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Who this is for: Minecraft players looking to find sustainable food sources, efficient fuel alternatives, or materials for underwater building projects.
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Where to Find Kelp in Minecraft
Kelp naturally spawns in ocean biomes, but not just any ocean will do. You’ll have the best luck finding kelp in these specific locations:
- Warm Ocean biomes – The most reliable source with abundant kelp forests
- Lukewarm Ocean biomes – Good kelp density, easier to spot
- Cold Ocean biomes – Less common but still spawns kelp
- Deep Ocean variants – Check the shallower edges where kelp can reach the surface
Kelp grows from the ocean floor up toward the surface, creating tall underwater forests that are hard to miss once you know what to look for. The plants appear as long, green, swaying columns that can reach impressive heights.
How to Harvest Kelp Effectively
Harvesting kelp is straightforward, but there are some tricks to maximize your efficiency:
Basic Harvesting Method
Simply break any part of the kelp plant with your hand or any tool. When you break a kelp block, it drops itself as an item. No special tools required, though using shears can be slightly faster.
Smart Harvesting Tips
- Break from the bottom up – This causes the entire kelp column above to break automatically, saving time
- Leave the bottom block – Kelp will regrow from the base block you leave behind
- Bring a boat – Makes ocean exploration much faster and safer
- Use water breathing potions – Extends your underwater time significantly
What You Can Do With Kelp
Raw kelp has several useful applications that make it worth collecting:
| Use | How To | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Dried Kelp | Smelt in furnace | Food source (1 hunger point) |
| Kelp Blocks | Craft 9 dried kelp together | Efficient fuel source |
| Composting | Put in composter | 30% chance for bone meal |
| Breeding | Feed to turtles | Turtle breeding material |
Kelp as Fuel
Here’s a neat trick many players overlook: kelp blocks are one of the most efficient renewable fuel sources in the game. Nine dried kelp creates one kelp block, which burns for 200 seconds – that’s longer than a piece of coal! This makes kelp farming incredibly valuable for large smelting operations.
Setting Up a Kelp Farm
Once you’ve found your first kelp, you can create an unlimited supply:
- Choose your location – Any water source at least 2 blocks deep works
- Plant kelp at the bottom – Right-click on sand, dirt, or gravel underwater
- Apply bone meal – Makes kelp grow instantly to maximum height
- Harvest regularly – Kelp grows naturally over time, or use more bone meal
Pro tip: Kelp grows up to 26 blocks tall naturally, and you can force it to grow faster with bone meal. This makes it perfect for automated farms using pistons and redstone contraptions.
Whether you’re looking for a renewable food source, efficient fuel, or just want to decorate your underwater builds, kelp is one of Minecraft’s most versatile resources once you know where to look for it.
TL;DR
Kelp spawns naturally in ocean biomes, especially warm and lukewarm oceans. Break it underwater to harvest, and you can replant it anywhere with water to create renewable farms for food and fuel.
