Hydroponic farms lacking dirt

Its not about the farm its about the plant, mealwood needs dirt, switch to bristle to grow something that doesn't need dirt.  Why did you ever put, ya know what, doesn't matter, switch to bristles or something else

Not a bug, I'm afraid. This is part of the Occupational Upgrade "Food and Plant Rebalances": "Meal Lice now require fertilization with Dirt".

 

Well my base is officially doomed then. It's way too hot to grow bristle blossoms. We ran out of dirt ages ago, and our entire food economy is held up by meal lice.

bristles grow in up to 30c heat now

If you have accessible magma and polluted water you can boil the PW quite fast to get dirt and steam. Steam condenses to water which you can cool to feed bristles.