How to Build an Automatic Sugarcane Farm: Paper and More

A sugarcane farm is a fantastic way to automatically produce various resources. Nowadays, there are exciting Redstone blocks that make it all very easy for you. You just need to set up the farm, and it will do its job all by itself. Additionally, it can be expanded infinitely, so there are no limits to what you can achieve. But why do you need so much sugarcane in Minecraft? We will look at various applications and provide you with one of the simplest guides to building your own sugarcane farm in Minecraft!

Why Do I Need Sugarcane?

Sugarcane is a green block that naturally occurs in the world of Minecraft. It grows primarily along the coast and can be found on both grass and sand. The climate makes no difference, as it also grows next to an ice block. However, it appears more frequently in swamps and deserts. Naturally growing sugarcane can reach up to three blocks in height, and in very rare cases, it can grow up to four blocks high.

You can harvest sugarcane with a simple punch and replant it next to a direct water source. It must be planted on a variation of dirt or sand to grow. In the Java Edition, it must grow naturally, whereas in the Bedrock Edition, you can use bone meal.

Sugarcane has two different recipes: paper and sugar! But what can you craft from these?

Sugar:

• Books
• Banner pattern
• Cartography table
• Map
• Rockets

Paper:

• Cake
• Fermented spider eye
• Pumpkin pie
• Brewing potions

Building Instructions for an Automatic Farm

Most of the sugarcane you will likely need for paper, be it for books or rockets. Waiting and harvesting it yourself is definitely not helpful and can take a long time. Here’s where the automatic sugarcane farm comes into play! It’s really easy to build, and you don’t need a deep understanding of Redstone. Once the farm is built, you can expand and adapt it as you wish.

List of Building Materials

• Building materials
• Glass
• Water bucket
• Some sugarcane
• Hoppers
• Chest
• Mud (alternatively dirt and water bottles)
• Redstone dust
• Pistons
• Observers

Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Sugarcane Farm

1. Dig a Trench

We will show you a small version of the farm, which you can expand as you see fit. First, mark your parameters. A channel with two blocks in width and a kind of trench is the prerequisite and helps keep the design as compact as possible. You can embed the whole thing into the ground or, as we did, surround it with any building blocks. We opted for a length of 8 blocks.

2. Collection Station and Mud

Next, fill in the trench. The deeper side is for the hoppers that will later collect the sugarcane and direct it into a chest. You probably know this mechanism from our other farms. The larger the farm, the more iron you’ll need. However, there’s no need to go overboard.

Now let’s take a closer look at the mud block, as it will be used over the hoppers. One of the most interesting features of mud is that it is not a full block. When you walk over it, you’ll notice that your character sinks slightly. The same happens with items lying on the mud. The sugarcane is practically pulled through the mud into the hoppers, which not only saves space but also makes your farm 100% efficient! Nothing is lost, and the sugarcane can grow undisturbed on it.

But where do you get mud? Well, you can find it in the mangrove swamp biome and gather it there. You can also use dirt, coarse dirt, or rooted dirt with a water bottle to obtain mud. A super simple technique that allows you to quickly and easily produce mud without necessarily having to search for a biome.

Place the mud over the hoppers. Fill the trench next to it with water so that the sugarcane can grow.

3. Redstone

Now let’s take care of the Redstone, which is really not difficult. First, place a row of blocks over the water and behind it. Next, have your pistons ready and place them on the blocks over the water source. The wooden head of the pistons must point towards the mud, where the sugarcane will later grow.

Then, lay a row of Redstone behind the pistons. This will transmit the signal. A direct power source is not necessary, as the observer will handle that. This cool Redstone component reacts to changes and emits a Redstone signal based on it, which the piston below will then respond to.

Observers are made from Redstone, cobblestone, and quartz, so you’ll need to go to the Nether. You can learn more about this in one of our articles (Surviving in the Nether: Advanced Tips and Tricks) . The block has a funny face and must also point towards the mud. When placing them, it’s best to do it from behind, as observers always face away from you.

Next, you need to place a row of blocks behind the observers to transmit the signal downwards. Test the whole system by placing a block in front of the observer’s face. It should detect the change, and the piston should briefly extend. This is how it will work with the sugarcane later. Repeat the process for all other fields.

4. Final Touches

The farm is now ready for use! You can plant your sugarcane on the mud below and let it grow slowly. Fill the rest of the farm with a block of your choice. Glass is always a good option as it allows you to observe if everything is working. Use full glass blocks so that nothing gets stuck at the edges. Voilà, your sugarcane farm is complete!

When the sugarcane grows and reaches a height of three blocks, the observer detects this and extends the piston. This harvests the sugarcane, and it falls through the mud into the hoppers below. The good thing about this design is that only the piston below is activated, not the ones next to it.

Conclusion

A sugarcane farm is a must-have for any good Minecraft world! With the help of an observer, it can now be operated completely automatically, so all you need to do is build it and wait for your harvest. In the end, you’ll probably have more sugarcane than you can use. Use it for books, cakes, or fireworks. Produce endless sugarcane on your own server and keep control of your resources. Rent your Minecraft server and build efficiently!