How to Get Kelp in Minecraft

Kelp is one of the most versatile resources in Minecraft, offering both functional and decorative benefits. Found in ocean biomes, it serves as an excellent fuel source, a renewable food option, and a component for various underwater builds. While it might seem simple to acquire, there are several tips and details that players should know to make the most out of gathering and using kelp in Minecraft. From finding the right biome to efficiently harvesting large amounts, understanding how to get kelp is essential for survival and automation alike.

Where to Find Kelp in Minecraft

Ocean Biomes and Depth

Kelp generates naturally in most ocean biomes except for frozen oceans and warm oceans. It is most commonly found in:

• Cold Ocean
• Deep Cold Ocean
• Normal Ocean
• Deep Ocean
• Lukewarm Ocean (sometimes)

You can spot kelp growing in tall stalks that extend from the seafloor up to just beneath the water’s surface. These green underwater plants sway with the currents and are usually visible even from above the waterline. If you’re in Creative mode, you can also use the /locate biome command to find an ocean biome, but in Survival, it’s a matter of exploration and map awareness.

Structures That May Contain Kelp

While kelp doesn’t spawn in chests or loot structures, it is often found growing near underwater ruins, shipwrecks, and ocean monuments. Exploring these areas can help you find kelp quickly while collecting other valuable resources along the way.

How to Harvest Kelp

Tools and Techniques

Kelp can be broken easily using any tool or even bare hands. However, the most efficient tool to use is a sword or shears. These tools break kelp faster than other options, especially when harvesting large quantities.

When harvesting kelp, breaking the bottom stalk causes all the connected kelp blocks above it to drop as items. This method is useful for gathering large amounts quickly. You’ll need to swim to collect the floating pieces, so consider using items like Depth Strider boots or a Potion of Water Breathing to make the process smoother.

Tips for Faster Collection

• Use a boat to navigate large ocean biomes and search faster
• Bring a Respiration helmet to extend your time underwater
• Collect at night only if you’re well-equipped, to avoid drowned mobs
• Use a conduit if you’re setting up a base or kelp farm underwater

Once harvested, kelp floats up, making it easy to gather by swimming just beneath the surface or using water flow to direct it to a collection point if farming.

How to Farm Kelp

Creating a Basic Kelp Farm

If you want a steady and renewable source of kelp, setting up a farm is the best approach. Kelp can grow up to 26 blocks high in water and does not require light to grow. This makes it ideal for indoor or underground farming.

Steps to Build a Simple Kelp Farm:

• Dig a vertical water column (2×1 or larger) at least 10 blocks deep
• Place sand or dirt at the bottom to plant kelp
• Fill the column with water source blocks (not flowing water)
• Plant kelp at the bottom
• Harvest manually or set up pistons for automation

Once the kelp grows tall enough, you can break the mid or lower blocks to harvest while leaving the base intact for regrowth. This allows continuous farming without replanting each time.

Automated Kelp Farm Designs

For advanced players, automated kelp farms can be created using observers, pistons, and hoppers. Observers detect kelp growth and activate pistons to break the kelp. The harvested items are then collected using water streams or minecart hoppers.

Here are the basic components of an automatic kelp farm:

• Observer blocks to detect kelp growth
• Pistons to break the kelp
• Water streams or bubble columns to move items
• Hoppers and chests for item storage

These farms are especially useful for producing dried kelp blocks, a compact and long-lasting fuel source.

Uses for Kelp in Minecraft

Crafting and Fuel

Once harvested, kelp can be cooked in a furnace to produce dried kelp. Dried kelp can be used as a food source and also crafted into dried kelp blocks. These blocks are one of the most efficient fuels in the game, smelting up to 20 items per block.

Useful Recipes:

• Dried Kelp: Smelt kelp in a furnace using wood, coal, or another fuel
• Dried Kelp Block: 9 dried kelp in a crafting grid

Dried kelp is a renewable and stackable food, useful for long journeys or Redstone-powered auto-smelters where fuel efficiency is key.

Building and Decoration

Kelp blocks and dried kelp blocks can be used decoratively, especially in underwater bases or ocean-themed builds. Their texture blends well with aquatic environments and offers an alternative to other block types.

Additionally, kelp can help with clearing flowing water. When planted in water, it turns flowing water into source blocks, which is useful when setting up water elevators using soul sand or magma blocks.

Survival Strategies Using Kelp

Kelp is a powerful asset for players who want to survive with limited resources. In early-game survival or Skyblock-like scenarios, kelp can provide renewable food and fuel without needing to explore dangerous areas.

Here’s how kelp benefits survival gameplay:

• Easy to gather in bulk
• No need for animals or crops to start farming
• Dried kelp is fast to eat, ideal in combat situations
• Kelp farms are simple and low-maintenance

Combining kelp with other food sources can provide variety and balance in your survival diet. While dried kelp only restores 1 hunger point, its speed and renewability make it valuable.

How to Transport and Store Kelp

Kelp is abundant and stacks easily, but it can fill your inventory quickly when farming in bulk. Consider using shulker boxes, barrels, or large chests near your base or furnace area to manage supply efficiently.

If you’re transporting kelp from a distant ocean biome, using a boat with a chest or a donkey with a chest can help move large amounts back to your main base.

Knowing how to get kelp in Minecraft opens up a wide range of survival, crafting, and building opportunities. From locating the right ocean biome to farming and automating its production, kelp is more than just underwater foliage it’s a resource that can sustain your world. Whether you need renewable fuel, food, or just want to experiment with underwater builds, gathering and using kelp effectively is a smart move for any Minecraft player. Start exploring those oceans, and let kelp become a key part of your next adventure.