In Beta I mostly just stayed away from the brown columns of the skills periodic table because I found it so confusing trying to figure out which plant-related skills did what. There were some for plants and trees, others for crops (aren't crops plants?), and wait, another whole set of skills also for plants and trees?
Well, yesterday I sat down and made myself a list of every skill and what it does, along with the prerequisites for each skill and the other skills each skill is a prerequisite for. I finally understand the mystery of the plants! It was also just generally helpful for mapping out what skills I want to learn next and what skills I'll need to learn first.
For the record (and I think this is what was causing most of my confusion): "Plants and trees" refers to what I think of as "trees": Bean trees, fruit trees, bubble trees, wood trees, gas plants, spice plants, and paper trees. It does NOT refer to what you grow in the plots in your garden (like potatoes, corn, spinach, etc.). Those are "crops." And then of course "herbs" refers to the other things you can grow in your garden, but only if you have an herb garden. "Herbs" are things like rookswort and purple.
This is not the fanciest chart, but hopefully it can be helpful to at least someone besides me. =P This will be totally obscure to someone who is not at all familiar with the game, but it's intended more to clear up the fine distinctions between skills and let you see at a glance (without having to hover over each one) what improvements you get from each advancement along a skill path.
The key:
*PRE = prerequisite (you must learn this other skill before you can learn the skill in question). I have not listed the obvious - you need AK1 before you can learn AK2, for example. Sometimes the prereq is an Achievement rather than a skill.
*NEC = the skill in question is necessary for learning another skill. For example, AK2 is needed before you can learn HK, so in the AK2 description it says "*NEC for HK"
*GIANT NAME = You need to have spent the emblem of this giant before you can learn this skill
SKILLS
AK1 - pig, butterfly, chicken: no fail, faster, less energy
AK2 - more meat, more milk, more grain *NEC for HK
AK3 - chance of large milk/meat/grain bonuses
AK4 - more milk/meat, *NEC for AH
AK5 - no lotion, naming animals
AK6 - no pet, no massage, 2x/day harvest *HUMBABA
AK7 - higher xp, frequent rewards *PRE is HK
HK - capture piggies, free backyard animals, *PRE is SA2, AK2, *NEC for RHK
AH - season & hatch eggs, *PRE is AK4
RHK - automated milk & meat collection, *PRE is HK, AK6
SA1 - dig faster, get loam
SA2 - faster/more xp patch tending, more loam *NEC for G1, HK, Jellisac
SA3 - patch tending mood boost, less wear, bonus items *NEC for Croppery, Bog
SA4 - faster/more xp tending & digging *SPRIGGAN
SA5 - more bonus, more loam, less xp dirt & patches
LGT1 - watering & petting trees: no fail, less time, gain xp
LGT2 - xp/faster watering trees, *NEC for Fruit, Bubble, Spice, Gas
LGT3 - xp/mood watering trees *GRENDALINE
G1 - Harvest trees: 50% greater yield, *PRE is SA2, LGT1
G2 - harvest trees 2x/day, xp for harvest
G3 - less energy, super harvest, bonus from trees *MAB
G4 - super harvest, xp harvest, bonus from trees
G5 - super harvest, bonus from trees
C1 - 2x crop yield, *PRE is SA3, G2
C2 - less energy on crops, super harvest
C3 - mood/xp tending crops, 3x super harvest
B - bean seasoning, poison trees *PRE is SA2, IA
BS - bigger peat yields, *PRE is SA3, *NEC for H1, Fuelmaking
JH - fast/less energy jellisac, *PRE is SA2, *NEC for Fuelmaking
H1 - herb: bonuses, potential double yield herb plant/shuck, *PRE is G2, BS
H2 - herb: bonuses, potential 3x harvest, 2x shuck
G - no fail, faster/less energy to make gas, *PRE is LGT2
FC - no fail, faster/less energy to do fruit change, *PRE is LGT2
SM - no fail, faster/less energy to do spice milling, *PRE is LGT2
BT - no fail, faster/less energy to do bubble tuning, *PRE is LGT2
EZC1 - cutting board, *NEC for C1, B1
EZC2 - new recipes, more efficient, *PRE is Able Chopper (use board 11 times)
C1 - frying pan, *PRE is EZ1, *NEC for Grill, Sauce
C2 - new recipes, more efficient, *PRE is Decent Hash Slinger (use pan 11 times)
C3 - recipes, *NEC for MC1
G1 - grill, *PRE is C1, *NEC for MC1
G2 - new recipes, more efficient, *PRE is Brazier Apprentice (use grill 11 times)
S1 - saucepan, *PRE is C1, *NEC for MC1
S2 - new recipes, more efficient, *PRE is Rolling Boiler (use saucepan 11 times)
B1 - blender/juice, *PRE is EZ1, *NEC for CC1, MC1
B2 - new recipes, more efficient, *PRE is Pulse,Frappe,Mix,Blend (use blender 11 times)
CC1 - cocktail shaker/cocktails, *PRE is B1
CC2 - new recipes, *PRE is Mediocre Mixologist (use shaker 11 times), *FRIENDLY
MC1 - Awesome pot, *PRE is S1, B1, G1, C3
MC2 - new recipes, more efficient, *PRE is 1-Star Cuisinartist (use pot 11 times) *POT
EH - allows elemental pouch, *NEC for A1, R1
A1 - test tube elements into compounds, *PRE is EH, *NEC for IA, Crystal, Fuel
A2 - tongs plain metal into fancy metal, *PRE is Smelt
IA - beaker compounds into powders, *PRE is A1, *Emblem of TII
C - less wear on crystal chamber, *PRE is A1
R1 - grind ore into elements, grind barnacles, *PRE is M1, EH, *NEC for Smelt
R2 - less energy/time to refine
S - smelt metal rocks into plain metal, *PRE is R1, A1
M1 - mining, *NEC for R1
M2 - less time/wear on pick, more gem
M3 - more gem, more xp, less time, *ZILLE
M4 - more gem, more xp, less time
MA1 - focusing orb for mood & energy, *NEC for FM, Teleport, Eyeball
MA2 - meditation: more mood/energy/xp, *NEC for TR
MA3 - medtiation: more mood/energy/xp, *COSMA, *NEC for Levitation, Piety
L - levitation, *PRE is MA3, Rambler 1st Class (visit 251 locations)
FM - choose energy or mood meditation, *PRE is MA1, *NEC for SS
TR - mood/energy for others, *PRE is MA2, *NEC for Martial Imagination
MI - stun rooks, *PRE is TR
P - use shrine to defeat rooks, *PRE is BA3, MA3
[Better learning skills not included at this time, there are a billion forum posts on how these work and to be honest, I'm still confused]
BA1 - papers = house, subway, *PRE is BL1, Card-Carrying Qualification
BA2 - permits, *PRE is You Have Papers
T1 - 1 teleport point, *PRE is BL1, MA1
T2 - 2 teleport points, less energy
T3 - 3 points, less energy
T4 - map teleports, less energy, write tp scripts, *PRE is BL3
T5 - summon, more map teleports, less energy/cooldown
T1 - tinkertool repair tools
T2 - faster, less energy repair
T3 - faster, self-repair, *NEC for Engineering
T4 - faster, craft tools (+Engineering = more tools), *ALPH
T5 - faster, less energy, craft more tools
P - write notes w paper & quill, *PRE is BL1
E - scan entire street, *PRE is MA1, BL1, *NEC for SS
SS - take pictures using camera, *PRE is FM, E
E - assemble machines, +T4+5 = craft tools, *PRE is T3, *NEC for Blockmaking
BM - use machines to make blocks, *PRE is Engineering
FM - use fuelmaker to make fuel cells, *PRE is A1, BS, JH