How to Get Nether Wart in Minecraft and Farm It Anywhere

Nether wart grows in the Nether, mostly in small gardens of soul sand next to the staircases in Nether fortresses. Break the red plants to collect them, then plant them on soul sand back home. It grows in any dimension, with no light or water, and you’ll never need to go back for more.

It can’t be crafted, traded for, or found anywhere outside the Nether, so the first trip is the one that counts.

Where it grows

• Nether fortresses. Look for small patches of soul sand at the bottom of the large stairwells; around twenty plants grow there. Fortress chests also sometimes hold a stack of 3 to 7.
• Bastion remnants. The housing unit type of bastion has a few plants growing in its central courtyard. Bastions are far more dangerous than fortresses, so this is a backup, not a first choice.

Bring back at least a few warts and a few blocks of soul sand. Soul sand is easy to find in soul sand valleys, but grabbing it in the same trip saves another one.

Harvesting

A fully grown plant is tall and dark red, and it drops 2 to 4 nether wart. Fortune adds 1 more per level, up to 7. A plant that isn’t fully grown drops only 1, so wait if you can. It breaks instantly with anything.

Farming it at home

1. Place soul sand anywhere: a cellar, your brewing room, under a roof. Soul soil won’t work.
2. Plant the nether wart on top.
3. Wait. It has four growth stages and takes about 34 minutes on average to mature, and bone meal does nothing.
4. Harvest and replant one wart per block.

The growth is random, so a bigger farm smooths it out. A row of 10 to 20 soul sand blocks gives far more wart than most players can brew. Note that soul sand slows you down when you walk on it, so put the farm out of the way of your main path.

What it’s for

Brewing is the main use. Nether wart in a brewing stand turns water bottles into awkward potions, and nearly every useful potion starts from an awkward potion. No nether wart, no healing, strength, fire resistance or night vision potions. Our brewing guide covers the full chain.

Building blocks:

• Nether wart block: 9 nether wart. A solid red block for decoration. It can’t be turned back into wart.
• Red nether bricks: 2 nether wart and 2 nether bricks in a checkered square. A darker, richer alternative to normal Nether bricks.

Trading: master-level cleric villagers buy nether wart for emeralds (22 per emerald), which is a nice outlet if your farm overproduces.

If you haven’t been to the Nether yet, start with building a Nether portal. Find more guides on the guides hub.