You’re wandering through a lush jungle or a swamp, and you see those long, green strands hanging from the trees. They look awesome. You want them for your base decoration, or maybe you need to craft some Mossy Stone Bricks. So, you walk up and start punching them.
Nothing happens. Well, the vine breaks, but nothing drops. It’s gone. Poof.
Honestly, it’s one of those classic Minecraft "gotcha" moments that every new player hits. You can't just harvest these things with your bare hands or a regular pickaxe. If you want to know how to collect vines in minecraft, you need the right tool for the job. Without it, you’re just clearing clutter instead of gathering resources.
The One Tool You Absolutely Need
Forget the diamond sword. Forget the efficiency-enchanted shovel. To actually get a vine item in your inventory, you need Shears.
That’s basically the whole secret. If you use Shears (made by putting two iron ingots diagonally in a crafting grid), the vine will drop as an item 100% of the time. Just walk up to any vine growing on a tree, a wall, or even in a cave, and "mine" it with the shears. It breaks instantly and falls to the ground.
Wait. There is one other way, though it’s way less common for everyday building. You can use a tool enchanted with Silk Touch. If you happen to have a Silk Touch axe or pickaxe, that’ll work too. But let’s be real: nobody is wasting durability on a Silk Touch Diamond Pickaxe just to grab some greenery when two bits of iron do the trick.
Where the Best Vines Usually Hide
You probably already know about Jungles. They’re the "Vine Capital" of the Minecraft world. In a Jungle biome, vines are everywhere—dangling from Great Jungle Trees and clinging to the sides of Cocoa Bean trunks.
But don't overlook Swamps. Swamp trees (usually Oak) are draped in vines that give the whole place that murky, aged look. If you’re playing on a server and the nearest Jungle is 5,000 blocks away, head for the nearest muddy water instead.
Lush Caves are the new gold standard for greenery, though. Since the 1.18 update, these underground paradises have changed the game for decorators. You’ll find vines growing alongside Glow Berries and Spore Blossoms. Sometimes, you’ll even find them in Woodland Mansions or Strongholds, where they’ve grown over centuries (lore-wise, anyway) to cover the stone brick walls.
Why Your Vines Won't Stop Growing (and How to Fix It)
Vines are alive. Well, in the game logic sense.
If you place a vine on a wall, it will eventually spread. It spreads downward, sideways, and even around corners if there’s a solid block for it to grab onto. This is great if you want a "ruined" look for your castle. It sucks if you want a very specific, clean aesthetic and the vines start covering your windows.
To stop a vine from growing further down, you can place a string directly underneath it. String is nearly invisible, especially if you’re not looking for it. The vine "hits" the string, thinks it has no more room to grow, and just stops. It’s a pro builder trick that keeps your foliage exactly where you want it.
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The Secret "Ladders" Most People Forget
Vines aren't just for looks. They are functional.
You can climb them exactly like ladders. The difference? You don't need a solid block behind every single piece of vine to climb them, though they do need a support block to be placed initially. If you have a long vertical drop, you can let the vines grow all the way down. As long as they are hanging against a wall, you can scale that wall.
Keep in mind: if the vine is hanging in mid-air (not against a block), you can't climb it. You'll just fall through it like air.
Crafting and Trading
Aside from decoration, the main reason people search for how to collect vines in minecraft is for crafting. You need them for:
- Mossy Stone Bricks: Combine a vine with a Stone Brick.
- Mossy Cobblestone: Combine a vine with regular Cobblestone.
- Banners: You can use a vine in a Loom to create the "Bordure Indented" pattern (that cool wavy border).
If you’re absolutely stuck and can’t find a Jungle or a Swamp, keep an eye out for the Wandering Trader. He’s that guy with the two llamas who always seems to spawn at the worst possible time. He occasionally sells vines for one Emerald. It’s a steep price for a weed, but if you’re a thousand blocks from the nearest biome, it might be worth it.
Growing Your Own Supply
Once you have just one single vine, you technically have an infinite supply. You don't need to go back to the jungle.
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Just place that one vine on a wall of your house or a dedicated "farm" wall. Make sure there is plenty of light—though vines aren't as picky as grass—and give it time. Within a few Minecraft days, that one vine will have turned into five or six. Grab your shears, snip off the new growth, and leave the "source" block at the top so it can regrow.
Actionable Next Steps
- Craft Shears: Grab two iron ingots and place them diagonally in your crafting window.
- Locate a Jungle or Swamp: These are your most reliable sources for naturally occurring vines.
- Snip the Bottoms: Use the shears on the vines to collect the item.
- Build a Growing Wall: Place your collected vines on a stone or wood wall at your base to create a self-sustaining farm.
- Use String to Limit Growth: If the vines start overrunning your build, place a piece of string on the block face below the vine to halt its progress.