Kelp

| Renewable |
Yes |
|---|---|
| Stackable |
Yes (64) |
| Tool |
Any tool |
| Blast resistance |
0 |
| Hardness |
0 |
| Luminous |
No |
| Transparent |
Yes |
| Flammable |
No |
| Catches fire from lava |
No |
| Map color (JE) |
|
{
"title": "Kelp",
"rows": [
{
"field": "Yes",
"label": "(link to Renewable resource article, displayed as Renewable)"
},
{
"field": "Yes (64)",
"label": "Stackable"
},
{
"field": "Any tool",
"label": "Tool"
},
{
"field": "0",
"label": "(link to Explosion#Blast resistance article, displayed as Blast resistance)"
},
{
"field": "0",
"label": "(link to Breaking#Blocks by hardness article, displayed as Hardness)"
},
{
"field": "No",
"label": "(link to Light article, displayed as Luminous)"
},
{
"field": "Yes",
"label": "(link to Opacity article, displayed as Transparent)"
},
{
"field": "No",
"label": "(link to Flammable article, displayed as Flammable)"
},
{
"field": "No",
"label": "Catches fire<br>from (link to lava article, displayed as lava)"
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{
"field": "<span style=\"display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap;\"><span style=\"display: inline-block; background-color: rgb(64, 64, 255); border: 1px solid #888; border-radius: 0.3em; width: 1em; height: 1em; vertical-align: -0.36em; margin-right: -0.1em\"><br></span> 12 WATER</span>",
"label": "(link to Map color article, displayed as Map color) <small>((link to Java Edition article, displayed as ''JE''))</small>"
}
],
"invimages": [
"Kelp"
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"images": [
"Kelp.gif"
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}
Kelp is an underwater alga that generates in most oceans.
Obtaining
Breaking
Kelp can be mined instantly with any tool or with the player's fist. Removing water from the kelp block destroys the kelp. Breaking one part of a kelp stalk destroys all kelp blocks above it. Each block drops a kelp item.
| Block | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hardness | 0 | |
| Breaking time (secs) | ||
| Default | 0.05 | |
- incorrect tool, drops nothing
- correct tool, drops nothing or something other than the block itself
- correct tool, drops the block itself
- italicized can be instant mined
Natural generation
Kelp naturally generates in any ocean biomes (except in frozen, deep frozen and warm), near and around seagrass. Each chunk has 1⁄18 chance to generate a vegetation of kelp.
Trading
Kelp can be bought from wandering traders for 3 emeralds.
Usage
Kelp can be placed underwater by hand, or anywhere by the use of commands such as /setblock. Placing it by hand gives it a random age value between 0 and 24. Kelp can be placed only in water source blocks or downward-flowing water, not horizontally flowing water.
When placed in downward-flowing water, the kelp becomes waterlogged, transforming the flowing water into a water source block,[1] which is useful for faster bubble column elevator creation.
Any building block can be placed on top of a kelp plant, which is useful for building structures over a deep ocean without needing to build from the ocean floor (see also lily pad).
Cooking ingredient
| Name | Ingredients | Smelting recipe |
|---|---|---|
| Dried Kelp | + Any fuel |
Composting
Placing kelp into a composter has a 30% chance of raising the compost level by 1.
Growth mechanics
Kelp can be planted on a broad variety of blocks. It grows underwater if it has either a source block of water or, in Java Edition, flowing water above it.[2] Neither players nor dispensers can remove the water source block that kelp grows in without breaking the kelp first.
Kelp does not require any light level to grow. Kelp also grows without having sky access. Bone meal can be used to grow kelp by 1 block on each use.
When kelp is planted, it is generated with a randomly chosen age value, which can be checked when pressing F3. The age value of a newly planted kelp plant varies randomly from 0 to 24. Each time the kelp grows in height by one block, the newly generated top of the kelp plant increases its age by 1. When the top block of the kelp plant reaches an age of 25, it stops growing. This means that kelp can naturally grow to a height between 2 (if the first kelp plant had an age of 24) and 26 blocks (if the first kelp plant had an age of 0).
When a kelp plant block is broken, the age of the kelp plant block underneath is randomized to a value from 0 to 24 and the kelp continues growing until it reaches age 25. It is possible to use this mechanic to cultivate a kelp plant to increase its growth height beyond its natural maximum height of 26 blocks. This can be done by breaking the top-most block of the kelp plant each time it reaches age 25. A kelp plant cultivated by a player in this way repeatedly grows until it reaches the water surface.
Each time it receives a random tick, kelp has a 14% chance of growing. At default random tick speed (3), each plant grows on average every 9752 game ticks (487.6 seconds).
Using shears on the topmost block of kelp prevents further grow by setting its age value to 25.
Farming
Kelp farming is similar to farming sugar cane, although kelp must be placed underwater. Automation of harvest is easier because items float up in water.
Sounds
Generic
wet_grass sound type | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound | Subtitles | Source | Description | Resource location | Translation key | Volume | Pitch | Attenuation distance |
| Block broken | Blocks | Once the block has broken | block | subtitles | 0.8 | 0.8 | 16 | |
| Block placed | Blocks | When the block is placed | block | subtitles | 0.8 | 0.8 | 16 | |
| Block breaking | Blocks | While the block is in the process of being broken | block | subtitles | 0.25 | 0.5 | 16 | |
| Something falls on a block | Entity-Dependent | Falling on the block with fall damage | block | subtitles | 0.5 | 0.75 | 16 | |
| Footsteps | Entity-Dependent | Walking on the block | block | subtitles | 0.15 | 1.0 | 16 | |
grass sound type | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound | Source | Description | Resource location | Volume | Pitch |
| Blocks | Once the block has broken | dig | 0.7 | 0.8–1.0 | |
| Blocks | When the block is placed | use | 0.8 | 0.8–1.0 | |
| Blocks | While the block is in the process of being broken | hit | 0.3 | 0.5 | |
| Players | Falling on the block with fall damage | fall | 0.4 | 1.0 | |
| Players | Walking on the block | step | 0.3 | 1.0 | |
| Blocks | Jumping from the block | jump | 0.11 | 1.0 | |
| Blocks | Falling on the block without fall damage | land | 0.21 | 1.0 | |
Unique
| Sounds | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound | Subtitles | Source | Description | Resource location | Translation key | Volume | Pitch | Attenuation distance |
| Plant cropped | Blocks | When the tip of kelp is cropped with shears | block | subtitles | 1.0 | 1.0 | 16 | |
Bedrock Edition: None
Data values
ID
| Name | Identifier | Form | Translation key |
|---|---|---|---|
kelp | Block & Item | block | |
kelp_plant | Block | block |
| Kelp | Identifier | Numeric ID | Form | Item ID[i 1] | Translation key |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
kelp | 382 | Item | — | item | |
kelp | 393 | Block & Ungiveable Item[i 2] | item.kelp(Numeric: -138) | — |
Block states
Java Edition:
Top kelp block:
| Name | Default value | Allowed values | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| age | 0 | 012345678910111213141516171819202122232425 | A freshly planted kelp starts with a random age between 0 and 24. Below age 25, a kelp may try go grow more kelp above it with the same age value incremented by one. Kelp stops growing at age 25. |
| Name | Metadata Bits | Default value | Allowed values | Values for Metadata Bits |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| kelp_age | 0x10x20x40x8 | 0 | 0123456789101112131415 | 0123456789101112131415 | The age of the kelp. The kelp renders as a non-top piece if there's another kelp above it. |
16171819202122232425 | Unsupported | Unused |
History
| Java Edition Classic | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2009 | Notch shows interest in adding a "seaweed" block. | ||||||
| Java Edition | |||||||
| November 18, 2017 | Kelp plants were shown in a clip of MineCon Earth. | ||||||
| 1.13 | 18w07a | ||||||
| 18w07b | Kelp now behaves more like water, meaning mobs can no longer spawn within the plant under water nor can they replenish their breath by swimming through it. | ||||||
| 18w10a | |||||||
| 18w14a | |||||||
| The generation rules for kelp have been changed, it now mainly generates in cold ocean biomes and can no longer generate in warm oceans. | |||||||
| 18w20a | The kelp_top has been changed ID to kelp and kelp has been changed to kelp_plant, for both the block and item forms. | ||||||
| pre2 | Kelp is now destroyed by sponges.[3] | ||||||
| pre6 | Added 5 new sound events that apply to kelp: block.wet_grass.break, block.wet_grass.fall, block.wet_grass.hit, block.wet_grass.place, and block.wet_grass.step. | ||||||
| 1.14 | 19w03a | Placing kelp into a composter now has a 10% chance of raising the compost level by 1. | |||||
| 19w05a | Kelp now has a 30% chance of increasing the compost level in a composter by 1. | ||||||
| Added wandering traders, which can sell kelp for 3 emeralds. | |||||||
| 1.16 | 20w11a | Kelp can now be grown with bone meal. | |||||
| 20w13a | Kelp has been moved from the "Miscellaneous" tab to the "Decoration Blocks" tab in the Creative inventory.[4] | ||||||
| 1.17 | 20w46a | Kelp no longer generates on magma blocks.[5] | |||||
| 1.18 | 21w37a | Kelp now stops growing if shears are used on the tip. | |||||
| Bedrock Edition | |||||||
| 1.4.0 | beta 1.2.14.2 | ||||||
| beta 1.2.20.1 | |||||||
| 1.5.0 | beta 1.5.0.4 | ||||||
| 1.10.0 | beta 1.10.0.3 | Kelp can now be bought from wandering traders for 3 emeralds. | |||||
| 1.11.0 | beta 1.11.0.1 | Kelp can now be used to fill composters. | |||||
| 1.21.50 | Preview 1.21.50.25 | Removed the unintended darker tinting of kelp. | |||||
| 1.21.60 | Preview 1.21.60.21 | Kelp now stops growing if shears are used on the tip. | |||||
| Preview 1.21.60.23 | Kelp generates more frequently and in denser patches in ocean biomes (except for frozen ocean). | ||||||
| Preview 1.21.60.27 | Kelp can now generate at any depth, leading to increased overall generation. | ||||||
| Legacy Console Edition | |||||||
| Xbox 360 | Xbox One | PS3 | PS4 | PS Vita | Wii U | Switch | |
| TU69 | 1.76 | 1.76 | 1.76 | Patch 38 | |||
| 1.91 | Kelp can now be bought from wandering traders for 3 emeralds. | ||||||
Issues
Issues relating to "Kelp" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.
Trivia
- In real life, kelp is not considered a plant. It is classified by scientists as a brown algae.
- Kelp in real life absorbs nutrients directly from the water, instead of through its root-like structure, holdfast, which merely attaches it to the seabed. This is in accordance with kelp being able to grow on almost any solid block in Minecraft.
Gallery
Screenshots
-
Kelp shown in a clip from MINECON Earth 2017. -
Naturally generated kelp in an ocean biome. -
Naturally generated kelp near the shore. -
An ocean with kelp visible in the far distance. -

-
What kelp looks like without water (water removed using a resource pack). -
Kelp within a coral reef. -
Kelp that generated in mid-air due to an ocean monument's water cutting through it. -
Multiple kelps. -
Without obstacles, kelp can grow all the way to building limit. -
First image of kelp in Bedrock Edition.
References
External links
- Taking Inventory: Kelp – Minecraft.net on August 27, 2020
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