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How to Farm Trees in OSRS for Fast Farming XP

Farming trees in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is the most efficient way to train the Farming skill, offering massive experience drops with minimal active time. Known as “tree runs,” this method involves planting high-level tree, fruit tree, hardwood, and special tree saplings across Gielinor’s farming patches, checking their health, and replanting. This guide covers everything you need to know to master tree farming, from preparation to advanced strategies, helping you reach level 99 Farming in as little as 3–4 months with consistent runs.
Tree runs are a passive yet highly effective training method, allowing players to gain significant Farming experience in just a few minutes daily. Unlike active methods like Tithe Farm, tree runs let you plant, wait for growth (hours to days), and harvest experience with minimal effort. A single run can yield over 200,000 XP in about 5–10 minutes, making it ideal for players with limited playtime.
Key Benefits of Tree Runs
- High XP Rates: Effective rates can reach 2.5M XP per hour for actively spent time.
- Low Time Commitment: Spend 5–10 minutes per run, 1–2 times daily.
- Passive Training: Trees grow while you’re offline, perfect for multitasking.
- Scalable: Unlock better trees as your Farming level increases.
Preparation for Tree Runs
Before starting, ensure you have the right tools, teleports, and quests completed to maximize efficiency. Tree runs require a decent gold stack (50–120M for the fastest path to 99) due to expensive saplings and protection payments. Here’s how to prepare.
Essential Items
You’ll need specific items to plant and manage trees effectively. Most are available at the Grand Exchange or farming shops.
Item | Purpose | Source |
---|---|---|
Spade | Plant saplings, dig up stumps | Farming shops, Grand Exchange |
Rake | Clear weeds from patches | Farming shops, Grand Exchange |
Watering Can | Water seedlings to make saplings | Farming shops, Grand Exchange |
Plant Pots | Grow seeds into saplings | Farming shops, Grand Exchange |
Tree/Fruit Tree Saplings | Plant in patches | Grand Exchange or self-made |
Coins | Pay gardeners (200 coins per tree removal) | Earned in-game |
Protection Payments | Prevent disease | Grand Exchange (e.g., baskets of apples) |
Recommended Quests for Efficiency
Completing certain quests unlocks teleports and patches, making runs faster. Prioritize these:
- Fairytale I – Growing Pains: Grants Magic Secateurs (boosts crop yield).
- Bone Voyage: Unlocks Fossil Island for hardwood trees.
- Tree Gnome Village/The Grand Tree: Access to spirit trees for fast travel.
- Tai Bwo Wannai Trio: Enables Tai Bwo Wannai teleport scrolls for calquat patch.
- Mourning’s End Part I: Unlocks Lletya fruit tree patch and teleport crystals.
Teleportation Setup
Efficient travel is critical. Stock up on these teleports:
- Spirit Tree: Gnome Stronghold, Farming Guild (level 85).
- Teleport Crystals: Lletya fruit tree patch.
- Skills Necklace: Farming Guild.
- Ring of Wealth: Falador Park, Grand Exchange.
- Digsite Pendant: Fossil Island hardwood patches.
- Scrolls of Redirection: House portals near patches (Nightmare Zone reward).
Step-by-Step Tree Run Guide
A tree run involves visiting multiple farming patches to plant, check, and replant trees. Here’s a detailed route for a high-level run (level 72+), adaptable for lower levels.
Tree Run Route
Follow this order to hit all major patches efficiently (takes ~5–10 minutes):
- Farming Guild (Level 45+): Teleport with Skills Necklace. Check/plant magic tree, dragonfruit tree, and celastrus tree. Pay gardeners 200 coins to remove trees.
- Gnome Stronghold: Use Spirit Tree. Plant magic tree and dragonfruit tree. Pay for removal.
- Tree Gnome Village: Teleport via Spirit Tree or Elkoy (post-quest). Plant dragonfruit tree.
- Lletya: Use Teleport Crystal. Plant dragonfruit tree.
- Catherby: Teleport with Camelot Teleport or Lunar Spellbook. Plant magic tree and dragonfruit tree.
- Brimhaven: Use Tai Bwo Wannai scroll or house portal. Plant dragonfruit tree and calquat tree.
- Falador Park: Use Ring of Wealth or Falador Teleport. Plant magic tree.
- Lumbridge: Use Lumbridge Teleport. Plant magic tree.
- Varrock: Use Varrock Teleport. Plant magic tree.
- Taverley: Use Taverley Teleport or run from Falador. Plant magic tree.
- Fossil Island: Use Digsite Pendant. Plant 3 mahogany trees (every 4 days).
Tree Types and Levels
Plant the highest-tier trees available for your level to maximize XP. Here’s a progression:
Tree Type | Level | XP (Check Health) | Growth Time | Protection Payment |
---|---|---|---|---|
Oak | 15 | 467.3 | 3h 20m | 1 basket of tomatoes |
Willow | 30 | 1,456.5 | 4h | 1 basket of apples |
Maple | 45 | 3,403.4 | 5h 20m | 1 basket of oranges |
Yew | 60 | 7,069.9 | 6h 40m | 10 cactus spines |
Magic | 75 | 13,768.3 | 8h | 25 coconuts |
Apple (Fruit) | 27 | 1,199.5 | 16h | 9 sweetcorn |
Dragonfruit (Fruit) | 81 | 17,335 | 16h | 15 coconuts |
Mahogany (Hardwood) | 55 | 15,720 | 85h 20m | 25 yanillian hops |
Calquat (Special) | 72 | 12,096 | 21h 20m | 8 poison ivy berries |
Cost-Saving Tips for Budget Players
Tree runs can be expensive, with high-level saplings like magic and dragonfruit costing millions daily. Here are ways to save gold while still gaining decent XP.
Cheaper Tree Options
- Stick to Willows and Papayas: These are affordable and offer solid XP until level 60+.
- Use Hardwood Trees: Mahogany trees are cost-effective with high XP drops every 4 days.
- Avoid Protection Payments: Use ultracompost (made with volcanic ash and supercompost) to reduce disease risk instead of paying gardeners.
Making Your Own Saplings
Buying saplings is convenient but costly. Save gold by growing them yourself:
- Use a gardening trowel to fill plant pots with soil from any farming patch.
- Plant a tree seed in the filled pot with a seed dibber.
- Water with a watering can (or Humidify spell at 68 Magic).
- Wait a few minutes for the seedling to become a sapling (grows in bank).
Advanced Strategies for Max XP
Once you’re comfortable with tree runs, optimize for maximum efficiency and XP rates.
Incorporate Special Trees
At higher levels, add special trees like calquat, celastrus, and redwood for extra XP. A run with 6 magic trees, 6 dragonfruit trees, 1 calquat, and 1 celastrus yields 215,761.3 XP in ~5 minutes, equating to ~2.4M XP/hour effectively. Including mahogany (every 4 days) and redwood (every 5 days) boosts this to 2.5M XP/hour.
Timing and Consistency
Do 1–2 runs daily, timing them with growth cycles (e.g., magic trees take 8 hours, fruit trees 16 hours). Consistency is key—daily runs over 3–4 months can get you to 99 Farming. Use an OSRS client with crop timers to track growth.
Leverage Diaries and Gear
- Falador Elite Diary: Makes Falador Park’s tree patch disease-free.
- Magic Secateurs: Boosts crop yield, useful if harvesting fruit.
- Farming Cape: Increases herb yield by 5%, handy for side herb runs.
Tree runs are the backbone of Farming training in OSRS, blending high XP with low effort. Start with oaks at level 15, progress to magic and dragonfruit trees, and incorporate special trees as you level up. With proper preparation, efficient routes, and cost-saving tricks, you’ll be flaunting that Farming Cape in no time. Happy farming!