Minecraft Wiki

The Minecraft Wiki has moved from Fandom; see the linked discussion page for details.

READ MORE

Minecraft Wiki
Advertisement

A sapling is an item that can be grown into a tree.

Obtaining

Saplings can be broken using any tool, and will always drop themselves.

Leaves

When leaves are broken by any tool except shears, they will have a 5% chance of dropping a sapling. Jungle leaves instead 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.

Natural generation

Item Structure Container Quantity Chance
Java Edition
Oak Sapling Village Plains house chest 1–2 48.2%
Weaponsmith's chest 3–7 25.6%
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%

Dark oak saplings generate naturally in a certain room in woodland mansions. They are also found inside a chest in that room.

Usage

Growing trees

See also: Tree

Saplings come in six varieties, one for each kind of tree: oak, birch, spruce, jungle, acacia, and dark oak.

Saplings can grow into trees when placed on dirt, podzol or a grass block. Oak, birch, and (normal) spruce can also grow on farmland, and 2×2 trees only check for dirt or grass under the northwestern-most sapling. The sapling requires a light level of at least 9, and require a certain amount of space around the sapling, based on its type:

  • Oak needs at least 5 spaces above
  • Birch needs at least 6 spaces above
  • Spruce needs at least 7 spaces above when placing a single sapling
    • Giant spruce needs at least 14 spaces above when planted as 4 saplings in a 2×2 square
  • Jungle needs at least 5 spaces above when placing a single sapling
    • Giant jungle needs at least 11 spaces above and 1 space adjacent when planted as 4 saplings in a 2×2 square
  • Acacia needs at least 6 spaces above
  • Dark Oak needs at least 7 spaces above and must be planted as 4 saplings in a 2×2 square

Bone meal can be used to speed up the growth of the sapling, and to grow the tree without sufficient light.

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 will not grow.

Oak saplings will grow through dirt, replacing it with wood trunks.

Single and Giant trees will not grow when they have an adjacent block next to them above ground, including half blocks. Single trees will allow objects to be placed at their diagonals without impeding growth, Giant will not.

Decoration

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

Fuel

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

Data values

A sapling has the ID name minecraft:sapling and is further defined by its block data. A sapling also has a block state which is expected to replace the functionality of block data in a future version.

Block data

See also: Data values
Bits Values
0x1
0x2
0x4
A three-bit field storing a value of 0 to 5 specifying the type of sapling:
  • 0: Oak Sapling
  • 1: Spruce Sapling
  • 2: Birch Sapling
  • 3: Jungle Sapling
  • 4: Acacia Sapling
  • 5: Dark Oak Sapling
0x8 Set if sapling is ready to grow into a tree.

Block state

See also: Block states

Java Edition:

Sapling
Name Default value Allowed values Description
stage00
1
Specifies the sapling's growth stage.

Bedrock Edition:

NameMetadata Bits Default value Allowed valuesValues for
Metadata Bits
Description
age_bit0x8falsefalse
true
0
1
Specifies the sapling's growth stage.
sapling_type0x1
0x2
0x4
oak acacia4Acacia Sapling
birch2Birch Sapling
dark_oak5Dark Oak Sapling
jungle3Jungle Sapling
oak0Oak Sapling
spruce1Spruce Sapling

History

pre-classic
rd-161348File:SaplingClassic0.0.13a.png Saplings were added to the game.
classic
0.0.11aFile:SaplingClassic0.0.11a.png Changed texture.
0.0.13aFile:SaplingClassic0.0.13a.png The texture was changed back to the original.
0.24_06Saplings can grow into trees.
indev
?File:Sapling Indev.png Changed texture.
infdev
April 20, 2010Saplings can grow into fancy trees instead of the original pattern.
June 7, 2010Saplings grow into regular trees again.
beta
1.5Added birch and spruce saplings. Before, trees only dropped oak saplings, regardless of the tree.
Saplings can now be used as fuel in furnaces.
release
1.1Oak Saplings can be found in the new village blacksmith chests.
1.2.112w04aFile:Grid Sapling.png Changed texture of oak saplings.
Added Jungle saplings.
1.3.112w17aSaplings now have names based on their type of tree.
1.4.212w34aAdded the ability to place saplings in flower pots.
1.7.213w43aAdded Acacia and Roofed Oak saplings.
1.7-preRenamed Roofed Oak to Dark Oak.
?Blocks can be replaced with wood by growing dark oak saplings. If pre-existing parts of a dark oak tree exist, the tree may randomly grow downwards, replacing any block in the way with wood.
1.8.21.8.2-pre4Blocks can no longer be replaced using dark oak saplings.
1.1116w39aDark oak and birch saplings now generate in woodland mansions.
Pocket Edition Alpha
0.3.2Added oak, birch and spruce saplings.
0.9.0build 1Added jungle, acacia and dark oak saplings.
build 5Spruce saplings can be used to grow mega spruce trees.
Pocket Edition
1.1build 1Dark oak and birch saplings now generate in woodland mansions.
Legacy Console Edition
TU1CU1 1.0 Patch 1Added oak saplings.
TU9Added birch and spruce saplings.
TU12Added jungle saplings.
TU31CU19 1.22 Patch 3Added acacia and dark oak saplings.

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 sapling, the tree will still grow over the player, which will cause suffocation as it pushes the player out of the block.
  • Saplings can grow without the required amount of light if bone meal is used.

Gallery


Advertisement