If the tree wasn't able to pass on the change to its consciousness to offspring, Ed would definitely feel that the entire thing hadn't paid off. While it would still be possible to keep this one alive for a very long time, the slightest mishap would mean having to move a new tree from the storage to the forge adding to the costs.
To find out if the offspring carried on the trait Ed would first need to get the fruit and seeds though. He quickly set aside both a water and an earth crystal. The plant pseudo-element was obviously a mixture of both of these elements.
Ed ruminated over the requirements and realized that the simple merging of these elements accounted for at least a triple-layer array. Nevertheless, Ed knew that a beginner like him would need to break things down further. He hence did just that.