Sapling

This article is about the saplings obtainable by breaking leaves of their respective tree types. For the sapling used to grow azalea tree, see Azalea. For the sapling used to grow bamboo, see Bamboo shoot.

Sapling

Renewable	Yes
Stackable	Yes (64)
Tool	Any tool
Blast resistance	0
Hardness	0
Luminant	No
Transparent	Yes
Flammable	No
Catches fire from lava	No

A sapling is a non-solid block that can be grown into a tree.

Obtaining

Breaking

Saplings can be broken instantly using any tool, including the player's fist, and always drop themselves.

Mangrove propagules can also be broken instantly using any tool, including the player's fist, but only blocks with block states hanging=false always drop themselves. When hanging=true, depending on the age, the chance of drop is different. On age=0-3, they drop nothing. But on age=4, they have a chance to drop themselves.

Natural generation

Spruce

Potted spruce saplings generate in taiga and snowy taiga‌ village mason houses.

Birch

Potted birch saplings generate in a room in woodland mansions.

Dark oak

58 dark oak saplings generate naturally in a "sapling farm room" in woodland mansions. 28 dark oak saplings are also found inside a chest in that room.

Acacia

2 acacia saplings generate in front of each savanna village library.

Mangrove propagule

Hanging mangrove propagules generate under leaf blocks of mangrove trees that spawn in mangrove swamps.

Chest loot

Item	Structure	Container	Quantity	Chance
Java Edition
Oak Sapling	Village	Plains house chest	1–2	48.2%
		Weaponsmith's chest	3–7	25.6%
Spruce Sapling	Village	Taiga house chest	1–5	40.6%
Acacia Sapling	Village	Savanna house chest	1–2	71.7%
Bedrock Edition
Oak Sapling	Bonus chest	Chest	4	14.3%
	Village	Cartographer's chest	1–2	26.3%
		Plains house chest	1–2	48.2%
		Weaponsmith's chest	3–7	25.6%
Spruce Sapling	Bonus chest	Chest	4	14.3%
	Village	Taiga house chest	1–5	43.7%
Acacia Sapling	Bonus chest	Chest	4	14.3%
	Village	Savanna house chest	1–2	71.7%
Dark Oak Sapling	Bonus chest	Chest	4	14.3%

Leaves

When leaves decay, or are broken by any tool except shears, they have a 5% chance of dropping a sapling, except for jungle leaves, which have a 2.5% chance of dropping a sapling. The Fortune enchantment increases the rate to 6.25% (2.78% for jungle leaves) at level I, 8.33% (3.125% for jungle leaves) at level II, and 10% (4.17% for jungle leaves) at level III.

Post-generation

Applying bone meal to a block of mangrove leaves with a space underneath produces a hanging mangrove propagule with age=0. At default random tick speed (3), a hanging mangrove propagule adds 1 unit of age every ? game ticks (? seconds). Applying bone meal also increments the age. A mangrove propagule cannot be placed manually below mangrove leaves.

Trading

Each type of sapling is sold by the wandering trader for 5 emeralds.

Usage

Growing trees

See also: Tree

Saplings come in seven varieties, one for each of the seven trees: oak, birch, spruce, jungle, acacia, dark oak, and mangrove (propagule).

Tree saplings have two growth stages (with no visible difference between them) before growing into trees. When a tree is to be grown, a height is chosen and then the ground and space are checked; if the ground is bad or there is not space for the chosen height, the tree does not grow. Bone meal can be used to speed up the growth of the sapling, even to grow the tree without sufficient light.

Tree saplings can grow into trees when placed on all variants of dirt (except dirt paths) or moss blocks. Additionally, mangrove propagules can be placed on mud. The sapling requires a light level of at least 9, and require a certain volume of space above the sapling, based on its type:

• Oak needs at least 5 spaces above (3×3 column) to grow normally. If a block is present in the growth space (but not directly above the sapling), the tree still grows, but is forced to grow a large variant.
• Birch needs at least 6 spaces above (3×3 column).
• Spruce needs at least 6 spaces above (5×5 column) when placing a single sapling.
  • Giant spruce needs at least 14 spaces above (6x6 column) when planted as 4 saplings in a 2×2 square. Also requires the 4x4 area centered on the saplings at the same level to be empty.
• Jungle needs at least 5 spaces above (3×3 column) when placing a single sapling.
  • Giant jungle needs at least 11 spaces above (6×6 column) when planted as 4 saplings in a 2×2 square. Also requires the 4x4 area centered on the saplings at the same level to be empty.
• Acacia needs at least 6 spaces above (5×5 column).
• Dark oak needs at least 7 spaces above (6×6 column) and must be planted as 4 saplings in a 2×2 square.
• Mangrove needs at least 6 spaces above the propagule. It also requires at least one block (other than mud) north, east, south, and west of the block it is growing on, within one block vertically. The height of the tree depends on how far the roots can spread horizontally. The roots can spread up to 5 blocks away from the propagule.

In addition:

• Saplings can grow only if a player is within a certain radius, even in loaded chunks. For oak saplings, this check applies to individual blocks; for dark oak, acacia and birch, it applies to each chunk.
• A spruce or jungle sapling cannot grow if it is part of a 2×2 square of saplings that doesn't meet the requirements for a giant tree.
  • Except for giant jungle and giant spruce (as noted above), sapling growth is not affected by nearby blocks on the same level as the sapling(s).
• A hanging mangrove propagule cannot grow into a tree.

Dirt blocks in the space above the sapling are an exception. Dirt blocks do not stop the sapling from growing. For most tree types, including giant versions, the dirt remains in place and the rest of the tree generates normally around it (it is possible to grow a tree that contains only one log block at the original sapling location, with a column of dirt above where the rest of the trunk should be and leaves spreading out from it). For the large variant of oak trees, the dirt blocks are replaced with log blocks wherever they would normally occur. In Java Edition, all types of log block and wood block and their stripped versions are also treated like dirt blocks (they don't stop growth). In Bedrock Edition, log and wood blocks are treated like other block types and stop the sapling from growing if they are above it.

When a sapling on a grass block grows into a tree, the grass block becomes a dirt block.

Bee nests

Oak and birch trees grown from saplings that are within 2 blocks of any flower, flowering azalea‌ or flowering azalea leaves‌ have a 5% chance to grow with a bee nest and 1-3 bees in it.

Bees

Bees engage in a pollinating behavior with mangrove propagules, increasing the honey level in beehives and bee nests by 1.

Breeding

Mangrove propagules can be used to breed bees and reduce the remaining growth duration of baby bees by 10%. Bees also follow a player holding a mangrove propagule.

Decoration

Any kind of tree sapling can be placed in a flower pot.

Fuel

Tree saplings can be used as a fuel in furnaces, smelting 0.5 items per sapling.

Composting

Placing a sapling into a composter has a 30% chance of raising the compost level by 1. A stack of saplings yields an average of 2.74 bonemeal.

Sounds

Java Edition:

Sound	Subtitles	Source	Description	Resource location	Translation key	Volume	Pitch	Attenuation distance
	Block broken	Blocks	Once the block has broken	block.grass.break	subtitles.block.generic.break	1.0	0.8	16
	None	Blocks	Falling on the block with fall damage	block.grass.fall	None	0.5	0.75	16
	Block breaking	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	block.grass.hit	subtitles.block.generic.hit	0.25	0.5	16
	Block placed	Blocks	When the block is placed	block.grass.place	subtitles.block.generic.place	1.0	0.8	16
	Footsteps	Blocks	Walking on the block	block.grass.step	subtitles.block.generic.footsteps	0.15	1.0	16

Bedrock Edition:

Sound	Source	Description	Resource location	Volume	Pitch
?	Blocks	Once the block has broken	dig.grass	0.7	0.8
?	Blocks	Falling on the block with fall damage	fall.grass	0.4	1.0
?	Blocks	While the block is in the process of being broken	hit.grass	0.3	0.5
?	Blocks	Jumping from the block	jump.grass	0.11	1.0
?	Blocks	Falling on the block without fall damage	land.grass	0.21	1.0
?	Blocks	Walking on the block	step.grass	0.3	1.0
?	Blocks	When the block is placed	use.grass	0.8	0.8

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

Name	Identifier	Form	Block tags	Item tags	Translation key
Oak Sapling	oak_sapling	Block & Item	saplings	saplings	block.minecraft.oak_sapling
Spruce Sapling	spruce_sapling	Block & Item	saplings	saplings	block.minecraft.spruce_sapling
Birch Sapling	birch_sapling	Block & Item	saplings	saplings	block.minecraft.birch_sapling
Jungle Sapling	jungle_sapling	Block & Item	saplings	saplings	block.minecraft.jungle_sapling
Acacia Sapling	acacia_sapling	Block & Item	saplings	saplings	block.minecraft.acacia_sapling
Dark Oak Sapling	dark_oak_sapling	Block & Item	saplings	saplings	block.minecraft.dark_oak_sapling
Mangrove Propagule	mangrove_propagule	Block & Item	saplings	saplings	block.minecraft.mangrove_propagule

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Identifier	Numeric ID	Form	Item ID	Translation key
Sapling	sapling	6	Block & Giveable Item	Identical	tile.sapling.oak.name tile.sapling.spruce.name tile.sapling.birch.name tile.sapling.jungle.name tile.sapling.acacia.name tile.sapling.big_oak.name

Block states

See also: Block states

Java Edition:

Name	Default value	Allowed values	Description
stage	0	0 1	Specifies the sapling's growth stage.

Java Edition Mangrove propagule:

Name	Default value	Allowed values	Description
age	0	0 1 2 3
hanging	false	false true	If the mangrove propagule is hanging from a mangrove leaves.
stage	0	0 1	Specifies the sapling's growth stage.
waterlogged	false	false true	Whether or not there's water in the same place as this mangrove propagule.

Bedrock Edition:

Name	Metadata Bits	Default value	Allowed values	Values for Metadata Bits	Description
age_bit	0x8	false	false true	0 1	Specifies the sapling's growth stage.
sapling_type	0x1 0x2 0x4	oak	acacia	4	Acacia Sapling
			birch	2	Birch Sapling
			dark_oak	5	Dark Oak Sapling
			jungle	3	Jungle Sapling
			oak	0	Oak Sapling
			spruce	1	Spruce Sapling

History

Java Edition pre-Classic
rd-161348					Added saplings.
Java Edition Classic
0.0.13a					Changed texture and model of saplings.
August 25, 2009					Notch showed saplings growing into trees.
0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST					Added tree growth.
Java Edition Indev
0.31		20091223-1			Saplings now have a stretched model with wider texture planes.
		20100110			The texture of saplings has been changed.
Java Edition Infdev
20100420					Saplings can now grow into big trees instead of the original pattern.
20100607					Saplings grow into regular trees again.
Java Edition Beta
1.5					Added birch and spruce saplings. Before, trees dropped only oak saplings, regardless of the tree.
					Saplings can now be used as fuel in furnaces.
					Oak saplings from prior to this update could convert to birch or spruce saplings. This was presumably due to the data now used for specifying sapling type previously being used for age calculations.
1.8		Pre-release			Changed lighting.
Java Edition
1.1		12w01a			Oak saplings can now be found in the new village blacksmith chests.
1.2.1		12w04a			Added jungle saplings.
					The texture of oak saplings has been changed.
1.3.1		12w17a			Saplings now have names based on their type of tree.
1.4.2		12w34a			The ability to place saplings in flower pots has been added.
1.7.2		13w43a			Added acacia and roofed oak saplings.
		1.7			"Roofed Oak Sapling" has been renamed to "Dark Oak Sapling".
		?			Blocks can now be replaced with log by growing dark oak saplings. If pre-existing parts of a dark oak tree exist, the tree may randomly grow downward, replacing any block in the way with wood.
1.8		14w07a			Sapling texture planes are no longer stretched by a factor of sqrt2.
		14w10a			Saplings of metadata 8-13 (closer to growth) now have no model.
		14w10b			Saplings 8-13 now have models again.
		14w10c			Sapling texture planes are now stretched a bit more than they were previously - were the texture full, it would reach the corners of the block.
		14w17a			Sapling texture planes are now the same size as they were before 14w07a.
		14w25a			Saplings are now affected by the same shading full blocks are.
		14w26a			Saplings are no longer subject to shading.
1.8.2		pre4			Blocks can no longer be replaced using dark oak tree growth.
1.11		16w39a			Dark oak and birch saplings now generate in woodland mansions.
1.14		18w43a			The textures of all saplings have been changed.
		18w48a			Oak saplings can now be found in chests in plains village houses.
		18w49a			Acacia saplings can now be found in chests in savanna village houses.
					Acacia saplings now generate in front of savanna village libraries.
		18w50a			Spruce saplings can now be found in chests in taiga village houses.
					Potted spruce saplings now generate in taiga village mason houses.
		19w03a			Placing a sapling into the new composter block has a 10% chance of raising the compost level by 1.
		19w05a			Saplings now have a 30% chance of increasing the compost level in a composter by 1.
					Added wandering traders, which sell all types of saplings.
1.15		19w34a			Bee nests were added, which have a chance to generate on trees grown from saplings.
		19w35a			Bee nests can no longer generate on trees grown from saplings.
1.15.2		Pre-Release 1			Oak and birch saplings grown within 2 blocks of a flower on the same y-level now have a 5% chance to have a bee nest.
1.17		21w11a			Changed lighting.
		21w16a			Saplings can now be planted and grown on mycelium and moss blocks.
1.18		21w39a			The default brightness has been changed from "Moody" to 50.
October 16, 2021					Mangrove propagules are shown at Minecraft Live 2021.
1.19		22w11a			Added mangrove propagules.
		22w14a			Due to the addition of the mangrove tree and mangrove swamp, mangrove propagules are now obtainable and renewable.
		22w15a			Wandering traders now sell mangrove propagules.
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.3.2					Added oak, birch and spruce saplings.
v0.3.3					Saplings are now available in the creative inventory.
v0.8.0		build 2			The texture of oak saplings has been changed.
v0.9.0		build 1			Added jungle, acacia and dark oak saplings.
		build 5			Spruce saplings can now be used to grow mega spruce trees.
Pocket Edition
1.1.0		alpha 1.1.0.0			Dark oak and birch saplings now generate in woodland mansions.
Bedrock Edition
1.2.0		beta 1.2.0.2			Saplings can now be found in bonus chests.
1.10.0		beta 1.10.0.3			Saplings can now be bought from wandering traders.
					Potted spruce saplings can now be found in taiga and snowy taiga village mason houses.
					Acacia saplings now generate in some savanna village houses.
					The textures of all saplings have been changed.
1.11.0		beta 1.11.0.1			Oak saplings can now be found in village cartographer and plains village house chests.
					Acacia saplings can now be found in savanna village house chests.
					Spruce saplings can now be found in taiga and snowy taiga village house chests.
					Saplings can now be used to fill up composters.
1.16.0		beta 1.15.0.51			Oak and birch saplings grown within 2 blocks of a flower on the same y-level now have a 5% chance to have a bee nest.
1.19.0		beta 1.19.0.20			Added mangrove propagule.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1	CU1	1.0	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added oak, birch and spruce saplings.
TU12					Added jungle saplings.
TU31	CU19	1.22	Patch 3		Added acacia and dark oak saplings.
		1.90			The textures of all saplings have been changed.

Data history

Java Edition
1.8		14w10a			Saplings with numerical metadata variants 6, 7, 14 and 15, which are inaccessible through normal gameplay, now have no model rather than appearing identical to dark oak saplings.
		14w25a			Saplings are now defined via block states rather than by numerical metadata. Prior to this version, the numerical metadata variants of sapling were as follows: DV Description 0 Oak Sapling 1 Spruce Sapling 2 Birch Sapling 3 Jungle Sapling 4 Acacia Sapling 5 Dark Oak Sapling 6-15 Inaccessible "boring" variants of saplings
		14w26a			Saplings with metadata values 6, 7, 14 and 15 have been completely removed from the game.
1.13		17w47a			The different type block states for the sapling ID have been split up into their own IDs.
					Prior to The Flattening, this block's numeral ID was 6.

Issues

Issues relating to "Sapling" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Trivia

• If the player stands on the same block as a placed tree sapling, the tree still grows over the player, causing suffocation as it pushes the player out of the block.

Gallery

• 

  All tree saplings with their respective wood. Mangrove propagules and mangrove wood are not seen in this photo.

See also

• Fungi