This is a decision table -- not a calculator. It tells you what strain to make at each game stage based on available ingredients, equipment, and automation level. For per-unit profit numbers on each recipe, cross-reference with the recipe profit rankings.
Decision Table: What To Make At Each Stage
| Game Stage | Rank | Best Strain | Ingredients | Equipment Needed | Sell Price | Profit Per Unit | Profit Per Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tutorial | Fresh Start | OG Kush (raw) | None (grow from seed) | 1 pot, soil | $28-32 | ~$18-22 | ~$36-44 |
| Early I | Hoodlum I | Sweet Fruit (3-mix) | OG Kush + Banana + Cuke | 2 pots, 1 Mixing Station | $68-75 | ~$60-69 | ~$120-138 |
| Early II | Hoodlum III-V | Ocean OG (4-mix) | OG Kush + Cuke + Motor Oil + Battery | 2 pots, 2 Mixing Stations | $145-155 | ~$130-143 | ~$260-286 |
| Mid I | Hustler I-II | Grandmaster Kush (4-mix) | OG Kush + Horse Semen + Mega Bean + Gasoline | 4 pots, 2 Mixing Stations | $165-175 | ~$145-160 | ~$580-640 |
| Mid II | Hustler III-Peddler | Gorilla Mix (4-mix) | OG Kush + Horse Semen + Mega Bean + Donut | 4 pots, 2 Mixing Stations, Bungalow | $150-160 | ~$132-145 | ~$528-580 |
| Late Mid | Dealer-Hoodlum V | Premium Cocaine 4-mix | Coca seeds + 3 premium additives | 4 pots (coca), 2 Mixing Stations | $200-250 | ~$130-180 | ~$520-720 |
| Late I | Hoodlum V | Crystal 6-mix | Pseudo + Iodine + 4 additives | Lab oven, 4 Mixing Stations | $350-400 | ~$200-280 | ~$800-1,120 |
| Late II | Kingpin I | Cocaine 8-mix | Coca + 7 premium ingredients | 5 Mixing Stations, Barn | $600-650 | ~$380-470 | ~$2,280-2,820 |
| Endgame | Kingpin III-V | God Mix (Cocaine 9-mix) | Coca + 8 premium ingredients | 5 Mixing Stations, Warehouse | $717 | ~$467-517 | ~$2,802-3,102 |
Once you know what to make, see the Bungalow workshop guide for how to automate production at each stage.
Source: Data cross-referenced from PC Gamer best mixing recipes (April 2026), Reddit highest profit strains thread (May 2025), Steam Community mixing database, and Fandom Wiki.
Where To Get Ingredients By Stage
| Ingredient | Early Game | Mid Game | Late Game | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OG Kush seed | Albert Hoover ($10) | Albert Hoover | Albert Hoover (Delivery) | Available from start |
| Green Crack seed | N/A (too expensive) | Albert Hoover ($20) | Albert Hoover | Hustler rank |
| Sour Diesel seed | N/A | Albert Hoover ($35) | Albert Hoover | Peddler rank |
| Banana | Gas station ($2) | Gas station | Gas station | Always available |
| Cuke | Gas station ($3) | Gas station | Gas station | Always available |
| Battery | N/A (save money) | Dan's Hardware ($10) | Dan's Hardware | Mid-game purchase |
| Motor Oil | N/A | Gas station ($8) | Gas station | Mid-game |
| Gasoline | N/A | Gas station ($12) | Gas station | Mid-game |
| Horse Semen | N/A | Motel NPC ($20) | Motel NPC | Unlock at Hoodlum |
| Mega Bean | N/A | Motel NPC ($25) | Motel NPC | Unlock at Hoodlum |
| Donut | N/A | Convenience store ($5) | Convenience store | Mid-game |
| Paracetamol | N/A | Pharmacy/Supplier ($15) | Supplier | Mid-game |
| Pseudo | N/A | Shirley Watts ($70) | Shirley Watts (Delivery) | Unlock Shirley Watts |
| Coca seed | N/A | N/A | Salvador Moreno ($50-80) | Enforcer+ rank |
| Iodine | N/A | N/A | Pharmacy ($15) | Late game |
Expected Profit Per Harvest
This table assumes 4 pots (mid-game) or 8 pots (late-game) and accounts for growth time.
| Strain | Growth Time | Yield Per Harvest | Sell Price | Gross Profit | Net Profit (After Costs) | Profit Per In-Game Hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OG Kush (raw) | ~6 hrs | 2 units | $30 | $60 | ~$40 (seed+soil) | ~$6.7/hr |
| Sweet Fruit | ~6 hrs | 2 units | $71 | $142 | ~$128 | ~$21.3/hr |
| Ocean OG | ~6 hrs | 2 units | $150 | $300 | ~$274 | ~$45.7/hr |
| Grandmaster Kush | ~6 hrs | 4 units | $170 | $680 | ~$612 | ~$102/hr |
| Cocaine 4-mix | ~8 hrs | 4 units | $225 | $900 | ~$580 | ~$72.5/hr |
| Crystal 6-mix | ~4 hrs (lab) | 6 units | $375 | $2,250 | ~$1,440 | ~$360/hr |
| Cocaine 8-mix | ~8 hrs | 6 units | $625 | $3,750 | ~$2,550 | ~$318.8/hr |
| God Mix | ~8 hrs | 6 units | $717 | $4,302 | ~$2,952 | ~$369/hr |
Crystal 6-mix has the best profit per in-game hour ($360/hr) of any non-endgame product because meth production in the lab oven is much faster than plant growth. If you've unlocked Shirley Watts and have a lab setup, Crystal 6-mix out-earns even Cocaine 8-mix on a per-hour basis. The trade-off: meth requires constant Pseudo supply, which means more Dead Drop management.
Decision Matrix: What To Automate
| Automation Level | Property | Best Product To Automate | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| None (manual) | RV | Sweet Fruit 3-mix | Low ingredient count, cheap setup |
| Partial (3 employees) | Bungalow | Grandmaster Kush 4-mix | 2 stations, low cost ingredients, high margin |
| Full (8-10 employees) | Barn | Cocaine 4-mix + Grandmaster Kush | Dual production line; one per floor |
| Mega (12-16 employees) | Warehouse | Cocaine 8-mix | Max production capacity |
| Max (16+ employees) | Manor | God Mix 9-mix | Absolute maximum profit |
Practical Example
You're at Hustler II with $20,000 saved. You have the Bungalow, 2 Mixing Stations, and access to Albert Hoover (Delivery unlocked) and the Motel NPC for Horse Semen and Mega Bean.
Current situation: You're making Ocean OG ($150/unit) with Cuke, Motor Oil, and Battery.
Optimization: Switch to Grandmaster Kush (OG Kush + Horse Semen + Mega Bean + Gasoline).
Why:
- Same 2 stations, same 4 ingredients
- Sell price jumps from $150 to $170 (13% increase)
- Horse Semen ($20) + Mega Bean ($25) + Gasoline ($12) = $57 ingredient cost per batch
- But you need only 1 of each per mix, and each batch creates multiple units
- Net profit per unit increases from $137 to ~$153
Result: ~$90 extra per harvest cycle with zero additional equipment cost. Over 10 harvest cycles: ~$900 extra profit.
For the full ranked list of community-discovered strains, see Top 10 Community Custom Strains By Profit.
Related Guides
- Top 10 Community Custom Strains By Profit -- ranked with ingredient lists
- Product Quality vs Price Guide -- how quality affects strain value
- Manual vs Automation ROI Comparison -- when to scale up production
- Profit Rankings -- full per-unit profit for every strain tier
- Triple Dollar Strain -- the easiest high-value strain to calculate first
- Bungalow Setup -- which property to use for each growth stage
Community Verification & Resources
Data values may shift with patches. Cross-check against community resources before building your strategy.