Semi-automatic, no-bonemeal-required tree farm

    This uses IC2, BC, and Power Crystal's IC/BC power converter mod. I'm also using redpower2 redwire, but it isn't required.


    It's "semi-automatic" because you have to re-plant manually, and then start it once the trees are grown. However, after that, you do nothing until it's done. Don't have to feed it anything - it's even solar powered.


    There are 12 solar panels on top of the quarry frame, which is enough to run it pretty quickly (roughly equal to one combustion engine). The converter block has a redstone torch next to it, and deactivates the converter when the power is shut off to the torch (more on that below). You can't see in the screenshot, but there's just tin cable directly to the converter. Buildcraft sends all available power to a machine, even if it can't use it, so any storage you put in here is wasted.


    There is a diamond pipe that sends wood to storage, and saplings and dirt to storage adjacent to the farm. If I built it again, it would be a 1 x N or 4 x N quarry, to minimize time spent mining leaves (but you still need enough to get saplings).
    OK, so now the trees are all quarried, but quarries have a habit of going straight on to bedrock if you're not around to shut it down...
    Fortunately, once the trees are all gone, there's a perfectly flat dirt area left. A quarry will always go for one of the corner blocks first in such a case.
    The whole quarry has redwire around the edge, with the following arrangement in the corners. When the quarry mines the corner dirt block, it breaks the circuit, and shuts off the converter sending power to the quarry. It stores some power, so it will still tear up a row or two of dirt, but that ends up in a chest nearby and is easy to replace. The lever is what powers the detection circuit and starts/stops the farm.

    You don't even really have to manually replant. I saw a similar system, I'm not going to find it now, but you can design a base grid of dirt for the saplings to be planted on (usually [dirt] [air] [dirt] in a repeating pattern in a line for the most simple design) and use a BC Filler(with 9 brick blocks for the Fill option) to plant the saplings on the dirt (Fillers can work on a line or plane, so you may only need 1 filler for the entire process). When the Filler/s is/are activated, they automatically plant the saplings on the dirt.


    EDIT: You can even have any saplings piped to the filler, so you don't have to manually refill it.

    Quote from yori07

    You don't even really have to manually replant. I saw a similar system, I'm not going to find it now, but you can design a base grid of dirt for the saplings to be planted on (usually [dirt] [air] [dirt] in a repeating pattern in a line for the most simple design) and use a BC Filler(with 9 brick blocks for the Fill option) to plant the saplings on the dirt (Fillers can work on a line or plane, so you may only need 1 filler for the entire process). When the Filler/s is/are activated, they automatically plant the saplings on the dirt.


    EDIT: You can even have any saplings piped to the filler, so you don't have to manually refill it.

    Well, the problem with the filler is that once it's finished, you have to remove and replace it to get it to do anything. That means running around with landmarks, re-doing the pattern, and putting the saplings back in. By the time you're done, you might as well have just replanted the saplings. :P Would be nice if they had "reset" switch, or something.


    You need at least two blocks between saplings to make sure they all grow.

    Quote from Xaiier

    *ahem*


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mXfhC7mFJg


    Shameless self promotion.

    Yeah, I was looking earlier and saw that. In fact, I think it was your v1 that gave me the filler idea. Apparently, due to some BC update that changed filler behavior, they don't effectively work for the "maximum efficiency" layout for tree growth. As of yet, the only solution I've seen someone use was two builders (at 8 diamonds apiece, mind you, then 8 for the template drawing table, for a grand total of 24 diamonds) with the same template to set the dirt/saplings after the filler finishes emptying the area (which requires an obsidian pipe) . Here's the video, if you want to take a look at it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG1-hTSSBbU&feature=related It could probably be adapted fairly easily to use a quarry instead of a filler, but that would increase the cost of the system to 35 diamonds.


    Ultimately, it just depends on how much you want to spend and how sophisticated you want to get. Xaiier's tree farm is cheaper, but is slightly more complicated. The other linked tree farm is more expensive, but for all intents and purposes, is simpler.

    Quote from yori07

    Yeah, I was looking earlier and saw that. In fact, I think it was your v1 that gave me the filler idea. Apparently, due to some BC update that changed filler behavior, they don't effectively work for the "maximum efficiency" layout for tree growth. As of yet, the only solution I've seen someone use was two builders (at 8 diamonds apiece, mind you, then 8 for the template drawing table, for a grand total of 24 diamonds) with the same template to set the dirt/saplings after the filler finishes emptying the area (which requires an obsidian pipe) . Here's the video, if you want to take a look at it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG1-hTSSBbU&feature=related It could probably be adapted fairly easily to use a quarry instead of a filler, but that would increase the cost of the system to 35 diamonds.


    Ultimately, it just depends on how much you want to spend and how sophisticated you want to get. Xaiier's tree farm is cheaper, but is slightly more complicated. The other linked tree farm is more expensive, but for all intents and purposes, is simpler.


    Hmm, that farm is quite interesting, as well as his newer version.
    The only thing is I don't understand why the trees are so spread out. Birch require 5x5 but normals can grow right next to each other, so in my farm it deals with that & means more wood per m^2.


    And what do you mean about this "maximum efficiency"?

    Quote from Xaiier

    Hmm, that farm is quite interesting, as well as his newer version.
    The only thing is I don't understand why the trees are so spread out. Birch require 5x5 but normals can grow right next to each other, so in my farm it deals with that & means more wood per m^2.


    And what do you mean about this "maximum efficiency"?

    Trees need a minimum vertical space to grow. In your design, with the trees being right next to each other, once one grows, most of the saplings around it won't. By having two spaces between the trees, you give each individual tree room to grow. I really haven't had much trouble using a design with just one space between the trees, but it was also for manual removal, so it really didn't matter if some of the trees didn't grow, as I replanted everything as I harvested.

    Quote from yori07

    Trees need a minimum vertical space to grow. In your design, with the trees being right next to each other, once one grows, most of the saplings around it won't. By having two spaces between the trees, you give each individual tree room to grow. I really haven't had much trouble using a design with just one space between the trees, but it was also for manual removal, so it really didn't matter if some of the trees didn't grow, as I replanted everything as I harvested.


    Actually, they grow through leaves, soo...


    I've had blobs of trunks all next to each other in mine.

    Huh. I honestly didn't know that. I had to check the wiki. Well, I'll just say the trees have a higher chance of growing without the use of bonemeal if they're spaced out. Surprisingly, still works. Crystals for you sir! :Energy Crystal: :Energy Crystal: :Energy Crystal:

    Quote from yori07

    Huh. I honestly didn't know that. I had to check the wiki. Well, I'll just say the trees have a higher chance of growing without the use of bonemeal if they're spaced out. Surprisingly, still works. Crystals for you sir! :Energy Crystal: :Energy Crystal: :Energy Crystal:


    Yep. The thing is, my compact design allows for so many more saplings that it balances out the slower grow time. Not sure if rubber trees will work close together though & I know birch & pine won't, so if you want those & not just normal wood you would have to space it.

    Spacing the trees apart allows LIGHT to reach the saplings. Somewhere there's an optimal pattern for tree farms that densely packs them but still allows each sapling to have a light source next to it. Can't be bothered to find it right now.