How to Get Hanging Roots in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Use bone meal on rooted dirt with empty space underneath to grow hanging roots, then collect them with shears. You can also use a hoe on rooted dirt to get a hanging roots item directly while turning the block into ordinary dirt.

What you need

Rooted dirt
Bone meal and shears for growing and harvesting
Or a hoe to get the item directly

Step by step

Get rooted dirt from beneath a natural azalea tree or by growing an azalea tree with bone meal.
Place rooted dirt above an empty space where the hanging roots can appear.
Use bone meal on the rooted dirt to grow hanging roots underneath.
Use shears to collect the roots. Breaking them by hand destroys them without giving you the item.
For a second collection method, use a hoe on rooted dirt: it turns into dirt and drops a hanging roots item, without needing shears.
Place your collected hanging roots on the underside of a block for decoration. They cannot be placed on a block's top or side.

Java vs Bedrock

Shears work in Java and Bedrock. Bedrock also lets any Silk Touch tool collect hanging roots; do not rely on that route in Java. Composting a hanging roots item has a 30% chance to raise the composter level.

Versions: javabedrock

Frequently asked questions

Why did my hanging roots drop nothing?

Ordinary tools and your hand do not collect them. Use shears, or use a Silk Touch tool in Bedrock. Hoeing rooted dirt is a separate way to get the item.

Can I grow hanging roots without a lush cave?

Yes. Put rooted dirt above a free space and apply bone meal anywhere you want to build.

Does a hoe make farmland from rooted dirt?

The first use turns rooted dirt into ordinary dirt and drops hanging roots. It does not immediately make farmland.

Where can I place hanging roots?

Only on the underside of a block. They are a hanging decoration, not a plant for the top surface.