Mushrooms are a common block that generate naturally in the Overworld in Minecraft. They come in two main varieties – red mushrooms and brown mushrooms. Mushrooms have a few uses and can be utilized in different ways.
Crafting
The main use for mushrooms is crafting. Both red and brown mushrooms can be used to craft mushroom stew. This is a renewable food source early in the game before you have large farms set up. Here is how to craft mushroom stew:
- Place a brown mushroom in any arrangement in the crafting grid
- Place a red mushroom in any arrangement in the crafting grid
- Place a bowl in any remaining slot
- This will output 1 bowl of mushroom stew which restores 6 hunger (3 drumsticks)
In addition to mushroom stew, red mushrooms can be used to craft red dye. This is done by placing a red mushroom in any arrangement in the crafting grid, which will output 1 red dye. Brown mushrooms do not produce any dye.
Farming
Mushrooms can also be farmed as a food source by growing them. Unlike other crops in Minecraft, mushrooms do not need to be planted on farmland. They can be placed on any block that does not emit light. The optimal way to farm mushrooms is:
- Build an underground room away from sunlight
- Line the floor with dirt blocks
- Place mushroom blocks sporadically throughout the room
- Add torches on the walls to allow mob spawns
- Over time the mushrooms will spread and fill out the farm
Both red and brown mushrooms can be farmed this way. They will continually spread and regrow after being harvested allowing for an infinite food source. Make sure to include some torches so mobs can spawn to help the mushrooms spread.
Mob Farming
In addition to farming mushrooms as a crop, they can also be used to farm mobs for drops and experience. Specifically, brown mushrooms can be used to farm mooshrooms. Here is how:
- Find a mooshroom island in your Minecraft world
- Build a fenced pen on the island and lure mooshrooms into it
- Place brown mushroom blocks as “breeding fuel” within the pen
- The mooshrooms will enter love mode and breed when fed mushrooms
- Kill the adult mooshrooms for beef, leather, and experience
- Let the babies grow up and repeat the process
This provides a sustainable source of beef, leather, and experience. Make sure to shear the mooshrooms before killing them to get mushrooms as well. Red mushrooms do not affect mooshrooms.
Potions
Both red and brown mushrooms can be used as ingredients in brewing certain potions:
| Potion | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Mundane Potion | Water Bottle + Red or Brown Mushroom |
| Thick Potion | Water Bottle + Glowstone Dust + Red or Brown Mushroom |
| Awkward Potion | Water Bottle + Nether Wart + Red or Brown Mushroom |
While these potions don’t have major effects, they can be useful stepping stones when brewing other more advanced potions. Mundane potions also give the absorption effect when drank.
Composting
Both excess red and brown mushrooms can be tossed into a composter to produce bone meal. Each mushroom has a 30% chance of raising the compost level by 1. So composting mushrooms is a good way to get bone meal for fertilizing crops.
Mooshroom Spawning
Mooshrooms are unique mob variants of cows that spawn rarely in mushroom biomes. You can spawn your own mooshrooms by using mushrooms on normal cows with these steps:
- Find a cow
- Feed the cow a bowl of mooshroom stew
- The cow will transform into a mooshroom
- Repeat to get a herd of mooshrooms
This allows you to get mooshrooms without locating a rare mushroom biome. Red and brown mushrooms can both be used for the stew, when crafting it place either type in the recipe.
Decoration
Finally, mushrooms can be used as decoration for builds and landscapes. Their unique models stand out and can add flavor to forest, gardens, and more. Ways to decorate with mushrooms include:
- Dotting red and brown mushrooms sporadically around a forest floor
- Adding mushrooms underneath trees and along logs
- Building mushroom groves and fairy rings with clusters of mushrooms
- Planting mushrooms along the floors and walls of underground builds
- Mixing mushrooms into custom gardens and greenhouses
Mushrooms liven up nature scenes and add aesthetic variety. Use bone meal to quickly grow giant red and brown mushrooms for more dramatic effects.
Conclusion
Mushrooms have a wide range of uses within Minecraft. Their versatility makes them a valuable renewable resource:
- Craft mushroom stew for early food and red dye
- Farm mushrooms as an infinite crop
- Breed mooshrooms with brown mushrooms for farming
- Brew mundane, thick, and awkward potions
- Compost excess mushrooms into bone meal
- Transform cows into mooshrooms
- Decorate builds and landscapes
Both red and brown mushrooms are relatively easy to find and farm in the Overworld. A mushroom farm can provide sustenance without relying on traditional crops early in the game. Mooshrooms offer a steady source of beef and leather. Craft an assortment of mushroom potions for buffs and brewing bases. And bone meal from composting lets you fertilize plants and rapidly grow more giant mushrooms.
Mushrooms are one of the most versatile plants in the game. TheirRenewable and accessible nature makes them a key resource for players of all levels. Whether you are sustaining yourself in the early game or trying to liven up a build project later on, mushrooms have something to offer. Their diversity ensures you will never run out of uses for every last red and brown mushroom you come across in your Minecraft journeys.
Mushroom FAQ
Can you plant mushrooms in Minecraft?
You cannot directly plant mushroom blocks. However, you can cultivate and farm mushrooms by placing mushroom blocks in dark areas on dirt blocks. Over time the mushrooms will spread across dirt blocks within 2 blocks distance, allowing you to create large mushroom farms underground.
Do mushrooms spread in Minecraft?
Yes, given the right conditions mushrooms will naturally spread in Minecraft. Brown and red mushrooms will both slowly spread to nearby dirt blocks up to 2 blocks away horizontally if the light level is 12 or less. Creating an underground mushroom farm with mushrooms and dirt allows you to grow huge mushroom crops.
Do mushrooms need light in Minecraft?
No, mushrooms do not require light to spread or grow. In fact, mushrooms will only spread in complete darkness with a light level of 12 or less. This is why mushroom farms are often underground without light sources. A dark room lit only by occasional torches is ideal for mushroom farming in Minecraft.
How long does it take for mushrooms to grow in Minecraft?
Mushrooms will spread and grow relatively slowly on their own. It takes 1-2 Minecraft days for them to potentially spread from an existing mushroom to a nearby dirt block. Using bone meal on mushrooms will cause them to rapidly grow into giant mushrooms, providing an instant harvest of mushrooms.
Do red and brown mushrooms spread at the same rate?
Yes, red and brown mushrooms both have the same chances and rates for spreading. They will both slowly propagate to dirt blocks within 2 block radius if given time in complete darkness. The color of the mushroom does not matter for growth speed.
What blocks can mushrooms grow on in Minecraft?
Mushrooms can only spread onto dirt blocks in Minecraft. However, they can be initially placed on any solid block like stone or wood. Mushrooms that are not on dirt will not spread or propogate though. So dirt is the only block mushrooms will actually slowly grow onto.
Do sheep eat mushrooms in Minecraft?
No, sheep do not eat mushrooms in Minecraft. Sheep are unable to consume mushrooms or gain nutrients from them. Feeding sheep mushrooms will not speed up their regrowth of wool. Sheep only eat grass blocks for sustenance.
How do you make a mushroom farm?
To make a mushroom farm, dig an underground room and fill the floor with dirt blocks. Sporadically place red mushroom and brown mushroom blocks throughout the dirt area. Add occasional torches on walls to allow mobs to spawn to help propagation. Over time the mushrooms will spread across all the dirt, creating a sustainable farm.
What is the most efficient way to farm mushrooms?
The most efficient mushroom farm utilizes a layout of alternating dirt and mushrooms in long rows underground. This maximizes spread rates. Include periodic torches to spawn mobs, but keep light levels low. Clear out excess types of mushrooms and plant more of needed colors. Use bone meal to rapidly grow more mushrooms.
What do you do with excess mushrooms?
Excess mushrooms can be composted to produce bone meal. Or you can store them as blocks. Large quantities of red mushrooms can be crafted into red dye. Leftover brown mushrooms can help breed mooshrooms. Excess mushrooms are great decorations too.
Do giant mushrooms drop mushrooms?
Yes, breaking giant red or brown mushrooms that have grown from using bone meal will drop regular mushroom blocks of that color. This allows you to easily farm large quantities of mushrooms from giant mushroom growth.
Those are some of the most common questions about cultivating and utilizing mushrooms within Minecraft. They are a versatile resource that no player should overlook. With a basic mushroom farm, you’ll have renewable food, materials, and decorations at your fingertips.
Noteworthy Mushroom Facts
- Mushrooms naturally spawn in poorly lit areas in the Overworld on dirt and grass blocks.
- Planting mushrooms side-by-side with 1 block between maximizes spreading efficiency.
- 14 separate blocks of giant mushrooms can be harvested from 1 growing.
- Red mushrooms produce red dye, while brown mushrooms are used to breed mooshrooms.
- Bone meal makes mushrooms instantly grow into their giant form.
- Mushrooms will not spread or remain placed on Mycelium blocks.
- Breaking the stem of a giant mushroom will drop up to 12 mushrooms.
- Brown and red mushrooms have the same growth rates and light requirements.
- You can find both red and brown mushrooms growing together in mushroom biomes.
- Mushroom stew restores more hunger than cookies or melons.
Use these interesting mushroom properties to your advantage when farming, breeding animals, exploring, and crafting in Minecraft!
Mushroom Statistics
| Minecraft Mushroom Facts | Red | Brown |
|---|---|---|
| Light level required to spread | 12 or less | 12 or less |
| Spread distance | 2 blocks | 2 blocks |
| Growth chance | 1% per chunk per day | 1% per chunk per day |
| Flammability | 60 | 60 |
| Blast resistance | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Understanding the key stats for mushroom spreading, growth rates, and durability can optimize your mushroom farm designs and capabilities.
Advanced Mushroom Farming
Once you master the basics of mushroom farming, consider these advanced techniques for even greater efficiency and yields:
- Layered farms – Build multiple floors of mushroom farms stacked vertically. This exponentially increases your growth area.
- Minecart harvesting – Use powered minecarts running on rails to quickly break and collect mushrooms.
- Creeper detonation – Funnel creepers to blow up giant mushrooms for mass mushroom harvesting.
- Zero-tick pistons – Use zero-tick piston pulses to force instant giant mushroom growth for fast farming.
- Villager harvesting – Assign farmer villagers to harvest and replant mushrooms for automatic collecting.
With the right infrastructure and powered mechanisms, you can create mushroom mega-farms generating thousands of mushrooms per hour in Minecraft!
Mushroom Farm Designs
Here are some templates to base your custom mushroom farm designs off of:
Early Game Farm
- Small 8×8 dirt floor
- 1 block aisles between dirt rows
- Single layer farm
- Few sporadic torches
- Manual harvesting
Great for starting food and dye supply. Expand as needed.
Mid Game Farm
- Large 20×20 dirt floor
- Alternating rows of red and brown mushrooms
- Perimeter fence for mob spawns
- Occasional redstone lamps on floor
- Manually harvested but expanded
Ramps up yield with automation potential. Solid renewable source of huge mushroom supply.
End Game Farm
- Multiple stacked 48×48 floors
- Rows with water streams and collection
- Zero-tick pistons for fast growth
- Minecart rails throughout rows
- Villager or hopper harvesting
Industrial-level mushroom generation for potion brewing and trading. Provides near infinite mushrooms!
The key is finding the farm layout that fits your needs and available resources. Start small and work up to bigger mushroom farming as you progress in your world.
Conclusion
Mushrooms are extremely useful renewable resources in Minecraft. Mastering mushroom farming provides a steady food supply, ingredients for potions, mooshroom breeding, bone meal from composting, and aesthetic improvements for builds. Remember these key tips when cultivating mushrooms:
- Build underground with dirt floors and minimal light
- Place sporadic red and brown mushroom blocks to start
- Allow time for mushrooms to spread to surrounding dirt
- Use bone meal on mushrooms to quickly grow giant variant
- Stack multiple farm levels and integrate automation
Armed with mushroom knowledge, you can thrive on hearty mushroom stew while designing in a delightfully fungus-filled biome.
