Oak Tree OSRS Farming Guide for Beginners and Pros
Farming oak trees in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is a fantastic way to level up your Farming skill while gathering resources like oak logs and roots. Whether you’re a newbie aiming for early Farming levels or a seasoned player optimizing your tree runs, this guide covers everything you need to know about growing oak trees. From requirements to tips for efficiency, let’s dig into the details of oak tree farming in OSRS.
Oak trees are the first step up from basic trees in OSRS Farming, requiring level 15 Farming to plant. They’re accessible, relatively quick to grow, and offer decent experience points (XP) for the effort. Here’s why oak trees are worth your time:
- Low requirements: Only level 15 Farming and basic tools are needed.
- Fast growth: Oak trees take about 200 minutes (3 hours and 20 minutes) to fully grow.
- Resource gathering: You can chop them for oak logs or dig up roots for other skills like Herblore.
- Cost-effective: Acorns and protection payments (baskets of tomatoes) are cheap on the Grand Exchange.
For players looking to train Farming passively or combine it with Woodcutting, oak trees are a solid choice. They strike a balance between affordability and XP gains, making them ideal for early to mid-level training.
Requirements and Tools for Oak Tree Farming
Before you start planting oak trees, you’ll need to meet some basic requirements and gather essential tools. Let’s break it down.
Farming Level and Prerequisites
You need at least level 15 Farming to plant oak trees. If you’re below this, consider planting lower-level crops like potatoes or completing quests like Fairytale I – Growing Pains for a quick XP boost. No specific quests are required to farm oak trees, but having access to teleports (more on this later) makes things easier.
Essential Tools and Items
Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
- Acorns: The seeds for oak trees, bought from the Grand Exchange or dropped by monsters like moles.
- Plant pot: Filled with soil using a gardening trowel.
- Gardening trowel: For filling pots and planting.
- Watering can: To water the seedling into a sapling.
- Spade: To plant the sapling in a tree patch.
- Rake: To clear weeds from tree patches.
- Compost or supercompost: Optional but recommended to reduce disease risk.
- Baskets of tomatoes: To pay gardeners to protect your trees (1 basket per tree).
Most of these items are dirt cheap or reusable, so you won’t break the bank setting up.
Optional but Helpful Items
To make your oak tree runs smoother, consider these:
- Teleport runes or tablets: For quick travel to tree patches (Lumbridge, Varrock, Falador, etc.).
- Bottomless compost bucket: Holds thousands of compost doses, saving inventory space.
- Farming cape or amulet of nature: For teleports or disease alerts (higher-level players).
Step-by-Step Guide to Growing Oak Trees
Farming oak trees follows a straightforward process, but doing it efficiently can save you time and effort. Here’s how to grow them from acorn to fully grown tree.
Step 1: Preparing the Oak Sapling
- Use a gardening trowel on any farming patch to fill a plant pot with soil.
- Plant an acorn in the filled pot.
- Water the pot with a watering can to create an oak seedling.
- Wait a few minutes (or bank the seedling) for it to grow into an oak sapling. You can log out or do other tasks during this time.
Step 2: Planting the Sapling
- Head to a tree patch (locations listed below).
- Use a rake to clear any weeds from the patch.
- Optional: Add compost or supercompost to reduce disease risk.
- Plant the oak sapling using a spade. This grants 14 Farming XP.
- Pay the nearby gardener 1 basket of tomatoes to protect the tree, ensuring it won’t die.
Step 3: Waiting and Harvesting
Oak trees take approximately 200 minutes to grow, split into five 40-minute growth cycles. You don’t need to stay logged in—trees grow even when you’re offline. Once grown, you can:
- Check health: Grants 467.5 Farming XP.
- Chop for logs: Yields oak logs and Woodcutting XP (requires level 15 Woodcutting).
- Dig up roots: Use a spade to get oak roots for Herblore or other uses.
If you chop the tree, you’ll need to dig up the stump before planting another sapling. Otherwise, it won’t regrow like wild trees.
Best Tree Patch Locations for Oak Trees
OSRS has six regular tree patches where you can plant oak trees. Choosing the right ones depends on your teleport options and efficiency goals. Here’s a breakdown:
| Location | Teleport Method | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lumbridge | Lumbridge Teleport or tablet | West of Lumbridge Castle, great for early-game players. |
| Varrock | Varrock Teleport or tablet | South of Varrock Palace, accessible for F2P and P2P. |
| Falador | Falador Teleport or tablet | East of Falador Park, near a bank deposit box. |
| Taverley | Falador Teleport + run or POH portal | North of Falador, good for low-level players. |
| Tree Gnome Stronghold | Spirit Tree or Gnome Glider | Best for members with access to Spirit Trees. |
| Farming Guild | Skills Necklace or Farming Cape | Requires 45 Farming, ideal for mid-level players. |
Tips for Efficient Tree Runs
To maximize your oak tree farming, plan your runs to hit multiple patches in one go:
- Use teleports: Tablets or runes for Lumbridge, Varrock, and Falador save tons of time.
- Combine with other runs: Check herb or fruit tree patches during the same trip for extra XP.
- Track growth: Use a timer or the RuneLite plugin to know when trees are ready.
- Pay for protection: Baskets of tomatoes are cheap and guarantee your trees survive.
A typical low-level run (Lumbridge, Varrock, Falador, Taverley) takes about 5-10 minutes if you teleport efficiently.
Tips and Tricks to Maximize Oak Tree Farming
Want to get the most out of your oak tree farming? These tips will help you boost XP, save money, and streamline your runs.
Reducing Costs
Farming can get pricey, but oak trees are budget-friendly if you play smart:
- Buy in bulk: Purchase acorns and tomato baskets when prices dip on the Grand Exchange.
- Grow your own: Farm tomatoes in allotment patches to make your own baskets.
- Skip compost: If you pay gardeners, compost isn’t strictly necessary, though supercompost boosts yield slightly.
Boosting XP Gains
To level up faster, try these strategies:
- Farmer’s outfit: Earned from Tithe Farm, it gives a 2.5% XP boost.
- Quests for XP: Complete Garden of Death or Fairytale I to skip early levels and reach 15 faster.
- Multiple runs daily: Since oak trees grow in ~3 hours, you can do 2-3 runs per day if you time it right.
Avoiding Common Mistakes
New farmers often trip up on these pitfalls:
- Forgetting payments: Unprotected trees can die, wasting time and money.
- Inefficient travel: Walking between patches is slow—always teleport when possible.
- Ignoring patches: Don’t skip the Farming Guild or Gnome Stronghold if you meet the requirements.
Combining with Other Skills
Oak trees aren’t just for Farming. After checking health, you can:
- Woodcutting: Chop for oak logs (37.5 XP per log, level 15 Woodcutting).
- Herblore: Use oak roots for potions like stamina potions (higher levels).
- Construction: Oak logs are used for oak planks, great for early training.
This makes oak tree farming a multi-skill activity, perfect for players who like efficiency.
By following this guide, you’ll be growing oak trees like a pro in no time. Whether you’re chasing Farming levels, gathering logs, or just enjoying the chill vibe of tree runs, oak trees are a versatile and rewarding choice in OSRS. Grab your spade, stock up on acorns, and get planting!