📖 Berry Bush Blues? Fixing Your Don't Starve Farm Drama
Troubleshooting Berry Bush Growth in Don't Starve
A comprehensive guide for Vanilla, RoG, and DST
Every seasoned Don't Starve survivor has faced a barren berry farm at some point. This guide breaks down wild vs. transplanted bushes, explains growth timers and regrowth mechanics, covers seasonal effects, and identifies known bugs, fixes, and mods to keep your berry supply thriving!
Table of Contents
Berry Bush Basics by Game Version
Let's compare how berry bushes behave in each version of the game. Key differences include season effects, fertilization needs, and the now-removed disease mechanic in DST:
| Game Version | Regrowth Time | Seasonal Impact | Fertilizer Needs | Disease Mechanic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanilla (Base Game) | 3–5 days per regrowth (rain speeds growth) |
Winter: No regrowth (bushes go dormant) Summer: N/A (no summer season) |
Wild bushes: No fertilizer ever needed Transplanted: Must fertilize once after planting |
None (disease not present) |
| Reign of Giants (RoG) | 3–5 days per regrowth (rain speeds growth) |
Winter: No regrowth (dormant) Summer: Bushes wither (dry out) and stop producing |
Wild: No fertilizer needed (except to cure wither) Transplanted: Fertilize once after planting |
None |
| Don't Starve Together (DST) | Normal berries: 3–5 days Juicy berries: 9–13 days |
Winter: No regrowth (dormant) Summer: Withering occurs |
Wild: No fertilizer needed Transplanted: Fertilize after planting and every 3–5 harvests |
Removed in late 2020 (previously random chance to die) |
Note: In DST, world settings now allow "Basic Resources Regrowth" – enabling this will slowly respawn destroyed berry bushes in survival mode. Wormwood players can even craft new Berry Bushes via his skill tree as of a 2023 update.
Wild vs. Transplanted Bushes: Fertilizer and Maintenance
Wild Berry Bushes
- Spawn naturally on the map
- Regrow berries on their own without fertilization
- Will wither in summer heat (RoG/DST)
- Infinite regrowth cycles by default
- Only need fertilizer to cure summer withering
Transplanted Berry Bushes
- Dug up and replanted by player
- Require initial fertilization after planting
- In DST: Need re-fertilization after 3-5 harvests
- Will wither in summer heat (RoG/DST)
- Barren bushes yield only twigs if dug up before fertilizing
Dealing with Summer Withering
Prevent Withering
Position an Ice Flingomatic near your berry farm. It will automatically sprinkle water to "unwither" plants in summer and also extinguish smoldering fires. A flingo is practically a must for large summer farms.
Cure Withering
If a bush withers, apply a fertilizer item (manure, guano, rot, etc.) directly to the bush. One dose will instantly restore a withered bush back to leafy green so it can resume growing.
Fertilizer Tip: In DST, fertilizer type does not affect how many picks you get. Feel free to use cheap fertilizer like rot to renew bushes. A large berry farm naturally generates rot (from spoiling berries) which you can loop back into fertilizing the bushes!
Growth Timers and Regrowth Mechanics
How long do berries take to regrow? The time is semi-random and can be affected by environmental factors:
Base Growth Rate
Regular Berry Bush: 3-5 days on average
Freshly fertilized: ~4 days
Nearly barren: ~6-7 days
Juicy Berry Bushes (DST)
Yields 3 berries at once but takes 9-13 days to regrow. Many players wonder why juicy berries aren't growing - they're just much slower by design!
Winter Dormancy
During winter, berry bushes go completely dormant. They won't grow new berries at all until spring returns. In DST, winter lasts 16 days by default.
Rain Speeds Growth
Rain accelerates growth. A long rainy spell can shave a day or more off the regrowth time. Don't curse the rain – it's fertilizing your berry bushes for free!
Active Area and Growth
One quirk in Don't Starve is that plants only grow when the area is loaded (active). If no players are near your base, your berry bushes won't be ticking toward regrowth. The world's clock keeps moving, but the bush's growth timer won't advance unless the chunk is active.
Under the Hood: Growth Timer Code (for Modders)
-- Pseudo-code for setting up a berry bush entity
inst:AddComponent("pickable")
inst.components.pickable:SetUp("berries", BERRY_REGROW_TIME, BERRYBUSH_CYCLES)
-- Tuning values (approximate from game files)
BERRY_REGROW_TIME = 3 * DAY_TIME -- ~3 days base to regrow one berry
BERRY_REGROW_VARIANCE = 2 * DAY_TIME -- +0 to 2 days random variance
BERRY_REGROW_INCREASE = 0.5 * DAY_TIME -- +0.5 day added for each harvest
BERRYBUSH_CYCLES = 5 -- 5 harvests max before barren (transplanted)
Common Causes for "No-Growth" and How to Fix Them
Here's a troubleshooting checklist for why your berry bushes might not be growing:
Not Fertilized (Transplanted Bushes)
If you dug up bushes and planted them at your base, they start empty and won't grow until fertilized.
Fix: Use any fertilizer (manure, rot, etc.) on each bush.
Winter Dormancy
In winter, nothing grows – berry bushes remain empty the entire season.
Fix: Wait for spring. Stockpile food in autumn to survive winter.
Summer Withering
In RoG and DST summers, berry bushes wither due to heat and yield nothing until revived.
Fix: Build an Ice Flingomatic to protect them, or manually fertilize each withered bush.
Barren (Needs Fertilizer)
In DST, after a bush gives berries a few times, it becomes "barren" and stops growing berries.
Fix: Apply fertilizer to rejuvenate it for another 3-5 harvests.
Disease (Older DST Worlds)
In older versions of DST, a diseased bush appears dark with flies buzzing around it and won't regrow.
Fix: Play on current version (disease removed in 2020) or disable disease in world settings.
Unloaded World (DST)
If all players are far away or offline, those bushes effectively freeze in time.
Fix: Ensure someone spends time in the vicinity of the bushes, or set pause_when_empty = false in server config.
Gobbler "Stealing" Berries
Gobblers (turkey-like mobs) can eat berries the instant they regrow, creating the illusion bushes never had berries.
Fix: Bait Gobblers with dropped berries to catch them, or build your farm in a penned area.
Useful Mods and Tools for Berry Bush Management
"Show Me" / "Insight" Mods
Reveals the time remaining for a bush to regrow when you hover over it. You'll see hover text like "Berries in 1.5 days" and whether a bush needs fertilizing.
"ActionQueue" Mod
Queue up actions like fertilizing or planting for multiple bushes with one drag of the mouse. Perfect for large-scale agriculture and repetitive tasks.
"Geometric Placement" Mod
Helps you plant bushes in perfect grids for that aesthetically pleasing farm and easier Flingomatic coverage.
"Permanent Fertilizer" Mods
Adds craftable items to permanently keep bushes fertile, or simply removes the need to fertilize berry bushes and grass tufts.
Final Thoughts
Remember that berry bushes are just one food source in Don't Starve. As you become a veteran, you'll supplement your berry farm with crockpot recipes, rabbit traps, spider farms, and more. Berries shine in autumn and spring, but a well-rounded food strategy makes you less dependent on any one crop. With these tips, you should be able to diagnose any berry bush woes!