Magic Tree OSRS Farming Guide

Farming magic trees in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is a high-level, rewarding activity that offers substantial Farming experience and valuable resources. Requiring level 75 Farming, magic trees are a cornerstone of efficient tree runs, providing players with a way to level up quickly while potentially turning a profit. This guide covers everything you need to know about farming magic trees, from planting to harvesting, cost management, and optimization strategies. Whether you’re aiming for 99 Farming or looking to make gold, this blog post will help you master magic tree farming in OSRS.

Magic trees are one of the highest-tier trees in OSRS, offering significant Farming experience and access to magic logs and roots, which are valuable for Woodcutting, Fletching, and other skills. Here’s why they’re worth your time:

High Experience Gains: Checking a fully grown magic tree yields 13,768.3 Farming XP, with 145.5 XP for planting, making them ideal for fast leveling.
Resource Value: Magic logs and roots can be sold or used for profit, offsetting the high cost of seeds and protection payments.
Efficient Tree Runs: Magic trees fit into daily tree runs, which are a passive, time-efficient way to train Farming.
Diary Achievements: Growing and harvesting magic trees in specific locations, like Falador Park, completes elite tasks in diaries such as the Falador and Western Provinces Diaries.

However, magic trees come with a high cost, so understanding the process and optimizing your approach is crucial.

Requirements and Preparation for Magic Tree Farming

Before you start planting magic trees, ensure you meet the requirements and have the necessary items to streamline the process.

Farming Level and Prerequisites

You need at least level 75 Farming to plant magic saplings. If you’re close but not quite there, you can use a garden pie to boost your Farming level by +3, allowing you to plant at level 72. Completing quests like Fairytale I – Growing Pains for magic secateurs is also recommended, as they increase crop yields for other profitable farming activities like herb runs, which can offset magic tree costs.

Essential Items

Gather these items to make your magic tree runs efficient:

Magic Seeds: Purchased from the Grand Exchange (GE) for approximately 175,000–200,000 GP each.
Plant Pots: Filled with soil using a gardening trowel.
Watering Can or Humidify Spell: To water seedlings (requires 68 Magic and completion of Dream Mentor for Humidify).
Spade: For planting saplings and digging up roots.
Rake: To clear weeds from patches.
Ultracompost: Reduces disease risk and increases yields for other crops like herbs.
25 Coconuts per Tree: Payment to protect trees from disease (noted coconuts are accepted).
Teleportation Items: For quick access to tree patches (e.g., Explorer’s Ring, Skills Necklace, or teleport crystals).

Tree Patch Locations

OSRS has six regular tree patches where you can plant magic trees. Here’s a table of their locations and recommended teleports:

Location	Teleport Method	Notes
Falador Park	Explorer’s Ring 3/4 or Falador Teleport	Elite Falador Diary prevents disease; close to bank.
Taverley	Falador Teleport (run north)	Close to Falador patch for efficient runs.
Varrock	Amulet of Glory or Varrock Teleport	Central location, easy access.
Gnome Stronghold	Spirit Tree or Skills Necklace	Closest patch to a bank, ideal for chopping.
Lumbridge	Lumbridge Teleport	Accessible but slightly out of the way.
Farming Guild	Skills Necklace	Requires 45 Farming and 60% Hosidius favor.

How to Farm Magic Trees Step-by-Step

Farming magic trees involves a straightforward process, but attention to detail can save time and money. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Create Magic Saplings

Fill a plant pot with soil using a gardening trowel.
Add a magic seed to the pot.
Water the seed with a watering can or cast Humidify (68 Magic) to speed up the process.
Wait 0–5 minutes for the seedling to grow into a sapling. Saplings can grow in your bank, so prepare multiple at once.

Step 2: Plant the Sapling

Travel to a tree patch (use the table above for teleport options).
Rake the patch to remove weeds.
Optionally apply ultracompost to reduce disease risk if not paying for protection.
Plant the sapling using a spade.
Pay the nearby gardener 25 coconuts to protect the tree from disease.

Step 3: Wait and Harvest

Magic trees take 480 minutes (8 hours) to fully grow. After this period:

Check Health: Interact with the tree to gain 13,768.3 Farming XP.
Chop Down: Cut the tree for magic logs (requires 75 Woodcutting, grants 250 XP per log).
Dig Up Roots: Use a spade to remove the stump and collect magic roots, which can be sold or used for high-level Herblore potions.

Alternatively, leave the tree for continuous Woodcutting or use a Hydra familiar’s scroll (80 Summoning) to instantly regrow it for repeated chopping, especially in the Gnome Stronghold patch due to its proximity to a bank.

Cost and Profit Analysis

Magic tree farming is expensive, but strategic choices can mitigate losses or even yield a profit. Here’s a breakdown:

Costs

Based on Grand Exchange prices (as of May 2025):

Magic Seed: ~175,000–200,000 GP
25 Coconuts: ~10,000–12,500 GP (at ~400–500 GP each)
Total per Tree: ~185,000–212,500 GP
Total for 6 Trees (Full Run): ~1,110,000–1,275,000 GP

Without protection, trees have an estimated 15% chance of dying (reduced with ultracompost or high Farming levels), increasing costs if you rely on Resurrect Crops (78 Magic) or replanting.

Potential Profits

While magic trees are primarily for XP, you can offset costs:

Magic Logs: Chopping yields ~5–10 logs per tree (at ~800–1,000 GP each), totaling ~4,000–10,000 GP per tree.
Magic Roots: ~2–4 roots per tree (at ~5,000–7,000 GP each), totaling ~10,000–28,000 GP per tree.
Bird Nests: Occasional drops when chopping, containing seeds or rings (~5,000–50,000 GP).
Herb Runs: Pairing tree runs with high-profit herb runs (e.g., ranarrs or torstols) can yield 300,000–500,000 GP per run, covering tree costs.

A full run of six magic trees costs ~1.2M GP but yields ~82,609.8 XP (6 trees × 13,913.8 XP). With logs and roots, you might recover ~90,000–228,000 GP per run, making the net loss ~1M GP. Herb runs or selling saplings can further reduce this.

Tips for Optimizing Magic Tree Runs

Maximize efficiency and minimize costs with these strategies:

Efficient Run Order

Follow this order for a ~5-minute tree run:

Falador Park (Explorer’s Ring)
Taverley (run from Falador)
Varrock (Amulet of Glory)
Gnome Stronghold (Spirit Tree)
Lumbridge (Lumbridge Teleport)
Farming Guild (Skills Necklace)

This minimizes travel time and leverages teleportation items effectively.

Cost-Saving Tricks

Grow Your Own Coconuts: Plant palm trees in fruit tree patches to produce coconuts, reducing protection costs.
Use Ultracompost: If you can’t afford coconuts, ultracompost reduces disease risk, though it’s less reliable.
Complete Diaries: The Elite Falador Diary makes the Falador Park patch disease-free, saving coconuts for one patch.
Make Saplings: Buy magic seeds and grow saplings yourself to save ~10,000–20,000 GP per sapling compared to buying them directly.

Boosting XP Rates

Two Runs Daily: Since magic trees take 8 hours to grow, you can do two runs per day, yielding ~165,219.6 XP daily (2 × 82,609.8 XP).
Combine with Other Trees: Include fruit trees (e.g., dragonfruit), hardwood trees (e.g., mahogany), and special trees (e.g., calquat, celastrus) for up to 2.5M effective XP per hour, as runs take ~5 minutes but yield hours’ worth of XP.
Use Hydra Familiar: At 80 Summoning, instantly regrow trees for continuous chopping and XP.

Farming magic trees in OSRS is a powerful way to train Farming efficiently while unlocking valuable resources and diary achievements. Though costly, pairing tree runs with herb runs and using cost-saving strategies can make it sustainable. With this guide, you’re ready to plant, grow, and harvest your way to 99 Farming. Grab your spade, stock up on seeds, and start your magic tree empire today!