OSRS Farming Fruit Trees: The Ultimate Guide to Growing and Profiting

OSRS Farming Fruit Trees: The Ultimate Guide to Growing and Profiting


Old School RuneScape (OSRS) offers a variety of skills to master, and Farming stands out as one of the most rewarding yet time-intensive ones. Among the many Farming activities, growing fruit trees is a fantastic way to gain experience, gather resources, and even make a profit. Whether you’re a beginner looking to level up or a seasoned player optimizing your daily runs, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about OSRS Farming fruit trees. From patch locations to profit strategies, we’ve got you covered!

Farming fruit trees in OSRS isn’t just about racking up Farming XP—it’s a strategic choice with multiple benefits. Unlike regular trees, fruit trees provide harvestable produce that regenerates over time, offering both practical uses and a chance to earn gold. Let’s break down why they’re worth your time.

Experience Gains

Fruit trees offer substantial Farming experience when you check their health after they’re fully grown. For example, planting a Dragonfruit tree at level 81 yields 17,335 XP upon checking its health, making it one of the best XP sources in the game.

Resource Collection

The fruits you harvest—apples, bananas, oranges, and more—have various uses. They’re key ingredients in Gnome cooking, payment for protecting other crops, or even raw materials for profit on the Grand Exchange.

Passive Profit Potential

Selling high-tier fruits like pineapples, papayas, coconuts, or dragonfruit can net you a tidy sum. With six fruits regenerating every 40 minutes, a single tree can become a gold mine over time if you’re diligent about harvesting.

Getting Started with Fruit Tree Farming

Before you dig into fruit tree farming, you’ll need to understand the basics. This section covers the requirements, tools, and initial steps to plant your first sapling.

Farming Level Requirements

Fruit tree farming starts at level 27 with Apple trees. As you progress, you unlock more valuable options:

  • Level 27: Apple Tree
  • Level 33: Banana Tree
  • Level 39: Orange Tree
  • Level 42: Curry Tree
  • Level 51: Pineapple Tree
  • Level 57: Papaya Tree
  • Level 68: Palm Tree
  • Level 81: Dragonfruit Tree

Essential Tools and Items

To farm fruit trees effectively, gather these essentials:

  • Seeds: Buy from the Grand Exchange or obtain via bird nests, monster drops, or Farming contracts.
  • Plant Pots: Fill with soil using a gardening trowel.
  • Watering Can: To grow seedlings into saplings.
  • Spade: For planting and digging up stumps.
  • Rake: To clear weeds from patches.
  • Compost (Optional): Supercompost or ultracompost reduces disease risk.
  • Protection Payment (Optional): Pay gardeners to eliminate disease risk entirely.

Step-by-Step Planting Process

  1. Use a seed on a filled plant pot with a trowel in your inventory.
  2. Water the seedling with a watering can and wait 5-10 minutes for it to become a sapling.
  3. Clear a fruit tree patch with a rake if needed.
  4. Plant the sapling using a spade.
  5. Apply compost or pay the gardener to protect it.
  6. Wait 16 hours for the tree to grow, then check its health for XP.

Fruit Tree Patch Locations in OSRS

OSRS has six fruit tree patches scattered across Gielinor. Knowing their locations and how to access them efficiently is key to optimizing your farming runs.

Tree Gnome Stronghold

Location: South of the Grand Tree.
Teleport: Spirit Tree (requires Tree Gnome Village and The Grand Tree quests).
Notes: Easy access and close to a bank, making it a beginner-friendly spot.

Tree Gnome Village

Location: Southwest of the village maze.
Teleport: Spirit Tree to Tree Gnome Village.
Notes: Squeeze through the loose railing and follow Elkoy for quick access.

Catherby

Location: East of the beach.
Teleport: Camelot Teleport or Catherby Teleport (Lunar spellbook).
Notes: Near a bank and fishing spots, ideal for multi-skilling.

Brimhaven

Location: North of the town.
Teleport: House Teleport (if set to Brimhaven) or Ardougne Teleport + boat ride.
Notes: Pair with the nearby Calquat patch for efficiency.

Lletya

Location: Southeast of the town.
Teleport: Teleport Crystal (requires Mourning’s End Part I).
Notes: Secluded but rewarding for higher-level players.

Farming Guild

Location: West wing of the guild.
Teleport: Skills Necklace or Farming Cape.
Notes: Requires level 85 Farming to access, perfect for endgame runs.

Optimizing Your Fruit Tree Runs

Fruit tree runs are a cornerstone of efficient Farming training. Since trees take 16 hours to grow, you can do one run per day. Here’s how to maximize your time and rewards.

Recommended Run Order

For speed and convenience, follow this route:

  1. Farming Guild: Start here if you’re level 85+ (Skills Necklace).
  2. Gnome Stronghold: Spirit Tree from the Grand Exchange.
  3. Tree Gnome Village: Spirit Tree again.
  4. Lletya: Teleport Crystal.
  5. Catherby: Camelot Teleport.
  6. Brimhaven: House Teleport or boat from Ardougne.

This order minimizes travel time with readily available teleports.

Protection vs. Compost

You have two options to keep your trees healthy:

  • Paying Gardeners: Costs items like sweetcorn (Apple) or coconuts (Dragonfruit). Guarantees survival but can get pricey.
  • Compost: Ultracompost reduces disease risk significantly and is cheaper, though not foolproof.

For high-level trees like Dragonfruit, paying is often worth it to secure the massive XP drop.

Teleportation Tips

Use these to speed up your runs:

  • Spirit Tree Network: Unlocked via quests, covers Gnome areas.
  • Teleport Crystals: Stock up for Lletya trips.
  • House Teleport: Set your house in Brimhaven for quick access.
  • Skills Necklace: Direct to Farming Guild.

Profit and XP Breakdown of Fruit Trees

Fruit trees balance XP and profit potential. Here’s a detailed look at each tree’s costs, XP, and returns as of April 2025 (prices fluctuate, so check the Grand Exchange).

XP and Cost Table

Tree Level Planting XP Check Health XP Total XP Protection Cost Fruit Value (6x)
Apple 27 22 1,199.5 1,221.5 9 Sweetcorn (~100 gp) ~300 gp
Banana 33 28 1,750.5 1,778.5 4 Apples (~200 gp) ~500 gp
Pineapple 51 57 4,605.7 4,662.7 10 Watermelons (~1,000 gp) ~2,000 gp
Papaya 57 72 6,146.4 6,218.4 10 Pineapples (~3,000 gp) ~4,000 gp
Palm 68 110.5 10,150.1 10,260.6 15 Papayas (~6,000 gp) ~7,000 gp
Dragonfruit 81 140 17,335 17,475 15 Coconuts (~12,000 gp) ~15,000 gp

Best Trees for Profit

Palm Trees (Level 68): With coconuts selling for around 1,000-1,500 gp each, six fruits can fetch 6,000-9,000 gp per harvest, often offsetting the protection cost.
Dragonfruit Trees (Level 81): Dragonfruit fetch 2,000-3,000 gp each, yielding up to 18,000 gp per harvest—ideal for endgame profit.

Best Trees for XP

Dragonfruit Trees: At 17,475 total XP per tree, they’re the top choice for fast leveling.
Palm Trees: A solid 10,260.6 XP makes them great for mid-to-high levels.

Fruit tree farming in OSRS is a blend of patience and strategy. Whether you’re chasing XP to hit 99 Farming or stacking gold, this guide equips you with the knowledge to succeed. Start planting today, optimize your runs, and watch your Farming skills—and bank—grow!