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In vanilla Minecraft you cannot plant an apple tree or an apple sapling. Apples come from oak and dark oak leaves. Grow an oak or dark oak tree, then break or let decay the leaves, and each eligible leaf block has roughly a 1-in-200 chance of dropping an apple. The method is renewable, but it is slow and random, so most players combine it with other sources.
Why there is no apple tree to plant
Mojang’s official leaves article identifies oak and dark oak leaves as the only leaf blocks that drop apples. Other leaf types are not named as apple sources in that article. If you searched “can you grow an apple tree in Minecraft,” the practical answer is that the apple farm is really an oak or dark oak tree farm.
Building a basic leaf farm
- Get an oak or dark oak sapling. Mojang’s sapling article says saplings grow when planted on dirt, coarse dirt, podzol, grass, or farmland. They need light level 8 and enough open space, and the space requirement varies by tree type.
- Plant it and let the tree grow. Bone meal can speed up growth, according to the Minecraft Wiki’s tree-farming tutorial.
- Remove the leaves. You can break leaves directly, or cut the wood and wait for natural decay. Mojang’s leaves article says natural leaves more than four blocks from a wood block have a chance to decay on each game tick, so a tree stripped of its logs will gradually shed its leaves.
- Collect the drops. Apples appear where leaf blocks are broken or decay. Pick them up before they despawn.
A hoe speeds up breaking leaves, according to the same Wiki tutorial. Shears or a Silk Touch tool collect the leaf block itself rather than triggering the apple drop, so leaves you carry off for building are not a shortcut to apples.
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Mojang’s leaves article from August 18, 2017, written by Duncan Geere, states: “About every 200th block of oak or dark oak leaves will drop an apple.” That is an average for broken leaves, not a guarantee, so a single tree can yield several apples or none.
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Mojang’s apple article from 2018 estimates that a player would need to destroy about 12,000 oak leaf blocks on average to collect a full stack of apples. The same article notes that the Fortune enchantment can improve the odds. Treat the 12,000 figure as the article’s estimate, not a measured result for any particular farm.
Other ways to get apples
Mojang’s official guidance lists three alternatives to leaf farming:
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- Villager trades: Availability depends on which villagers you can reach and what they offer, so it cannot be scheduled.
- Village chests: Apples can be found in chests in villages, but the supply is finite and random.
- Dungeon exploration: Apples can turn up in dungeons, again without a guaranteed count.
These routes are useful when you need a few apples quickly. The leaf farm is better for a steady supply over a long session.
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Version and edition notes
The mechanics above come from Mojang’s 2017 leaves article and 2018 apple article, supplemented by the Minecraft Wiki tutorial. Later game updates or modded versions may change drop rates or leaf behaviour, and the sources available do not document a version-by-version history. Check the current Minecraft Wiki page for your edition if your numbers do not match.
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