Kelp

For other uses, see Kelp (disambiguation).
Kelp
Kelp.gif: Infobox image for Kelp the block in Minecraft
Invicon Kelp.png: Inventory sprite for Kelp in Minecraft as shown in-game with description: 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)


 12 WATER

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
Legend
  • 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

Main article: Kelp (feature)

Kelp naturally generates in any ocean biomes (except in frozen, deep frozen and warm), near and around seagrass. Each chunk has 118 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
Invicon Kelp.png: Inventory sprite for Kelp in Minecraft as shown in-game with description: Kelp
Invicon Coal.png: Inventory sprite for Coal in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Coal with description: CoalInvicon Charcoal.png: Inventory sprite for Charcoal in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Charcoal with description: CharcoalInvicon Oak Log.png: Inventory sprite for Oak Log in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Oak Log with description: LogInvicon Oak Planks.png: Inventory sprite for Oak Planks in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Oak Planks with description: Overworld PlanksInvicon Lava Bucket.png: Inventory sprite for Lava Bucket in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Lava Bucket with description: Lava BucketInvicon Block of Coal.png: Inventory sprite for Block of Coal in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Block of Coal with description: Block of Coal

Invicon Dried Kelp.png: Inventory sprite for Dried Kelp in Minecraft as shown in-game linking to Dried Kelp with description: Dried Kelp0.1

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

Main article: Tutorial:Kelp 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

Java Edition:

ItemSprite kelp.png: Sprite image for kelp in Minecraft wet_grass sound type
SoundSubtitlesSourceDescriptionResource locationTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
​Block brokenBlocksOnce the block has brokenblock.wet_grass.breaksubtitles.block.generic.break0.80.816
​Block placedBlocksWhen the block is placedblock.wet_grass.placesubtitles.block.generic.place0.80.816
​Block breakingBlocksWhile the block is in the process of being brokenblock.wet_grass.hitsubtitles.block.generic.hit0.250.516
​Something falls on a blockEntity-DependentFalling on the block with fall damageblock.wet_grass.fallsubtitles.block.generic.fall0.50.7516
​FootstepsEntity-DependentWalking on the blockblock.wet_grass.stepsubtitles.block.generic.footsteps0.151.016

Bedrock Edition:

BlockSprite short-grass.png: Sprite image for short-grass in Minecraft grass sound type
SoundSourceDescriptionResource locationVolumePitch
BlocksOnce the block has brokendig.grass0.70.8–1.0
BlocksWhen the block is placeduse.grass0.80.8–1.0
BlocksWhile the block is in the process of being brokenhit.grass0.30.5
PlayersFalling on the block with fall damagefall.grass0.41.0
PlayersWalking on the blockstep.grass0.31.0
BlocksJumping from the blockjump.grass0.111.0
BlocksFalling on the block without fall damageland.grass0.211.0

Unique

Java Edition

Sounds
SoundSubtitlesSourceDescriptionResource locationTranslation keyVolumePitchAttenuation
distance
​Plant croppedBlocksWhen the tip of kelp is cropped with shearsblock.growing_plant.cropsubtitles.block.growing_plant.crop1.01.016

Bedrock Edition: None

Data values

ID

Java Edition:

NameIdentifierFormTranslation key
BlockSprite kelp.png: Sprite image for kelp in Minecraft KelpkelpBlock & Itemblock.minecraft.kelp
BlockSprite kelp-plant.png: Sprite image for kelp-plant in Minecraft Kelp Plantkelp_plantBlockblock.minecraft.kelp_plant

Bedrock Edition:

KelpIdentifierNumeric ID FormItem ID[i 1]Translation key
ItemSprite kelp.png: Sprite image for kelp in Minecraft Itemkelp382Itemitem.kelp.name
BlockSprite kelp.png: Sprite image for kelp in Minecraft Blockkelp393Block & Ungiveable Item[i 2]item.kelp
(Numeric: -138)
  1. ID of block's direct item form, which is used in savegame files and addons.
  2. Unavailable with /give command

Block states

See also: Block states

Java Edition:
Top kelp block:

Name Default value Allowed values Description
age00
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
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.

Bedrock Edition:

NameMetadata Bits Default value Allowed valuesValues for
Metadata Bits
Description
kelp_age0x1
0x2
0x4
0x8
00
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
The age of the kelp. The kelp renders as a non-top piece if there's another kelp above it.
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
UnsupportedUnused


History

There is an associated technical blocks page for the internal item form of this block; see Technical blocks/Kelp.
Java Edition Classic
May 21, 2009Notch shows interest in adding a "seaweed" block.
Java Edition
November 18, 2017Kelp plants were shown in a clip of MineCon Earth.
1.1318w07a Added kelp.
18w07bKelp 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 The texture of kelp has been changed.
18w14a Top of the kelp textures have been shifted slightly downward.
The generation rules for kelp have been changed, it now mainly generates in cold ocean biomes and can no longer generate in warm oceans.
18w20aThe kelp_top has been changed ID to kelp and kelp has been changed to kelp_plant, for both the block and item forms.
pre2Kelp is now destroyed by sponges.[3]
pre6Added 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.
1.1419w03aPlacing kelp into a composter now has a 10% chance of raising the compost level by 1.
19w05aKelp 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.
1.1620w11aKelp can now be grown with bone meal.
20w13aKelp has been moved from the "Miscellaneous" tab to the "Decoration Blocks" tab in the Creative inventory.[4]
1.1720w46aKelp no longer generates on magma blocks.[5]
1.1821w37aKelp now stops growing if shears are used on the tip.
Bedrock Edition
1.4.0beta 1.2.14.2 Added kelp.
beta 1.2.20.1 The kelp item texture has been updated to the Java Edition's.
1.5.0beta 1.5.0.4 The texture of the kelp plant has been updated.
1.10.0beta 1.10.0.3Kelp can now be bought from wandering traders for 3 emeralds.
1.11.0beta 1.11.0.1Kelp can now be used to fill composters.
1.21.50Preview 1.21.50.25Removed the unintended darker tinting of kelp.
1.21.60Preview 1.21.60.21Kelp now stops growing if shears are used on the tip.
Preview 1.21.60.23Kelp generates more frequently and in denser patches in ocean biomes (except for frozen ocean).
Preview 1.21.60.27Kelp can now generate at any depth, leading to increased overall generation.
Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360Xbox OnePS3PS4PS VitaWii USwitch
TU69 1.761.761.76Patch 38 Added kelp.
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

References

  1. MC-133814
  2. MC-133354
  3. MC-127111
  4. MC-174434 — resolved as "Fixed".
  5. MC-185605 — resolved as "Fixed".

External links

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