To harvest bushes in Minecraft, the method depends on the type of bush and what you intend to collect. The most notable bush in Minecraft that yields a consumable item is the sweet berry bush, which can be harvested for its berries or broken down entirely.
Harvesting Sweet Berry Bushes
Sweet berry bushes are found in Taiga biomes and provide a renewable food source. There are two main ways to interact with them: collecting the sweet berries or removing the bush itself.
Collecting Sweet Berries
The most common and efficient way to harvest sweet berries is by right-clicking on a grown sweet berry bush. This allows you to collect the berries while leaving the bush intact, enabling it to regrow and produce more berries over time.
- Mature Bushes (Fourth Growth Stage): A fully grown sweet berry bush yields 2–3 sweet berries per harvest.
- Third Growth Stage: Bushes in their third growth stage (out of four) yield 1–2 sweet berries.
- Fortune Enchantment: Applying the Fortune enchantment to the tool you are holding (or using to mine the bush) will increase the berry yield. Each level of Fortune can increase the amount of drops by 1, meaning a Fortune III enchantment could significantly boost your harvest.
| Growth Stage | Default Berry Drops | Fortune I Max Drops | Fortune III Max Drops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Third | 1-2 | 3 | 5 |
| Mature | 2-3 | 4 | 6 |
Note: Harvesting sweet berries from a bush will cause damage to the player if they are not wearing protective armor, such as leather armor.
Removing Sweet Berry Bushes
If you wish to remove a sweet berry bush block entirely, it can be mined instantly with any tool or by hand. When a mature sweet berry bush is broken, it will drop its sweet berries (affected by Fortune) and has a chance to drop the sweet berry bush item itself, which can then be replanted.
- Example: Breaking a mature sweet berry bush by hand will instantly destroy it, dropping 2-3 berries (potentially more with Fortune) and occasionally the bush item.
For more details on sweet berry bushes, you can refer to the Minecraft Wiki.
Harvesting Other Bush-Like Plants
While sweet berry bushes are the main "bush" for harvesting produce, Minecraft features other plants that resemble bushes and can be "harvested" in different ways.
Dead Bushes
Dead bushes are found in arid biomes like deserts and badlands. They are primarily decorative but yield a useful item when broken.
- Harvesting: Dead bushes can be broken instantly using any tool or by hand.
- Drops: When broken, a dead bush drops 0-2 sticks.
Leaves (Bushy Blocks)
Leaf blocks, while not technically "bushes," are widespread and contribute to the game's bushy flora. They are typically broken to obtain saplings or sticks.
- Collecting Leaf Blocks: To obtain the actual leaf block item (e.g., Oak Leaves, Spruce Leaves), you must use shears. This is useful for decorative purposes or farming.
- Collecting Saplings/Sticks: Breaking leaf blocks with any other tool or by hand has a chance to drop saplings of the corresponding tree type and sometimes sticks. This is the primary way to gather saplings for tree farms.
