Hello everyone, I'm making this super long post for those who are struggling with the automated berry farms and them 'breaking' after it rains. After running a few tests, this is what I concluded and how I fixed it for myself, and hopefully, this can help a few people out!
Before I get into my setup, I want to quickly explain what's actually going on with Smooth Rocks, since this seems to be where most farms break down.
Berry farming typically requires you to shake each tree manually. The automated system most people use (myself included) relies on two mechanics working together:
- Smooth Rocks → dry out the soil
- Water system → hydrates the soil
The cycle looks like this:
- Water turns OFF → Smooth Rocks dry the soil → berries drop
- Water turns ON → trees rehydrate → berries get carried to the front
When everything is working, it's completely hands-free and amazing!
But, like real life, it rains sometimes, and this is where things seem to break.
When it rains:
- Smooth Rocks stop working (this part is normal)
But after the rain stops:
- Smooth Rocks are supposed to reset, but they don't.
And thus, we are introduced to the dilemma of the soil staying wet, trees never drying, and the berries never dropping.
My theory is that the game is prioritizing player-built automation systems. So when you have:
- A built water system
- AND Smooth Rocks trying to reset
the game seems to "choose" your water system, and the Smooth Rocks never regain control of the drying cycle.
This is why the temporary fix of manually resetting your water/lava system works: it forces the game to re-evaluate systems and lets Smooth Rocks start working again.
But, in my opinion, doing this every time it rains defeats the purpose of automation.
My Solution
After a lot of testing, this is what fixed it for me: moving my automated system further away from my berry farm. This removes the "competition" between systems, allowing Smooth Rocks to reset naturally after rain.
Since doing this, my farm:
- Survives rain
- Resets properly
- Stays fully automated.
At the very end of this post, I will show pictures of my personal setup in case they help with layout ideas.
I set up my farm on a cliffside in Bleak Beach to keep the automation system hidden (I plan on doing this in every world). If you're like me and prioritize vibes and things being bonita, you'll find it makes your farm look cleaner.
Also, because I'm doing a lot of building in the area, I also added:
A gathering box → for easy collection/storage
A Crush Pokémon → to generate paint while I work.
~ ~ ~ ~
GUIDE
Now, here’s a complete guide to building an automated berry farm (including a fix for the rain issue).
If you already know how to build one, just skip to Step 7!
EDIT: This completely slipped my mind until someone pointed it out (thank you!) - you can change the water height manually (this will make more sense as you follow the guide).
That said, my game has been inconsistent with this, and I originally wrote the guide assuming you couldn’t adjust it. There have been multiple times when the water from the bottles stayed shallow and wouldn’t let me raise the height.
So when you reach the steps where I mention reabsorbing water:
- If your game lets you adjust the height normally → feel free to do that (you get to skip a step)
- If it doesn’t (like mine) → just follow the reabsorbing method as written
Both will achieve the same result!
PART 1: FARM SETUP
Step 1: Build Your Rows
- Build 6 rows (one per berry type or as needed)
- Each row = 5 blocks (5 trees)
Notes:
- Use block types like soil for this; you need your blocks to be able to dry and be hydrated. Using blocks such as sand or ash yields inconsistent results.
- You can go longer than 5 blocks, but the water may not wrap around the blocks properly.
Step 2: Smooth Rock Placement
- Dig 1 block under each row
- Place Smooth Rocks in the recommended pattern: rock – space – rock – space – rock.
- All rows should become barren once done
Notes:
- You can use the pattern of: space – rock – space – rock – space. However, I found that my trees were not consistently being dried. But if you are tight on resources, this is an option.
Step 3: Prevent Carrots
- Replace blocks around rows with blocks that do not 'dry' or become 'moist'
- White rock or gravel are some options
Notes:
- Wet/dry cycles spawn carrots. Carrots block berries from circulating with the water flow, causing them to get stuck and defeating the whole purpose of an automated system.
Step 4: Front Collection System
- Pick your 'front' side of your berry farm
- Dig 3 one-block-deep holes
- Cover with metal grates
Notes:
- Metal grates allow water to pass through but not the berries, making it easier to gather!
Step 5: Build Perimeter Wall
- Surround the farm with a wall that is at least 1 block high
Notes:
- This wall will control the flow of water. For the sake of this tutorial, I made mine one block high, but feel free to get creative!
Step 6: Back Water Wall
- Back wall = 3 blocks high
- Leave 2 openings (2 blocks high)
Notes:
- These two openings will be where your water flows from your automated system to your berry farm. One opening for water flow works, but it's inconsistent and not worth revisiting.
PART 2: WATER SYSTEM (Rain Bug)
❗Step 7: Space Your Water System ❗
- Build your water system ~14 blocks away
Notes:
- As I explained earlier, this resolves the issue of Smooth Rocks not resetting after rain due to system conflicts.
- If you are using this solution, I strongly suggest building your berry farm against a cliffside so you can hide all these automated systems. I will include pictures of my own farm and what I mean by this at the very end!
Step 8: Fill Channels
- Drink bottled water and begin adding water at the very end of your water channels
Notes:
- You will notice your water level is very shallow and does not reach the end. This is normal, and we'll fix this!
Step 9: Increase Water Height
- Absorb the water you have placed, and place it again in the same spots
Notes:
- Re-absorbing the water raises the water level, so it will now fully fill the channel and reach the farm.
Step 10: Check Moisture
- Soil should now be humid
Step 11: Plant Trees
- Place trees however you like
PART 3: AUTOMATION BUILD
Step 12: Add Floodgates
- Place floodgates 1 tile before the end of each channel
Notes:
- The water flow will now be blocked, and you will notice that the trees you just planted will begin to dry out - that's a good sign!
Step 13: Build Lava Chamber
- Build 3 x 11 rectangle
- Surround with walls
- Then split the chamber into two 1x11 rows
Notes:
- I recommend using lava rather than water because lava flows slowly and is better suited to cycles.
Step 14: Add First Sensor + Hatch
- Place the laser facing the opposite row (should be facing the red dot I placed)
- Place a hatch in front
Notes:
- The laser shows the direction it's facing for a few milliseconds when you first place it down, so watch for the red line!
- Feel free to test the sensor! If you did it right, stand in front of the sensor, and the hatch should open.
- Remember to leave the hatch closed after testing.
Step 15: Mirror Setup
- Repeat for the second row (opposite direction)
Step 16: Water Sensors Setup
- Remove water from the first channel
- Place a sensor facing the lava pit (where I put the red dots)
- Refill the space with water from the second channel
- Repeat for the second channel (using the water from the first channel to refill both)
Notes:
- The sensor will only be partially submerged.
Step 17: Increase Water Height (Again)
- Absorb the water you placed, then place it again in the same spots (exactly like we did for step 9)
Notes:
- Sensors should now be fully submerged.
Step 18: Test Floodgate Trigger
- Stand where lava will flow (the red dots from step 16), if done correctly.
- Floodgates open → Water flows → Trees hydrate
Notes:
- Make sure to close the flood gates after you're done testing! Trees should be dried up again.
Step 19: Add Lava
- Pour lava into the lava sensor rows
- Hatch will contain the lava like how the floodgates contain the water
Step 20: Start Automation
- Open ONE hatch and let the lava begin to flow to trigger sensors and begin the cycle
Step 21: DONE!
If everything is correct:
- Water cycles ON/OFF automatically
- Trees:
- Hydrate → grow
- Dry → drop berries
- Water carries berries to the front
My Setup
This is my personal farm <3
Automation hidden in the cliff
I also added these decorations to hide everything when the trees are dried
EDIT: A few people recommended I cross-post this to another subreddit - I’ll try to get that up as soon as I can! Thank you as well for the award! I really appreciate it 💜