Grow A Garden: Zen Update Guide (Tranquility Event, How to Farm Zen, Chi & More)

The Zen Update just dropped in Grow a Garden, and I gotta say, this one’s pretty stacked. We’ve got a brand new hourly event, a new mutation called Tranquil, two currencies (Zen and Chi), some ridiculously grindy pets, a new shop, and yep, save slots finally exist. If you’re trying to figure out how it all works or just want to know what’s worth your time (and shekels), you’re in the right place. Here’s your full breakdown of the Zen Update, what’s new, how to farm smart, and how not to accidentally spend 16 million on shop refreshes. Let’s get into it.

Zen Update Guide (Tranquility Event, How to Farm Zen, Chi & More)

Alright, so this guide covers everything you need to know about the Zen Update, starting with how the new Tranquility Event works, and why you’ll suddenly care way too much about glowing orbs.

I’ll break down how to rank up your Zen Tree by donating fruits to Unk the Monk, how to farm Chi efficiently without going broke, and which items are actually worth buying in the Zen Shop.

We’ll also go over the new pets (yes, including that ultra-rare Kitsune), the best farming methods to grind Zen fast, and how to use save slots to your advantage.

The Tranquility Event: Your Hourly Grind

Look at the center of the map, there’s a countdown. Every hour, the Tranquility Event kicks off. You’ll see glowing blue orbs float from the center of your garden and land on random plants. When they hit, those plants become Tranquil, sparkling with Japanese characters above them.

You get 1 Tranquil fruit per minute, and the event lasts 10 minutes, so 10 per full cycle if you’re around the whole time.

These are important. Why?

• You trade them to Unk the Monk to level up your Zen Tree.
• Or sell them to the Zen Shopkeeper for Chi, the new event currency.

Unk the Monk & Zen Tree Ranks

Yes, his name is actually Unk the Monk, and he hangs out under the Zen Tree.

You can donate tranquil fruits to him one-by-one or all at once. Each donation gives you progress toward your Zen Rank, and the Zen Tree grows as you level up.

There are 7 tiers total. Each one unlocks new things in the Zen Shop: crates, cosmetics, pets, seeds, etc. And yeah, it’s a grind. I nearly went bald trying to hit Tier 7 (325 Zen). Bring snacks.

Chi: The Other Currency

Look bottom-left of your screen, those yin-yang coins? That’s Chi.

You earn Chi by giving Tranquil fruits to the Zen Shopkeeper instead of Unk. Same fruit, different reward. Chi lets you buy:

• Zen Seeds
• Zen Eggs
• Cosmetics and gnomes
• Buildables like Zen bridges, crates, and koi

Chi is way easier to farm than Zen. But the trap? Shop restock cost:

• 1M → 2M → 4M → 8M → 16M

Unless you’re Jeff Bezos in shekels, don’t hit that button more than once.

Zen Shop: What to Actually Buy

The shop unlocks in tiers as your Zen Tree grows. Here’s the breakdown:

Zen Seed Pack

Zen Egg (Pets)

Kitsune drop rate: 0.08% (1 in 1,250). Around 186,000 Robux if you’re buying… which is just insane. It basically doesn’t exist at this point.

Save Slots (Finally)

You can now save and load garden layouts. The first slot costs 100B shekels (rip).

Plants reset based on layout, but pets stay. It’s perfect for switching between farming mode and vanity builds. Or just messing around with thumbnails.

Fastest Way to Farm Tranquil Fruits

Alright, let’s talk farming, not the “plant and chill” kind, but the “grind until your garden looks like a meditation retreat” kind.

There are three main ways to crank out tranquil fruits, and one of them is basically cheat code level. Let’s break it down:

Methods 1: The T-Rex Method (Tranquil Farming Hack)

Alright, so here’s a strategy I came up with on the fly, I’m calling it The T-Rex Method, and honestly? It kinda slaps.

Here’s how it works, step by step:

1. Start a new save slot right before a Tranquil event begins.
2. Plant whatever fruits you’ve got, don’t stress about layout, just fill your garden.
3. Wait for the event to start and let it mutate your plants naturally.
4. As soon as one plant becomes Tranquil, drop your T-Rex.
5. Use the T-Rex ability to spread that Tranquil mutation to every plant in your garden.
6. Focus on multi-harvest trees like Sugar Apple, Beanstalk, and Giant Pinecone for maximum yield.
7. Add Ember Lily into the mix, especially if you’ve got a Triceratops to speed up its regrowth.

The more fruit you mutate, the faster your Zen Tree levels and the more Chi you rack up.

Bonus: Mimic Octopus can help too. It copies nearby mutations. Not as strong as T-Rex, but a good backup if you’re short on pets.

Method 2: AFK Army + Divine Trees

If you want to hit max Zen rank fast, this is the meta:

• Load up 5–6 alt accounts in a private server.
• On each account, plant divine trees (yes, the ones that crank out value like an overcaffeinated gardener).
• Let them run during a Tranquility Event, where glowing orbs will hit random plants and mutate them into tranquil fruits.
• Once tranquil, harvest and trade.

With this method, you could fully max out your Zen levels in just 2–4 hours if you lock in. No joke. It’s grindy, but efficient.

Method 3: Get the Tanchozuru Early (Best Passive Farming Method)

Want to skip the whole event timing mess? Here’s your golden ticket:

• Hatch the Tanchozuru from the Zen Egg (it’s one of the better-value pulls).
• This bird’s passive mutates nearby fruits into tranquil every ~9.5 minutes, without needing the event to be active.
• That means:
  • No more waiting around for the Zen Event.
  • You’ll get a steady flow of tranquil fruits all day.
  • You’ll start raking in Zen Coins faster, without babysitting the game.

It’s not even close, Tanchozuru is an S-tier farming pet for this update. If you get one early, you’re basically printing money.

Bonus Strat: Second Slot = Zen Farm

Use your second save slot purely for farming Zen. Here’s how to optimize it:

• Only plant high-tier fruits like Bone Blossom, Sugar Apple, Beanstalk, Giant Pinecone
• Use T-Rex to duplicate Tranquil mutations
• Drop Triceratops for faster regrowth
• Use Ants when harvesting
• Gift your best fruits to your main if you’re running alts

That’s all you need to go from peaceful gardener to Zen overlord.

New Mutations & Chakra Effects

Tranquil is the main focus, but if you get lucky with other pets or passives, you might see bonus mutations like:

• Chakra – Looks like red lightning. Stacks with Pollinated, Windstruck, and more.
• Foxfire Chakra – Exclusive to Kitsune. Super rare, still being studied.

Had one fruit stack up to 427K in value with all those active. Don’t sleep on mutations.

What is the Best Farming Strategy in Zen Update?

Tranquil events drop every hour and mutate around 10–20 fruits per run. The better the fruit, the more Zen points you get (Gold = +2, Rainbow = +4). So what’s the best setup?

• AFK Power Setup: Plant 4–6 high-rarity plants and let the event do its thing.
• T-Rex Method: Once you get one Tranquil plant, use T-Rex to spread it across your whole garden. Works best if you prep with good fruit beforehand.
• Tanchozuru Passive: Got the 4.6% drop pet from the Zen Egg? Use Tanchozuru’s tranquil aura and trowel plants into its radius when it activates. Passive farming at its finest.

Wrap-Up: Busy Bee but Better

The Zen Update is honestly one of the best events we’ve had in Grow a Garden. Tons of content, actual grind payoff, and some fun pet passives.

If I had to nitpick?

• Kitsune rates are way too low. Seriously. Unless you’re running 20 alts, don’t even bother.
• Shop restock costs get out of hand fast.

Everything else? Solid.

My advice: grind the Tanchozuru, stack up on Maple Apples, and save your Chi for the important stuff. And for the love of Unk, don’t waste 16M on restocks.

Let me know what Zen pets you pulled or if you managed to beat the RNG and hatch a Kitsune. Until then, happy gardening, and may your orbs always land on Maple Apples. Up next, if you’re curious where all the new pets rank in the Zen update, check out my full Grow a Garden pet tier list and their current trade values.