1. Keep world edits intentional
Manual Place/Paint/Erase is ideal for breakable/planted authored objects. Density/Noise is better for broad environment coverage.
2. Use feedback when gameplay depends on counts
Placement/harvest result structs report exactly how many manual instances changed and which TypeSet types were affected.
3. Check performance in your scene
Use Unity's Profiler to see whether the time is spent on the CPU or graphics card. Start by reducing dense overlapping plants or shadows, then compare the frame time again. Test on the hardware you want players to use.
4. Try a built game
Build and run the same scene outside the Editor. Check that the plants, wind and Sprite Wind props are visible there too. This catches missing shaders or resources that an Editor preview can hide.
Breakable patch
VegetationMutationResult removed = VegetationAPI.Harvest(area, hitPoint, 1.25f);
foreach (VegetationTypeCount item in removed.perType)
Debug.Log($"Removed {item.count} of {item.typeId}");