Tree saplings can grow into trees when placed on all variants of dirt (except dirt path), or moss blocks. The sapling requires a light level of at least 9, and require a certain volume of space above the sapling, based on its type: Oak needs at least 5 spaces above (3×3 column) to grow normally.

What does a sapling need to grow?

Today, saplings come in six different varieties – oak, birch, spruce, jungle, acacia, and dark oak. To grow into a tree, they need to be planted on dirt, coarse dirt, podzol, grass, or farmland – and they need light. A light level of eight, to be specific.

How long does it take for saplings to grow in Minecraft?

Assuming it has enough room to grow it can take anywhere from 1 minute to over 30 minutes for a sapling to grow. I planted 25 birch saplings, the first one grew within 1-2 minutes of planting, by around 15 minutes over half the saplings had grown while there were still a couple that hadn't grown by 30 minutes.