Tutorials/Nether wart farming


 * Nether Wart is commonly a fairly hard resource to obtain initially. They are only found in nether fortresses and usually in small supply. Once found however, they can be planted and grown on soul sand anywhere, in any dimension (Nether, Overworld or End).

Finding Netherwart
To find nether wart plantations, one must first find a nether fortress (guide on nether fortresses can be found here). When you find a farm, it's wise to replant it after harvesting, as you may want some handy later.

Locations For A Netherwart Farm
Before 1.3.1 update nether wart could only grow in the Nether. In order to place a farm in the nether safety must be your primary concern, avoiding Ghasts to blow up your farm with its fireballs when they get you in sight. To secure your farm, build walls and a roof with blast-resistant materials, such as cobblestone and Nether Brick. Iron bars or Nether Fence will also be useful for windows. Since you're already working with Soul Sand, you might want to use some of that to fend off or handicap other approaching monsters. (Best not to have too much fighting on the farm, just on general principles.) The natural farms in the Fortresses are indoors, and may well remain useful as you explore and/or farm the Fortress.

As of the 1.3.1 update, Nether Wart can also be grown in the Overworld. Nether wart does not need light to grow up, but you have to be aware of creepers, so you should build your farm on a lit and enclosed place. To speed up growth the farm should be someplace where it's often in your chunk update radius.

Overworld Semi-Automatic Design
For this design you will use flowing water to retrieve all nether warts and take them to a gathering point. To replant the farm you have to do it manually, and since walking over soul sand is pretty slow you should build a corridor made of any other material to walk over the farm and replant it from there.

In the following video this type of farm is shown, using a simple redstone circuit that triggers water dispensers.

Automatic Harvesting Design
In this design, the nether wart is harvested with the press of a button, and flows to a central point for easy collection.

Nether Semi-Automatic Design
Digging a 6 wide, by 2 blocks deep hole for as long as you want this to go (remembering that you must account for redstone lengths in this). Place in the center two rows of this hole, two rows of side by side sticky pistons facing upward. On either side of these pistons place all redstone repeaters or alternatively making every second one redstone to save supplies. Connect these repeaters to a row of redstone behind them and connect up both sides to a central lever of your choosing. (Then you can cover over your repeaters and most of the wiring, except the connection to the lever.) Place soul sand on top of the sticky pistons and plant your netherwart. Leave these to grow as long as you wish remembering that they are fully grown when they resemble a full block in size. Once you want to harvest, just flick your lever or button and run along the sides of the soul sand to collect. (Running on the soul sand will of course be slower.) Then replant your farm and leave it to grow again.