As we approach the release date of Seasons 19, we will be deep diving into the various new and improved gameplay mechanics that the mod introduces. Today we will talk about weeds.
Weeds will sprout on untreated fields as soon as the soil temperature is high enough. Default soil temperature for weed germination is 4 degrees Celsius, but this can be changed by a GEO mod, or a custom map. This means that weeds can appear on your fields during cultivation and seeding operations, before your crop has started to grow.
Weeds grow in clumps randomly and the yield is only impacted on patches where the weeds are visible. The rest of the field is not impacted. You can confirm this by using the field info window.
Initially weeds are small and can be removed by a mechanical weeder, or by spraying, but they will mature when the soil temperature reaches around 12 degrees. Mature weeds can only be killed by spraying. Spraying not only kills all weeds but also has a preemptive effect. Once a field is sprayed it will not grow more weeds, until it is harvested, because default in-game mechanics plant weeds every time the player harvests a field. Weeds will wither and die when the soil temperature is below 0 degrees Celsius. The preemptive effect means that players can spray their field even before seeding and before any weeds are visible to safeguard against weed related yield losses.
Weed growth is completely organic and not directed by the growth file, so there is no extra work required for GEO makers. However, you can customise the soil temperatures to control when weeds sprout, mature and wither. We will release further and more detailed information about converting your GEO mods to the Seasons 19 format in the near future.