Playerless Sugarcane Farm
Sugarcane grows with a simple rule: a new cane appears every 16 random ticks (~18 seconds) while the plant is next to water on sand or dirt. “Playerless” means the farm keeps producing while you’re anywhere in the loaded area — no AFK spot required.
Design (6-row)
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sand or dirt | 54 (6 rows × 9) |
| Water source blocks | 18 |
| Observers + pistons | 18 each |
| Hoppers + chests | 1 line |
| Redstone dust | ~20 |
Build steps
- Lay 6 rows of sand, each 9 long, with a water trench between rows.
- Place an observer facing each cane position and a piston above it.
- When the cane grows to 3 blocks, the observer fires, the piston breaks the top 2 — they drop into the water.
- Water flows into a hopper line feeding one chest.
- Keep the farm inside your simulation distance (6 chunks Bedrock, 8 Java).
Output
Each cane produces ~4–5 per hour, so a 54-cane farm yields ~2,160/hour — enough for unlimited books, maps and rockets. Scale up by copying rows; the calculator shows totals for any AFK window.