Updated 25 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
Vines in Minecraft: How to Get and Climb Them
Vines are climbable plants that hang from trees in jungles, swamps, mangrove swamps and lush caves. Break them with anything, but only shears collect them. Vines spread on their own with random ticks, sideways, downward and upward, and you can climb them like a ladder. On Java the spread_vines game rule turns spreading off.
How do you get vines?
- Use shears; any other tool breaks them with no drop. Efficiency II or higher shears break them instantly.
- Wandering traders sometimes sell 3 vines for an emerald; see wandering trader.
- Grow a 2 by 2 jungle tree or a mangrove, which comes with vines.
- Shears: shears.
How do vines spread?
Each random tick a vine has a 25% chance to try to spread in a random direction, and each side over air can grow downward. They spread onto nearby solid faces too, so a few vines can cover a wall over time. Speed it up with random tick speed. On Java, /gamerule spread_vines false stops it.
Can you climb vines?
Yes, like a ladder, even when the vine is not attached to a wall below you, so long vines from trees make quick ways up and down. Sneak to stop sliding. Ladders and scaffolding: ladders and scaffolding.
What other vines are there?
The Nether has weeping vines (crimson forest) and twisting vines (warped forest), and lush caves have cave vines with glow berries; all can be climbed. See crimson and warped forests and glow berries. Vines also make mossy cobblestone and mossy stone bricks when crafted with them.
Frequently asked questions
How do you collect vines?
Break them with shears.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.