Vines are everywhere in the Minecraft world, but what are they actually for? If you’re just starting out in your world, learning how to grow vines in Minecraft can be a cheap substitute for ladders and scaffolding.
Easy to find and even easier to grow, they can help you get down into deep caves or even up tall trees. Do keep in mind they aren’t as easy and safe to climb as other blocks.
Crafting-wise their uses are limited: you can craft a banner pattern or create mossy variants of blocks. That being said, their best use is practical and aesthetic purposes.
I personally use them extensively in my builds, but they saved me from deadly falls many times.
I’m the kind of player who does not have the reflexes to use a bucket of water during a fall. So, when faced with a big fall or jump, having a vine to grab onto has been a lifesaver.
Where to Find Vines in Minecraft
Vines are common non-solid blocks that can be found naturally generating in the world, both above and below ground.
Overground vines naturally spawn on trees and their canopies in the jungle and swamp biomes, including the bamboo and sparse jungle variations of the biomes.
Below ground they can most commonly be found in the lush cave biome. If a regular cave is located beneath a jungle it will likely have vines growing inside it.
They can also be found on structures like woodland mansions in dark forests, jungle temples in the jungle biome, and on overgrown pillager outposts.
How to Harvest and Grow Vines
Vines are not a solid block, therefore you will not need an axe or a pickaxe to mine it. You can mine them like most other nature blocks (leaves and grass), with a pair of shears.
In Bedrock Edition, other than using the shears, you can also use an axe with the Silk Touch enchantment.
Now, what do you need to grow them? Vines can only be “planted” on vertical solid blocks, so think trees, canopies, and building walls.
You essentially need just a single vine to grow many more. Once the vine is placed it doesn’t need anything else in order to grow. It’ll grow rather fast, most commonly spreading downwards on the blocks below it or to simply hang in the air.
They will also very likely continue growing to the side.
There is overall no best or most efficient way to grow vines. They do not need any light to grow and bone meal does not work on them.
However, that is not much of a problem as I find that they grow rather fast.
Unless you are in a proper hurry to grow a bunch of them at once it will be more than enough to just take one back to your base. Even with a single vine you will soon find yourself having more than enough in your inventory.
Consider using vines when building your own custom trees or other builds, because vines provide amazing detail.
