Farmland

Farmland is a technical block on which seeds can be planted and grown.

Obtaining
To make a block of farmland, a hoe on dirt, grass block or grass path.

Farmland can only be gathered in the inventory using commands. When mined (even with a Silk Touch tool), it drops dirt.

Natural generation
Farmland occurs naturally in villages where wheat, potatoes and carrots are grown. Patches of farmland are surrounded by logs or sandstone.

Usage
Farmland is required to grow five of the game's types of crops (6 in upcoming and Pocket Edition).

Plants such as saplings, ferns, tall grass and flowers may be planted on farmland. Mushrooms, sugar canes and cactus cannot be planted on farmland.

Hydration
A farmland block will be created dry. It will become hydrated if the following conditions are met:
 * 1) Water up to four blocks away horizontally, including diagonals.
 * 2) The water must be on the same level or 1 block above farmland block level.

The blocks between the farmland block and the water make no difference.

There is nothing the player can do to affect the rate at which farmland becomes hydrated. Each farmland block within a 9x9 grid of farmland with a single water block in the middle has exactly the same chance of becoming hydrated as a single farmland block in an ocean.

Farmland can also be hydrated by rain.

Different types of seeds grow faster on hydrated farmland than on dry farmland. Hydrated farmland will yield a fully developed wheat crop in a little over a single day/night cycle.

Decay
Under certain conditions, a farmland block will "decay" becoming a dirt block, regardless of its state of hydration. This will happen if any of the following occur:


 * If the farmland block is dehydrated and nothing is planted on it for too long.
 * If the player or any mob jumps on the block too many times.
 * If a piston arm is extended over a farmland block.
 * If a piston pushes a farmland block down.
 * If a solid block covers the top surface of the farmland block such as when pumpkin or melon blocks appear.
 * If an Enderman teleports directly on top of a farmland block.

When farmland decays, crops at the top are dropped as items, as if they were harvested.

Trivia

 * Tilling a dirt block which has a dirt block on top of it will change it to farmland even though it cannot be used. If a hoe is used on a block horizontally adjacent to such a block, the first block will revert to dirt and the selected block will not be tilled.
 * Ladders and trapdoors cannot be attached to the side of a farmland block, but signs can.
 * Farmland will not be trampled when walking off of a slab next to it.
 * Farmland will not decay if the player 'jumps' onto it, with a block two blocks above the farmland being jumped on.
 * Grass that has water flowing over it cannot be tilled; however, dirt that has water flowing over it can.
 * The flowing water that comes off of a source block hydrates farmland just as source blocks do.
 * In Pocket Edition, farmland lets light through, but in the PC version it blocks light.
 * Despite farmland looks as tall as a grass path, which is 1 pixel lower then a normal block, it is actually a full block.