The Fruit of Miracles

This page includes detailed instructions on how to take care of miracle fruit plants.

 

Soil
Soil for miracle fruit is a very simple mix of equal parts peat and perlite. Don't substitute perlite with vermiculite because vermiculite retains too much moisture.

Pot
Use plastic or peat pots only, clay pots leech clay into the soil which raises the pH. It is also not recommended to plant miracle fruit plants in the ground because it makes them more susceptible to pests.
4" : seedling
1 gallon : 8" - 24"
3 gallons : 24" - 48"
7 gallons : +48"

Water
Miracle fruit are acid loving plants. They like soils that have a pH of about 5. To attain this pH you can water them with acidic water or add suffer granules into the soil. The secret for watering is to make sure that the pH of the water and soil are both around 5. By adding an acidifier to the water of the miracle fruit plants you can lower their pH without using sulfur granules. The acidifier is a pool chemical marked as pH down and you must also purchase pH test strips to figure out how much is necessary to achieve the optimal pH. If you plan on doing this to tap water make sure to let it sit for at least a day to prevent chlorine buildup in your plants. To lower the pH of water you can purchase sulfur granules from Home Depot and follow the instructions (they are usually marketed for blueberries).

Humidity
Miracle fruit plants come from a subtropical climate so they love high humidity. In USDA Hardiness Zones 10 and 11 this generally isn't a problem but if you plan on growing miracle fruit indoors then they will need extra humidity. The optimal humidity for miracle fruit plants is between 70-90% and this can be achieved using a few different methods such as growing the plants in a fish tank with a shallow pool of water at the bottom (check out this cool website on how to build your own vivarium http://goodlifeherps.weebly.com/diy-vivarium.html). Covering the plants in a plastic bag or humidity dome will also allow you to keep their humidity up. Purchasing a humidifier is also an option but not necessary. As a last resort a small dish with pebbles and water sitting underneath the pot can raise the humidity slightly.

Lighting
Miracle fruit plants aren't big fans of direct sunlight and instead prefer partial sunlight somewhere along the line of 25% - 50%. This can generally be achieved by placing the plant under a tree in Zones 10 and 11. If the plants are receiving a very large amount of sunlight then there leaves will turn red. If you plan on growing the plants indoors try to place them by a window that gets around 4 hours of sunlight each day. If you cant place them next to a window a grow light can also be used as a substitute (check out http://www.mrlight.com for an awesome grow light selection).

Temperature
Young miracle fruit trees cant survive temperatures below 45 degrees F for very long and will usually only stand a few hours. Mature miracle fruit plants can withstand 32 degree weather as long as frost is not present. If the outside temperature falls below the ones stated, then bring the plants indoors to insure their survival.

Fertilizing
Miracle fruit generally don't require any fertilizer unless the leaves of the plant become yellow or the edges turn brown. In this case a standard 8-3-9 fertilizer can be added. The plants can also be feed with bone and blood meal along with fish emulsion (This mix is rather pungent but works wonders on seedlings).

Pests and Diseases
Miracle fruit plants are resistant to most pests and disease although they frequently become infested with spider mites and the occasional weevil. Spider mites can be treated with Sevin and the only way to get rid of most weevils is to pick them off by hand.

Mini Guideline
Follow this mini guideline and your plants will be producing fruit in no time.
- Partial sunlight
- Soil and water pH of 5
- Pot size stated above
- Keep the humidity high
- Fertilize with the bone meal, blood meal and fish emulsion combo once a month
- 1:1 peat and perlite
- Bring plants indoors if temp goes below 45 degrees F for more then a few hours