Sugar cane in Minecraft grows at an average rate of about one block every 18 minutes (approximately 18 minutes and 12 seconds) under normal conditions. This growth time is based on the game’s random block tick system, where sugar cane progresses through 16 growth stages before adding a new block on top, with each stage triggered by a random tick occurring roughly every 68 seconds
. Key points about sugar cane growth:
- Growth rate is random but averages to about 18 minutes per block.
- Light level, rain, and whether it is planted on sand, dirt, or grass do not affect growth speed
- Bonemeal does not speed up sugar cane growth in the Java Edition of Minecraft, although some other editions or mods might allow it
- Sugar cane only grows when the chunk is loaded, so if you are away from the area or in a different dimension, growth will pause
- Planting many sugar cane blocks increases the overall yield, making it feel like it grows faster, but individual plants still grow at the same average rate
In summary, patience is required as sugar cane growth is slow and cannot be significantly sped up by typical farming tricks in vanilla Minecraft Java Edition
