I'm trying to build a self-contained automated tree farm with redwood trees. The main problem I have is how to replant saplings. So I thought I would use a BuildCraft filler with height 1 to fill in the area with saplings. The problem is that in testing, a filler will only plant a single sapling and never move beyond that:
You can see the result in this image. The filler is programmed with nine bricks in fill mode, and powered by a full redstone energy cell. If I take the redwood saplings out of the resource area of the filler and use cobblestone for example, the area is instantly filled up as expected. But then if I use redwood saplings, it stops like the picture above with just a single sapling in the corner.
Is there a way to get this to work, or is there some limitation to a filler that prevents using saplings? Is there another method in Feed-the-Beast to replant saplings over a large area?
Best Answer
As has been pointed out in the comments, you want a
Forestry MultiFarm
These can be set up such that they require only a regular supply of apatite to keep running indefinitely. Two such farms will produce enough wood to make more than enough charcoal to keep a full size high pressure boiler running full time.
This can be achieved by:
Auto crafting fertilizer on an auto-crafting table, drawing from two chests, one for dirt and one for water.
Connect a wooden pipe, with an autarchic gate set to pulse when fertilizer < 25% to automatically craft when needed.
Use whatever system you like to keep your apatite chest(s) full.
Autocraft plant balls from output saplings, and macerate these to generate dirt.
Once the system is up and running, it will provide ample power for itself and a large surplus.