I Need Help Growing Perfect Plants

[jmz95]

So, right about now I feel like the biggest idiot and here's why. Since I have never taken gardening past the first few stages, I have no idea what it's like to grow Perfect quality plants. In the Perfectly Happy Challenge, my Green Thumb and Super Green Thumb sim has several varieties of Outstanding plants, some that have even produced fruit. Now, according to Carl's guide and the Prima guide, a plant should produce fruit of one quality higher than what it actually is. Therefore, my Outstanding plants should produce Perfect fruit, right? Can anyone explain what is going on?

As a note, the fruit I planted was Excellent Quality which increased to Outstanding with the Super Green Thumb. The plants are unfertilized, since I figured it'd be a waste.

[wildredchild]

Fertilization is never a waste as that is what makes the fruit/veggie you are growing to come up a level.  So your outstanding plants when fertilized will produce Perfect produce.

[jmz95]

Fertilization is never a waste as that is what makes the fruit/veggie you are growing to come up a level.  So your outstanding plants when fertilized will produce Perfect produce.

So why have, in the past, fruits that I never fertilized produce fruit one quality better than what they are?

[Pam]

It sounds like you're on the right track.  Your Outstanding plants should produce Perfect fruits.  When you plant those fruits, you'll get Perfect plants.  Fertilizer is not a waste, especially if you work your way up to the higher grade fertilizers.  Also, as a Green Thumb, your Sim can talk to plants.  That will also bump the fruits produced up a level.  Read Carl's Guide about fertilizer to learn more about it.  http://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/skills/gardening/fertilizer.php

And here's the link to the perfect plant section:  http://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/skills/gardening/perfect-plants.php

[jmz95]

It sounds like you're on the right track.  Your Outstanding plants should produce Perfect fruits.  When you plant those fruits, you'll get Perfect plants.  Fertilizer is not a waste, especially if you work your way up to the higher grade fertilizers.  Also, as a Green Thumb, your Sim can talk to plants.  That will also bump the fruits produced up a level.  Read Carl's Guide about fertilizer to learn more about it.  http://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/skills/gardening/fertilizer.php

And here's the link to the perfect plant section:  http://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/skills/gardening/perfect-plants.php

Okay, I've looked extensively into these sections before I started this challenge, and when I realized my problem, I rechecked them. I have talked to the plants but do I really need to fertilize my Outstanding plants for them to produce Perfect produce? According to the Green Thumb trait, and the Super Green Thumb reward, these plants should have produced Perfect quality fruits, no problem. If I need to fertilize them, I don't have much of a problem with that. Its just I wanted to save my fertilizer for other plants, not my lettuce, tomatoes, and apples 

[Pam]

Your plants should produce one level higher fruit even without fertilizing.  I believe fertilizer helps with growing times and the amount of the harvest.

[jmz95]

Your plants should produce one level higher fruit even without fertilizing.  I believe fertilizer helps with growing times and the amount of the harvest.

Exactly my point in my original post. They are Outstanding quality plants that make outstanding quality produce, not Perfect like I expected.

Edit: By the way, my sim is a level 10 gardener.

[e^(pi*i)]

Your plants should produce one level higher fruit even without fertilizing.  I believe fertilizer helps with growing times and the amount of the harvest.

Exactly my point in my original post. They are Outstanding quality plants that make outstanding quality produce, not Perfect like I expected.

Edit: By the way, my sim is a level 10 gardener.

The only thing I can think of is that you're neglecting them.

Are you not watering/weeding them every day?

[Pam]

I'm playing the nectar challenge right now and there's a lot of gardening.  I just noticed the same thing with one of my plants.  It's an Outstanding plant and the fruit is also Outstanding.  Maybe fertilizer does help with quality.  It's possible that it's changed recently.  Electronic Arts continously makes small changes that we don't notice right away.  Try using fertilizer and talking to the plants, especially when it's just a sprout.  I've seen talking to the plant make an enormous difference in the quality of the young plant and the harvestable fruits.

[ik]

My plants produce fruit of the same quality as often as they produce fruit one quality better. There seem to be several factors involved, including i suspect a good bit of random that boosts the fruit quality or not. But if you plant something with super green thumb you should always come up with a plant one quality grade better than whatever you planted, so just take your outstanding fruits and plant them once more, and you will have perfect quality plants that grow perfect quality fruit regularly.

[DLSpurlock]

I have a question about talking to plants. Do you have to talk to them once, more than once, or once a day to get the upgrade effect?

Dave

[Pam]

I think once a day is sufficient for talking to a plant.

[jmz95]

Okay, let me clear this up for some people as there have been several replies to my question that, to me, seem to imply that I'm being very stupid.
1. Every morning, I click "Tend Garden" which weeds, waters, and harvests any plants where one of those three things is applicable
2. This is the first time that I have noticed the plants not producing produce one quality higher than the plant
3. I have talked to the plants

So, I am doing everything correct as far as I can see, I'm just wondering if this is normal and there is some randomness to getting a Perfect fruit from an Outstanding plant.

P.S. Just saying e^(pi*i), your comment kind of sounding to me like you were implying that I was being really stupid and not taking care of my plants. I'm pretty certain that's not at all what you meant, but sometimes I can be quite cynical and a comment like that just totally blows me off.

[Draigh]

I harvested from plants and got several different fruits. Both of equal, higher and (rarely) lower quality of the plant. Mostly higher though.
So I do think a certain random factor is involved.

You might want to check if you need to water your plants again in the evening. Some of them need more water.
Or buy and upgrade a sprinkler. Saves some time in the whole watering department at the least.

(If it seems like people think you are stupid, that would be more based on us simply not knowing what else it could be. We're probably forgetting something ourselves. )

[Pam]

My last suggestion would be to plant a new plant and see if it will bump up to perfect fruit.  I've had to do that a few times.

Also, with the sprinklers, you don't have to upgrade them to use them.  I turn mine on and just leave them on all the time.  It doesn't hurt anything and it's kind of pretty.