Trying to dig up trees but keep bouncing off them? We’ve all been there! If you’ve been struggling to get rid of or remove trees from your island, this is the blog post for you. There’s one ingredient you’re probably missing from the mix to help you dig up trees, but we got you!
How to dig up a full-grown tree in Animal Crossing
If you keep trying to move your tree, but you end up hitting your shovel against it loads of times – stop! There’s a trick you’re missing.
To move trees in ACNH, you need to eat fruit. Eating one piece of fruit will allow you to:
- Move one tree, or;
- Break one rock
You can eat up to ten fruits, which is tracked by a counter on the top left of your screen. That means you can dig up and move ten trees in one session.
Once you’ve used up those fruits by moving ten trees (or breaking rocks), you can eat more fruit to regain your superhuman-strength.
From then on, you can plant the trees elsewhere by digging a hole, going to your inventory, and selecting the ‘Plant’ option on the tree in question.
TIP: You don’t have to shake fruit off fruit trees before digging them up. You can dig and replant them in the same state!
Why can’t I dig up trees?
If you’re finding you can’t dig up trees in ACNH, there are probably one of two reasons behind it:
- You haven’t eaten any fruit
- You don’t have enough inventory space for the tree to go
To remedy this, eat a piece of fruit and dig up the full-grown tree. Make sure you have space in your inventory, as a tree will use one slot in your inventory.
How to dig up growing trees in ACNH
You don’t need to eat a piece of fruit to dig up sapling trees.
All you have to do is wield your shovel and press ‘A’ at it. Your character will dig up the growing tree and it’ll be stored in your inventory, ready to be replanted or sold.
Can you completely remove trees in Animal Crossing?
Yes, you can. There are two ways to completely remove a tree in ACNH:
- Dig it up and sell it
- Chop it down
In the first instance, use the steps learned earlier in this post to dig up the tree. Once it’s in your inventory, go to Nook’s Cranny and sell it for bells.
The alternative method is to hack at it with your axe; this method also provides resources you can use for your DIYs, like the wooden sign or the simple wooden fence.
Wield your axe and hit the tree by pressing ‘A’ three times. Three pieces of wood will fall to the ground, and after the third hit, the tree will keel over and break, disappearing into the ground.
All that’ll be left is a stump, which you can use as a natural seat on your island for your residents to take a midday break, or you can remove it to get rid of all signs of the tree that once stood there.
How do you dig up tree roots in Animal Crossing?
After chopping down a tree, a lone tree stump will remain.
If you don’t want it there, wield your shovel and press ‘A’ against the stump to dig it up. As quick as that, the stump will be removed and all traces of the former tree will disappear.
How do you move tree stumps in Animal Crossing?
Unfortunately, you can’t move tree stumps in ACNH. If you want a tree stump in a certain area on your island, plant a tree there, wait for it to grow, and then chop it down to get the tree stump.
You can also create tiny tree stumps by chopping down sapling trees. These mini-stumps are a cute addition to any island aesthetic.
How to remove the fruit counter?
The fruit counter, or ‘fruit buff’, will appear when you eat fruit.
But what happens if you eat a piece of fruit and decide against digging up a tree or breaking a rock with your shovel?
The fruit counter will stay at one, and the next time you go to hit a rock, it’ll inevitably break. This can be frustrating for players who forgot the fruit counter had one in the tank and didn’t mean to break a rock or dig up a tree.
To remove the fruit buff, dig up a tree and replant it in the same spot. This will expend the fruit energy your player received, without making unwanted changes to your island.
Easy!
Digging up trees in ACNH
An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but it also gives you superhuman strength in Animal Crossing. Eat a piece of fruit to dig up trees or break rocks in ACNH. For growing, sapling trees, you can dig them up without needing fruit energy.
All dug-up trees will appear in your inventory, which you can use to replant or sell at Nook’s Cranny.
If you want to completely remove all traces of the tree, chop it down with your axe. Get rid of the tree stump with your shovel, or use it to create a natural, cozy seating area for your islanders.