Cactus Farming is a term or method used to
Tiered Cactus Rows with automatic harvesting
If there is space available above a 1 or 2 block high cactus, but there is a block next to where the new cactus block will be
Video example.
Another method is to setup pistons to push the middle cactus block, breaking the top two blocks. This allows the third, bottom block to remain that replanting is not neccessary. Note that cacti will not render as many blocks and is potentially less efficient due to losing blocks in the process, similar to stepping on tilled dirt with seeds growing and losing the seedlings.
- Simplecactifarm.jpg
A semi automatic cactus farm
- Simplecactifarm2.jpg
The semi automatic cactus farm activated
Advanced Setup (Automatic Harvesting)
Example of the automatic cactus farm
The concept behind this is done with the setup outlined above, except when constructing your building you need to place blocks two spaces above the sand, adjacent to (but not touching the sand) so that they float in the air. The reason behind this is that when cactus comes in contact with an adjacent block it will auto-shed the segment of cactus touching it. This way, when the cactus grows to its 3rd segment high, your floating block will be adjacent to the cactus, so the top piece will break and fall into the water.
Some notes about this though:
- When a collectable block touches a cactus it will be destroyed. So sometimes when it auto-sheds itself the collectable cactus block will fall onto living cactus and destroy itself.
- It may be more beneficial to place the block high enough so that when the 2nd segment attempts to grow it harvests itself. This reduces the waiting period of growth in the initial planting.
- It is also possible to make a transport system for the cactus if you place a single water source in the corner of the 'box' you constructed for the farm. When placing the water block, you need to place it on the 2nd block above the ground to create a 'down fall' of water which then produces the required force to allow the water to reach the farthest corner away from the source block. With this setup it is possible to have the newly harvested cactus blocks float to a single collection point.
- Try to experiment with wooden pressure plates at the collection point. Set up a redstone torch which stops burning when the pressure plate is pressed down by a cactus block.
- The block adjacent to the top cactus can be a sign rather than a solid block.
A video tutorial of an automatic cactus farm can be seen here.
Multilevel Fftygafasfrming
Automatic farms can be stacked on top of each other to increase yield.
- MultifarmWater.png
4-level automatic cactus farm with water transport. This one yields only slightly more than the above at the collection point, because not all cactus blocks hit water.
1 Click Farming
If you find a tall cactus in a desert then you are too lazy to pillar jump all the way to the top to get all the cactus. Just put a block(perhaps sand since they are easy to remove) adjacent to the bottom cactus to pop it, and the entire cactus will drop as item.
If you want to come back later for more, plant cactus on the block you just placed, so the next time you can just remove that block to get all cactus, then you plant on the ground, when its done place block next to it, and so forth.
This saves the trouble of digging extra blocks to get to the one below cactus.
Video
Official Curse video Tutorials/Cactus Farming/video
What a cactus farm is here.
One of the biggest cactus farms (Probably the biggest) is found here.
