Better Than Wolves Forum

Do the two varieties of mushrooms require the same light levels to propagate?

My understanding is that brown mushrooms need complete darkness (I'm positive of this) and poison mushrooms are the original light level 12 (I haven't actually tried growing these, but I don't think this was changed)

Jack is correct. brown mushrooms need absolute darkness to grow, red mushrooms can be grown in lit corners of your base.

jackatthekilns wrote:My understanding is that brown mushrooms need complete darkness (I'm positive of this) and poison mushrooms are the original light level 12 (I haven't actually tried growing these, but I don't think this was changed)

DiamondArms wrote:Jack is correct. brown mushrooms need absolute darkness to grow, red mushrooms can be grown in lit corners of your base.

Well that sucks. Not sure what the exact numerical light levels mean, but I managed to find some poison mushrooms and I've been growing them in my starter base in my 2-high cobble room, with torches in the ceiling directly above my spawn pads. The poison shrooms are multiplying well with this old design, but I've yet to find any browns on this seed.

I recall in March 2015 that this was the precise light level that balanced brown mushroom growth but met with ender-goggle approval. This absolute-darkness mechanic was put forward since March of last year? And if so, harvesting them is just a Royal Bitch? (I imagine I might end up ceiling-slabbing the place to prevent mob spawns much like how I squid-proofed my fishing dock, and I can always temporarily torch the place while I harvest, but dang.)

MisterFister wrote:I recall in March 2015 that this was the precise light level that balanced brown mushroom growth but met with ender-goggle approval. This absolute-darkness mechanic was put forward since March of last year? And if so, harvesting them is just a Royal Bitch? (I imagine I might end up ceiling-slabbing the place to prevent mob spawns much like how I squid-proofed my fishing dock, and I can always temporarily torch the place while I harvest, but dang.)

It's not a royal bitch to farm them, you just need a different kind of design. There's threads about this, use the search.

Also, browns only spawn in absolute darkness in darkest strata IIRC.

Gilberreke wrote:It's not a royal bitch to farm them, you just need a different kind of design. There's threads about this, use the search.

Also, browns only spawn in absolute darkness in darkest strata IIRC.

I'd run across them, but datestamps on the posts, nebulous-or-absent references to version releases, and the sheer fact that my own schedule forced me to put the game down for an extended period caused me to question my own understand of what I'd been reading. Generally, the release notes referring to "complete darkness" themselves pre-date the previous design I'd described above, implying that the design was made *after* the farm mechanics changed. Then again, I also recall finding seed mushrooms on the surface -- exceedingly rare, of course, but it was also a VERY old seed that'd been in my playgroup since Minecraft's own alpha days, way before BTW was even a twinkle in FC's eye. With all of those competing possible variables, I simply asked the question here. :)

Also -- you're saying they spawn naturally in the darkest strata, or they can only be farmed down that deep? Is it an altitude thing, or do I need to silktouch-mine some dark-stone to line my farming chamber with it?

MisterFister wrote:you're saying they spawn naturally in the darkest strata, or they can only be farmed down that deep? Is it an altitude thing, or do I need to silktouch-mine some dark-stone to line my farming chamber with it?

They're only found growing naturally in the pitch black darkness (and I think only in the lowest strata, but I could be wrong). However once you have the mushrooms you can grow them anywhere as long as it's in complete darkness

If you manage to find a Mushroom Island (depends how far into the game you are), get an Enderman to pick up a Mycelium block and then kill him, you can plant it in your base and it'll spread to any nearby dirt blocks (you need to light up the area).
You can then plant the mushrooms on Mycelium and I believe they grow on any light level when on it.