Talk:Sapling

Sapling Growth in Limited Area
My own experiments with sapling growth shows that no amount of repeated application of Bonemeal will cause a failed sapling to grow in dense environments. However, removing and replacing the sapling almost always generates a tree. In addition, removing everything in the environment and reattempting Bonemeal application always results in a large, branching tree. It seems likely that the sort of tree the sapling will grow into is determined upon the planting of the sapling, and if the environment prevents that sort of tree from growing anytime after the sapling is planted (such as if other trees grow around it), the growth will fail; this would explain why grids of trees often have many saplings left in them after a while.

--Gmerriment 17:08, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Page seems faulty
This page seems faulty. It doesn't seem to differ between the item, and the block. Could someone give it a look? I wouldn't say that it's decoration, other than in creative mode.

~The_Clam

Light needed
The article says that a certain amount of light is needed. This is false. I have successfully grown a tree underground with only 1 torch as light. I know this seems strange (I though so as first, because I spent ages digging a tunnel from the sea (took ages to stop water getting in) to another tree so it would get sun light, and that has yet to grow. It has been moved a bit though, so it might be because it was remove from the ground.

I immediately took all the wood because I needed it and forgot to screen cap. I'll try and get an image next time.

Dementis - 16:11, 15 October 2010 (CDT)

Dementis - nothing in the article contradicts any of your observations. Saplings require a light level of 13 to grow. A torch has a light level of 14, and provides an illumination of 13 in the squares directly surrounding it. If directly next to a torch underground, a sapling will grow into a tree. Try reading the article on "trees" for a picture of a tree grown in a cave - there's nothing strange or new about this.

--Deathandgravity 22:10, 15 October 2010 (UTC)

Sorry, didn't notice that Dementis 03:15, 16 October 2010 (CDT)

Flaming leaves do drop saplings
Leaves destroyed by fire do drop saplings. They just tend to be destroyed by landing on more flaming leaves. If you light the canopy from the top, this is less likely and you can see saplings drop. SMA11784 16:08, 21 October 2010 (UTC)

I implemented your remarks on the article page. Riking 05:34, 24 October 2010 (UTC)

Space needed to grow
It would appear that saplings need 5 empty blocks above them, and not 4, in order to grow. Can anyone else confirm this? Prsn828 14:09, 14 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Confirmed. This had me confused for a while too. Aclectasis 10:51, 18 November 2010 (UTC)
 * I've edited this article and Tree to reflect this. Aclectasis 10:59, 18 November 2010 (UTC)

Grow on Dirt
I have had a sapling grow on dirt, it takes a bit longer then one would think. (a few minutes vs. a few seconds). It also grew larger then the normal tree (branches included)I had the sapling at a very high level (it was in one of my towers) I can get the exact level when I play again Desruprot 01:47, 18 November 2010 (CST)
 * *Cough* how else would you grow a tree? Darkid 19:37, 18 April 2011 (UTC)


 * "In Creative mode, saplings function as a decoration block, and can be placed freely. Saplings will grow into a full tree after a few seconds if the server has "grow-trees" set to "true" in the "server.properties" file and if they are on a grass block. They will not grow on a dirt block." Does this mean that in creative they do not grow on dirt? or on survival too? Is this accurate? A number of things in the rest of the article seem to indicate that they grow on grass as well.

Different types
Do saplings always grow into the default tree type, or can they occasionally become birch or redwood trees? Alphap 02:58, 23 January 2011 (UTC)
 * I can not provide the source right now now, but either Notch or Jeb_ replied "No" to someone asking the same thing on twitter some days ago --Flippeh 04:45, 23 January 2011 (UTC)
 * Beta 1.5. Cool12309(T 17:57, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Number of sapling tuned down in 1.5
First post, so I might not write on a wiki like I should, I just wanted to add an info : Jeb tuned down the number of saplings dropped when you cut a tree.

http://twitter.com/jeb_/status/58141639989927936 –The preceding unsigned comment was added by Ghune (Talk 16:56, 18 April 2011. Please sign your posts with !

-True, but we should wait to post until Beta 1.5 is released. Please remember to sign btw. Just add 4 ~'s at the end of your post. Zkyo 17:04, 18 April 2011 (UTC)


 * This is interesting - I am pretty sure (from constant tree farming experience) that it was already tuned down quite significantly in 1.4, compared to 1.3. CiaranG 15:09, 19 April 2011 (UTC)

Version 1.5 changes
New Sapling --Karasu 13:50, 19 April 2011 (UTC)

Heres a better version, already ready to be used. Someone who really understands the block template should add this, as I only got headache trying to make heads and tails out of the code there. --TheKax 15:59, 19 April 2011 (UTC)

I found yet another new sapling. Look like redwood, while the latter may be birch. Lancerusso 16:08, 19 April 2011 (UTC)
 * We need an inventory screenshot of it. I'll make it if I find one. -- TheKax 16:35, 19 April 2011 (UTC)

Let me get this straight: There are still the normal saplings(the everyday tree), birch saplings(white bark), and pine saplings(tree in snow biomes)? And if there are more tree types, could I also know? Cool12309(T 16:42, 19 April 2011 (UTC)
 * Pretty sure they just help distinguish what the tree will grow in to, because previously all the saplings looked the same (the one on the page), but grew into the three different trees (seemingly at random). Artsy 16:59, 19 April 2011 (UTC)
 * Edit: [[File:Grid_sapling3.png]] is the 'redwood'/'pine'/whatever the heck you want to call it-sapling.
 * No, there was always just 1 sapling for all trees that grew into the same tree before Beta 1.5 Cool12309(T 18:01, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

New inventory icons are up, thanks Kax. At this point to upload a new version of the image, just overwrite Grid_Sapling_Birch and Grid_Sapling_Spruce. Someone should probably change the primary picture but I don't personally know how to make an animated gif. --Theothersteve7 18:17, 19 April 2011 (UTC)

Required height for saplings
Birch/Redwood/Pine/w.e. The 2 new sapling types definately require more than 6 height to grow. Any clues as to what the actual # is? Darkid 21:35, 19 April 2011 (UTC)

Just made a redwood farm @ y:10, it required 9 height to grow Ice13th 13:50, 30 June 2011 (UTC)

on a smp server i had a tree farm, after the beta 1.5_01 update, i discovered some of the ungrown saplings in the farm had changed to birch and pine saplings. anyone else have this happen to them? and i dont known if we might want to make a note about it if other people have had it happen? Gil212 02:06, 21 April 2011 (UTC)
 * This is because of the Beta 1.5 update, all saplings that were planted in Beta 1.4_01 or before turned randomly into a birch or pine sapling. Someone confirmed for me that no saplings planted before Beta 1.5 stayed the normal sapling. Cool12309(T 18:01, 22 April 2011 (UTC)

Just been experimenting for the new jungle saplings, my lil bit of research seems to point to a single sapling needing a 3x3x8 area free to grow and the 2x2 grid of saplings needing a 6x6x20 minimum required area to grow, with 6x6x24+ being much more reliable to quickly grow them. Hope this proves useful :) --Stewb83 19:47, 27 January 2012 (UTC)

Saplings drop by leaf color, not tree type?
I notice when I cut down a normal tree with bright green leaves, it drops a sapling similar to the ones I already had before the update. It even stacks with them.

However, when I cut down a normal tree with dark green leaves, it drops oak saplings similar to the ones I own, but they do not stack. In addition, the tree also occasionally drops birch and pine saplings despite being an oak tree.

This observation leads me to believe that any tree may drop any sapling, just as long as the leaves correspond to the appropriate color for the sapling, with oak saplings drops by light leaves, birch dropped by darker leaves, and pine/conifer dropped by the darkest leaves.

Can anyone confirm this for me? BlazinH 05:26, 24 April 2011 (UTC)

Intuitively, that would be the easiest way to code it, so I imagine it's true. Leaves will drop saplings appropriate for the kind of leaf block, rather than appropriate for the nearest piece of wood - especially since the latter could be manipulated by crafty players. However, trees should only be generated with the appropriate kind of leaves; the trees you're encountering sound buggy. --Theothersteve7 13:50, 28 April 2011 (UTC)

Growth Rate
I definitely think that certain saplings grow faster than others. I planted 6 saplings of each type (Normal, Pine, and Birch) and waited for them to grow. The Birch trees all required less than a day to grow, and I've replanted them 3 times now. The normal and pine trees have yet to grow. Also, I planted a birch sapling while the leaves of the tree that stood there moments ago were still disappearing. Before the last leaf block vanished a new tree had already grown in its place. --Hubertus 06:42, 29 April 2011 (UTC)

Data Values?
It still says it's just "06".... shouldn't it be different for each one? Supuhstar 04:39, 21 May 2011 (UTC)
 * No. Damage values. – ultradude25 ( T at 06:24, 21 May 2011 (UTC)

Sapling biome dependency?
Desert biomes seem to not allow pine or birch trees to grow, even when using bone meal. Generic tree saplings will still grow, albeit with a very unhealthy leaf color suitable for trying to grow in a desert. There should be something in this page that gives explicit mention to which saplings will grow in which biomes.


 * Odd, I will have to try this for my self when I get the chance. If Anyone else can, or if you can post a video that'd be great. And please, sign your posts with four tildes (~) Deanm 01:03, 24 May 2011 (UTC)

Redwood growth
If you guys know EthosLab, hes got a real nice world with everything you could possibly need. I played around his world, and worked with a indoor tree farm, harvesting saplings and logs from the trees. Ive tried to plant redwood trees but they simply refuse to grow, when birch trees grow almost instantly, the redwood just doesnt do anything. There should be enough space, at least enough for any other tree, and bonemeal doesnt work on it either. Any answers anyone?--J4ff4c3ks1 23:42, 17 June 2011 (UTC)
 * I think i saw something about it having to be 7x7x9 minimum for it to grow on its own (if placed in middle), Dont quote me, however.--Neil2250 18:00, 22 September 2011 (UTC)