Weeds are growths that resemble small clumps of long grass and appear in every game in the Animal Crossing series. Until New Horizons, weeds were negative environmental factors that the player had to remove to improve their environment rating. In New Horizons, weed mechanics have changed to be less damaging to the players island evaluation, and are used in various crafting recipes.
Weeds are a common nuisance that all Animal Crossing players have to deal with While some weeds here and there can add to the rural charm of your island, an overgrowth can make your paradise look unkempt and neglected So do pesky weeds keep growing back in Animal Crossing even after you pull them? Unfortunately, the answer is yes.
How Long For Weeds to Grow Back
In Animal Crossing weeds take about 4 days to grow back after being removed. This means that keeping your island weed-free requires diligent maintenance and regular checks. If you neglect an area for too long, you may return to find it overtaken by weeds.
While a minor weed problem can be managed, allowing weeds to spread unchecked can be detrimental. As weeds multiply, they crowd out flowers and other vegetation you’ve planted. Your island’s appeal and star rating will also take a hit. Overgrown weeds even attract tarantulas and scorpions to spawn.
Tips to Control Weeds
Controlling weeds takes consistent effort, but a few strategies can make it more manageable:
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Do daily patrols: Checking your entire island at least once a day lets you nip any new weed growth in the bud before it gets out of hand. Make weeding part of your daily routine.
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Use fertilizer: Fertilizing your flowers makes them less likely to crossbreed into weeds. Just be sure not to fertilize unwanted flowers.
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Lay down custom designs: Custom path patterns you create in the Design App prevent weeds from growing in that spot. Use them to create weed barriers around key areas.
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Enact ordinances: The Beautiful Island Ordinance reduces weed growth and increases flower breeding. Enacting it with Isabelle can help slow weed spread.
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Visit friends: Visiting online friends regularly resets weed growth on your island for a couple days. This buys you more time between weed checks.
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Time travel: Skipping forward in time triggers a weed explosion, but going back resets their spread. You can use this to easily clear large patches.
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Plant flowers: Having more flowers means having fewer open areas for weeds to populate. Just be sure to water and fertilize them.
How to Remove Existing Weeds
Pulling up weeds takes time but is necessary maintenance. Here are some tips for efficient removal:
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Equip a shovel or axe. Digging up weeds with a shovel is faster than chopping them with an axe.
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Do sweeps of one area at a time. Cover the entire island section-by-section to be thorough.
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Pick a time when shops are closed. Weeding for hours causes them to close temporarily.
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Sell weeds to Leif or Nook’s Cranny to offset tool durability loss. They aren’t worth much but it adds up.
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Eat fruit for super digging to remove whole weed patches faster. Just be careful not to destroy flowers.
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Use fencing to restrict areas overrun by weeds. You can concentrate on those spaces later.
While weeding can feel tedious, keeping on top of it ensures your island stays beautiful. By making weed removal a regular habit and utilizing preventative measures, you can stay in control. With persistence, your island can remain a flawless weed-free paradise.
Frequently Asked Questions About Weeds in Animal Crossing
Many players have additional questions about the intricacies of weeds and keeping them under control in their island paradise. Here are some of the most common questions and answers:
Do weeds spread in Animal Crossing?
Yes, if left unchecked, weeds will continue to multiply and spread across your island in Animal Crossing. New weeds have a chance to grow in any open tile adjacent to an existing weed daily. This is why it’s important to pull them quickly before they get out of control.
Do weeds go away on their own in Animal Crossing?
Unfortunately, weeds will not disappear on their own in Animal Crossing. They will continuously spawn and expand if not actively removed by the player. The only way to get rid of weeds is by manually pulling them up.
Do weeds grow in the plaza in Animal Crossing?
Weeds are unable to grow in the main plaza area of your Animal Crossing island. This is the only place where weeds won’t pop up. However, the surrounding areas beyond the plaza can still grow weeds.
Can weeds kill flowers in Animal Crossing?
Yes, if weeds grow in flower beds, they can kill and replace planted flowers in Animal Crossing. Weeds act like an invasive species, choking out and destroying anything decorative you’ve planted. Eliminating them quickly protects your layout.
Do weeds attract bugs in Animal Crossing?
Weeds provide a place for certain bugs like tarantulas and scorpions to spawn at night in Animal Crossing. These dangerous insects won’t appear on weed-free areas. So if you want to avoid them, keeping weeds clear is advised.
How often do you need to weed Animal Crossing?
For the best weed prevention, you should aim to check and remove any new weeds on your Animal Crossing island daily. Leaving an area alone for 4-5 days risks fresh weed growth that starts multiplying rapidly. Staying on top of it daily keeps growth minimal.
Conclusion
Weeds constantly regrowing in Animal Crossing can be an annoying but inevitable part of island life. With the right weed prevention strategies and a commitment to daily maintenance, you can tame unwanted growth for good. Your hard work will pay off in a lush, vibrant paradise free of unwanted weeds. Just stay persistent, and your island will continue looking pristine.
In Animal Crossing: New Horizons[edit]
In New Horizons, weeds now come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and take on a completely different appearance with each season. The deserted island is initially covered with many weeds, and one new weed will appear each day. The Mystery Islands are also covered in weeds and serves as a useful source for them if the player has pulled all the weeds on their own island.
Once pulled or dug up, clump of weeds go into the players inventory where they can be sold, used as crafting materials for DIY projects such as medicine, or planted in the ground again. A planted weed will always be small and will slowly grow over time, being watered by a watering can or rain will increase the rate at which they grow. If there is 31 or more weeds present, only one weed will appear once per day, and if there are 150 or more weeds present in the town, no further weeds will spawn and all existing weeds will stop growing. Using the Beautiful Island ordinance will cut the weed spreading rates in half.
The Greedy Weeder Nook Miles challenge awards stamps for selling large quantities of weeds at Nooks Cranny.
| Stage of weed | % when not watered | % when watered |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21% | 51% |
| 2 | 6% | 11% |
| Stage of weed | % when not watered | % when watered |
|---|---|---|
| Normal rates | ||
| 1 | 1% | 6% |
| 2 | 11% | 21% |
| 3 | 81% | 100% |
| With Beautiful Island ordinance on | ||
| 1 | 1% | 3% |
| 2 | 6% | 11% |
| 3 | 41% | 51% |
Appearances[edit]
New weeds appear in the players town each day (two in City Folk and New Leaf and three in prior games). If the game is not played for a long time, the town will be overrun with weeds. Weeds can simply be pulled by picking them up like an item. In Animal Crossing and City Folk, Wisp can be asked to immediately remove all weeds in town as a reward for assisting him. In New Leaf, Leif offers a weed-pulling service once the Garden Shop has been built. Additionally, enacting the Beautiful Town ordinance will significantly reduce the rate at which weeds spawn, preventing most of them from appearing in the first place. In Wild World, there is no assistance available for removing weeds and the player will have to pull them all themselves.
There is no requirement to pull weeds, but they are unsightly and have a strong adverse affect on the towns environment. Achieving the lowest possible environment rating can result in the appearance of a rafflesia, a large, red flower which attracts flies. Weeds can also negatively impact the chances of breeding flowers, as they will occupy available space in which new flowers could otherwise be generated in.
Clovers are another type of weed appearing from Wild World-onwards, which appears as four clover plants which appear two by two in one grid. Clovers can be pulled much like regular weeds, however there is a rare chance to instead find a four-leaf clover. A four-leaf clover is a lucky item which can be displayed in a house as a book with a clover stuck to a page, or alternatively worn as headgear in the players hair.