Sapling

The Old School RuneScape Wiki also has an article on: osrsw:Sapling

This article is about saplings in Farming. For the strange saplings that spawn in random locations, see Evil Tree.

A sapling is a tree seedling that has grown sufficiently to be planted in a tree patch. Like seedlings, saplings cannot be traded and players must have the appropriate Farming level to plant the sapling in a tree patch, which can be aided by temporary boosts but not the assist system. Players may apply compost or supercompost to a tree patch before planting the sapling.

Seedlings that grow into saplings whilst in storage in the bank will stay in the tab they were originally placed in, unless that specific type of sapling is already present elsewhere. There is an option for the player to attempt to remove the seed from the plant pot. While this is not guaranteed, if a player has 99 farming and/or will never farm again, it is advised to do this with higher value tree seeds.

You have a chance of getting your seed back from the sapling by right-clicking it and selecting "Salvage seed". The chance of getting the seed back is approximately 75% with 99 Farming, though it is unknown if Farming level affects the odds.

Despite being untradeable and not actually farming produce, Tool Leprechauns will note saplings. Players should be careful when planting saplings as otherwise they will have to visit a bank to unnote them.

In order to plant a tree in a farming patch, a sapling must be prepared.

1. Use a tree seed on a plant pot filled with soil.
2. Use a watering can on the unwatered seedling.
3. Wait for the seedling to grow into a sapling.
4. Use the sapling with the tree patch to start growing a tree.
5. If protecting the tree, pay the farmer. If not protecting, it is recommended to use supercompost and/or greenfingers aura.
6. After the tree has grown you may cut it down for logs, and/or clear the patch to grow another tree.

Update history

This information has been compiled as part of the update history project. Some updates may not be included—see here for how to help out!

• ninja 26 August 2014 (Update):
  • Players are now able to retrieve seeds from multiple plants pots containing saplings of the same variety.

• ninja 14 April 2014 (Update):
  • It is now possible to attempt to pull up a sapling from a plant pot with the chance of receiving the seed back.

• patch 25 May 2010 (Update):
  • You will now get consistent messages when watering fruit or tree saplings.