Cultivating is a must for an apothecarist. This is one of the gathering skills that you can use an even rank 1 alt to pot your plants. It is fairly easy to follow and i find it very fun!

You get 4 plots to plant your seeds. Which first one is default when you learn the skill but other 3 are unlocked as you get to levels 50 - 100 etc.

The most downside of the skill is waiting game. Especially when you have only 1 plot to play with. It is a minigame when you get your plots accessable.

There are 2 main types of seeds. Plants & fungi. As you can see it from the pattern of your plot changing as you plant one.

It is a mini game as it is time based. Each seed has its personal timer. Some seeds can be around 2-3 mins to complete where some can vary upto 9 minutes.

After you plant your seed into your crafting window, the mini game will start. There are 3 stages of plant-growing.

1.Adding soil.
2.Watering it.
3.Adding neutritians.

Again all those 3 stages uses items can be bought vendor to found from other gathering skills. Soil, watering can and neutritians can be found via scavanging the most and also obtainable from PQs.

The quality of these 3 items you use will effect the outcome of your plants. You can sometimes get the seed of the plant you grow or you can end up having a higher level seed from it, along with a successfull herb and additionally you may end up having a sub product to be used in dye making. Also you may fail and get a useless weed to vendor.

And about seeds.

You can obtain some level 1 seeds from vendor with your other tools.

Though ranks of these seeds so far I had seen goes : 1-9-15-25-27-45-50 ... etc.

1 -> 50 is basically comes from tier 1 areas. It jumps to 50 as you move to tier 2. So I ll suggest keeping every you find otherwise you get a C.Block about around 25. And then around at 50->75.