady Eye Jelly (50%) and Obatzda (10%) (1 Gold Slot and 1 Silver Slot)
3. Prepare to Use White Innocents (10% Effectiveness on Super Grow) (1 Gold Slot)
4. Need to Be At Least Level 60 Farmer to Use Comfort Fields
5. Use to use Refinement of Supergrow at 25% Effectiveness
6. Use of Growth Boost Rune Makes Supergrow at 60% Effectiveness
7. In Plant Refinery Activate Super Grow Love, Water Love and Dropper Sugar

This Gives Supergrow Effectiveness at 95%. But you only Need to Put out 40 Comfort Fields in The Glade. Where Water is Free to use which gives 20% Reduce Growing time so overall is gives 115% Reduce Growing time. But Really it is 100%. Therefore you only need to use 40 Super Grow and Harvest 40 Comfort Fields using Water as well.

Here is some Super Boosters than can really Make a different. But it is a luxury if you got these too,

• Max out Your Crop Trophy as High as you can
• Max out Your Animal Trophy as High as you can
• Use Howie Donuts in the Glade if you have Them. Each Howie Donut gives up to 5% More Drops Each
• Put Out Any Sugar Trees That you May Have. Only Activate Beady Eye Jelly and Obatzda. When these Trees ready to Harvest.
• Use The Sugar Trees Around the Comfort Fields
• Before Using Comfort Fields Make Sure that you have White Innocents Activated Before Using Supergrow

The Reason Why I suggest using Comfort Fields, statistically Crops in Comfort Fields Takes 4 Times Longer to Grow. But Using Supergrow Based on the Above Method. You significantly reduce the Growing time to Instantly

While The Buffs are running if you can Afford or Happy to Use More Supergrow Then you can repeat the Process

 

Really? The "Raspberry girl" was you?? I had no idea!!

@Mooboy: Your strategy is a great one!
Unfortunately, those two refinements (SG and sugar) are the only ones I'm missing on Lilies...
And, pssst, there's a flaw on your reasoning. You don't add effectiveness like that.
Think of event plants. You use SG on starter seeds, right? You probably use White Innocence and Fruit cake which is 75% for SG. If you add water and manure it would be 75 + 20 + 10 = 105% from your reasoning... When did you see a starter seed be ready to harvest instantly?

 

Indeed it was, well.. stilll is to be honest. Like I explained in my original post back in 2013 most "Positives" are equaled out by "negatives"; gain 7,2% on water, loose 7,2 on water, but the EB refinements are fantastic (roses and raspberries have about the same time 10-ish hours) + you have a 500 (edit:700) more chance to get scissors when harvesting.
Arq, this is an amazing addition to the forum! Thank you so very much!

Edit 20th March:
Hello Arq! Still in love with your thread but I have some issues. You state that never do the Lvl3 refinements, highest amount of crops one, but I have to disagree! I've always done nr 3 and results are amazing! This past week I've stayed on Lvl 1 (for crop squeres, artichokes, carnations and roses) and I've earned one (yes 1) refinement all week! While the third might take more time and resorses, it also yields a better reward

 

I have taken the plunge and started to potter in the Greenhouse. Although I said I would wait for this farm, I decided to do both farms at the same time. I am starting with Roses and have tried to take in the huge amount of information you have supplied Arq. I really do appreciate all that work. It will take me more than a few days to really grapple with all those facts but I have grasped several important points (I hope!). On Illy I have managed to get Brain Food (+11.5% EP) which I hesitated over keeping but decided to ... then read your advice to never refuse a positive refinement! Yay I did right to keep it! Great strategy to avoid wasting crops if this came back again and again!

Just waiting for my next researches to finish. I am still a novice but I can really see the point of it now, which I didn't before. Just saw those huge amounts of crops required. But, little by little, I will work my way through the important ones.

Thanks again, Arrouquelas!

Edit: Head slap moment! I need to keep all refinements that I gain, negative as well as positive. Then it will eliminate them from further researches! Giving me more chance of getting the required refinements - I just keep them but don't place them! DOH! Silly me!

 

Hi Chevrefeuille/Illy1996

I have been doing Refinements for over a year. Try Keep My Refinements going all the time. I have Completed a fair amount of Refined Crops. This Means There is Only about 3 or 4 or 5 Refinements that is Really Effective Using Water, Manure, SuperGrow and Better Tool Drops.

Once I have got the refinements I am Seeking. Then I move onto Next Crop I want to Refine. There is still Few More to Do as i am trying to finish off Refining Tomatoes and Lady Bedstraws.

Roses was one of the first refinements i did as The Supergrow refinements of Roses was most impressive when used in conjunction with Supergrow Boosting Cloud Row and Also Use White Innocents Buff. If you use refined Roses using Comfort Fields. These Crops can Be harvested instantly.

This is Very Effective Way to Boost Shortage of Event Drops, during an Event, such a Late Start to an Event or Not able to Boost Event Drops Prior to an Event or Unable to harvest your farm during an Event due to Real Life or Internet Problems....

I will be working on Higher Crops with a high Reduce Time Refinements of Water, Manure or SuperGrow. As Need to Find Refinements that can Boost the Chances of Drip Tanks. I Believe it will Be More Effective to use these Refinements using Comfort Fields.As I intend you use my Howie Donuts too. Will Add these outcomes to this Thread in Due Course

When you get a Refinement of any Crop Keep it than Try Again for the Refinement you really Want ok

 

Thanks to SG bringing up the possibility of earning stars I got my bum in gear and have been doing refinements more regularly for a while now. Only have one left on pumpkins and then I'll switch to lilacs. Have done some on roses over on my other farm long ago, and as soon as I get them I'll be working on them on this one as well.

 

I have been doing roses and have burned through thousands of them and not a new refinement yet...I get EP, CC or 360 roses returned. It reminds me why I stopped trying ages ago.....

 

Probably a silly question, but do you keep all refinements you discover or do you discard the ones you don't want to use? Your chances to get the one you want increases if you keep them all as you find them (even if you don't put them in a slot for active use), so you don't have to discover the same ones again and again.

 

I have 4 of the 9 refinements for roses. The 2 I would like the most next are: SG love and the DropperPicker arm. I do keep all refinements even if I will never use them. I also only use the small pots (400 plants) but cannot land on anything except EP, CC, and plants back. I know it takes time...but the amount of resources being used up is getting really high with no progress. I would even be happy to get a refinement I don't want just to narrow things down.

 

pnp, I would try bigger pots. It is stated in the FAQ that there is a very small chance of finding a refinement with the small pots.

 

I agree with Mir. After months of trying, I finally got all the rose refinements. I found I got the best results using medium pots. Good luck!

 

Thanks...I will try that. I now have a medium pot going....

 

I always use medium too. Don't remember how long it took with the roses on other farm, but with pumpkins on this one it's only taken me a few weeks to get all but one refinement.

 

I have had a shot at all the pots: on this farm I have got the SG Love but I don't understand why it says that I have I have a chance-of increased effectiveness of SG, a chance of using two SG instead of one and a chance of a decreased EP. Can any of these occur or am I missing something (as usual!).

On Illy, I have got three refinements: Brain Food, Early Bloomer and DropperSS, all positive ones so far. Two or three more like these and I will be ready to move on to something else.

I did buy a few roses to play with but if I do it bit by bit, it won't break the bank or deplete my not very great stock of crops lol!

 

SG Love for roses will always improve super grow effectiveness by 20%, and will always also decrease EP by 10.5%, but there is also a 1.8% chance that it will use 2 super grow per plot. It's one of those taking the good with the bad refinements. At least there's only a small chance that it will use extra SG.