Rust genetics calculator
Type the six genes of your centre plant and its neighbours (G, Y, H, W, X). This shows slot by slot which genes get overwritten and which hold, so you can plan a planter instead of guessing at it.
How crossbreeding resolves
Each of the six slots is settled independently. Every neighbouring plant contributes a vote at that slot, and identical genes stack: the good genes (G growth, Y yield, H hardiness) carry a weight of 0.6 each, while the bad ones (W water, X empty) carry a full 1.0. The heaviest gene wins, but only if it strictly beats the centre plant's own gene — a tie means the centre keeps what it had.
That weighting is the whole reason bad genes feel sticky. A single W or X neighbour outweighs a single G, so one careless plant can push its junk into your line. To overwrite one red gene you need two matching greens in that slot — 1.2 against 1.0 — which is why serious breeding uses several identical donors rather than one good plant.
Once you get a plant you like, clone it. Clones copy all six genes exactly and keep them in order, so a good genotype is permanent the moment you take cuttings — and a cloned plant only changes if you replant it next to something that outvotes it. Most players target GGGYYY for the best throughput, or all-G for speed and all-Y for raw harvest size.
An honest note on the numbers
Facepunch has never published this algorithm. The 0.6 and 1.0 weights come from community reverse-engineering and are consistent across the main Rust genetics resources, but they are not official, and sources disagree on whether diagonal planters count as neighbours — some say only the four orthogonal ones influence a plant, others include all eight. Enter whichever plants your layout actually treats as neighbours, and treat the prediction as a strong estimate rather than gospel.
Questions
What do the letters mean?
G is growth rate, Y is increased yield, H is hardiness — those three are the good ones. W is increased water intake and X is an empty slot; both are bad and both are heavier in a crossbreed, which is what makes them hard to remove.
Why didn't my good gene take over?
Almost always weight. One green gene at 0.6 loses to one red at 1.0, and a tie leaves the centre plant unchanged. You need two neighbours carrying the same good gene in that slot to reach 1.2 and beat a red.
What's the best genotype to aim for?
GGGYYY is the usual target — growth speed and yield balanced for the most harvest over time. Pure GGGGGG cycles fastest, pure YYYYYY gives the biggest single harvest. H only matters for plants you intend to eat.
Do clones keep their genes?
Yes, exactly, and in the same order. Cloning is how you lock in a good plant — once you have a genotype you want, take cuttings and you never have to roll for it again.
Do diagonal planters count as neighbours?
Community sources disagree, and this is the one genuinely unsettled part of the mechanic. This calculator lets you decide: enter the plants your layout treats as neighbours. If you're unsure, run it both ways and see whether the outcome even changes.