Introduction
Growing the miracle fruit plant isn’t the easiest thing to do. There are many things that can go wrong and growing miracle fruit takes attention to detail and some hard work. With proper attention and care, growing miracle fruit plants can be a rewarding and enjoying experience. In this post I will discuss the environment I use to grow miracle fruit plants.
Substrate
60% Peat Moss 40% Perlite
Miracle fruit plants enjoy an acidic environment. The soil present in the parts of Africa they are native to is acidic, generally being composed of various types of loose plant matter. It is this type of substrate that we will try to emulate.
Peat moss is a great base from which to build on. It is good at absorbing nutrients, loosely packed, cheap and good at holding water, which as I will discuss later is very important for the plants well being. It is easy to find, and most hardware stores carry some form of it year round. It sometimes comes with (too little) premixed perlite and or some time release fertilizer, which while not easily controlled and less preferred, can be used in a pinch. As always, places like Amazon and eBay are good resources if you can’t find it local.
Perlite will be the second major component in the soil. It looks like white pebbles and helps to keep everything loose and traps moisture well. It can help save a plant’s life it goes through an irregular watering cycle from time to time.
Peat moss and perlite will make up most of any miracle fruit soil. I combine 60% peat moss with 40% perlite by volume to make my soils. Adding anything else will depend on the properties of these two ingredients. Generally miracle fruit doesn’t require fertilizers at first, and adding things like nitrogen fertilizer directly to the soil is a common way people kill their plants.
One of the most important aspects of keeping a miracle fruit plant alive and producing fruit is the acidity of the soil. Peat moss will be the major contributor of acid to the soil, but it can vary in acidity, as most commercial peat moss is treated in order to raise it’s pH (higher pH is less acidic). In general the soil should maintain a pH between 4.5 and 6. If the pH is too high, consider adding something like sulfur to the soil, but this is a subtle art and it is easy to go too far as it lowers the pH over time. I have read of people having some success with used coffee grounds to lower pH as well, but I shy away from them as they tend to attract mold.
If at any point the plant’s leaves start to spot or turn brown on the ends, the pH of the soil should be tested right away. Miracle fruit plants can die quickly if their soil is not maintained to their liking, but it is completely avoidable if tended to properly.
Temperature
Miracle fruit plants like it warm. I keep my plants between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit (21 – 29.5 degrees Celsius). Prolonged exposure to temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, or even brief exposure to temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit will result in the death of the plant.
Watering
While most plants are alright with tap water, the miracle fruit plant is not. The pH of tap water in cities often reaches into the 7′s, which is far outside of the miracle fruit plant’s comfort zone. Using tap water over a long period of time will raise the pH of the soil enough to stunt or damage the plant.
The easiest way to gather large amounts of water with the properties necessary to make a happy miracle fruit plant is to capture rain water or to melt snow. Rain water tends to have a pH in the mid 5′s and is easy to come by in most places. It may be important to check local ordinances when trapping rain water, but unless there are a large number of plants to provide for and the rain is being collected in an arid climate, it will probably not be an issue.
When watering, be sure the vessel the miracle fruit plant is contained within can drain well. Miracle fruit plants like to be in damp soil, but don’t like to sit in water. Their roots will rot if they are left in standing water for any extended period of time.
Humidity is also important when considering the health of the plant. Miracle fruit normally live in areas where it rains daily and as such enjoy humidity of around 80%. This can be accomplished by enclosing them in plastic or by using humidifiers. There is some room for error here, as I’ve had miracle fruit plants grow and even produce fruit with an average humidity level of 60%. For best results, higher humidity is better.
Light
The final ingredient that any plant needs to survive is light. While miracle fruit plants are picky about most everything else, their light requirements are modest. The plants enjoy filtered sunlight and can even be grown well with artificial light. While direct sunlight for long periods of time can have adverse effects on the plants, this is often due as much to dehydration and overheating as it is to too much light.
Conclusion
Here is a quick list of things that help make a miracle fruit plant successful:
- Use a soil mixtures of 60% peat moss to 40% perlite with a pH of between 4.5 and 6.
- Keep the soil moist, but avoid letting the plant stand in water.
- 80% humidity is a good goal to shoot for, but a little lower won’t be deadly.
- Don’t use tap water, as its pH tends to be too high. Using rain water is much preferred.
- Don’t fertilize unless one knows what they are doing. Many plants have died from unnecessary fertilization.
- Keep the plant warm. Good temperatures are 70-85 degrees Fahrenheit, and bad temperatures are below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Avoid direct sunlight if possible. Filtered sunlight works great.
With those tip’s a miracle fruit plant should have a shot at a decent life. There are many more fine points which I will cover in later posts (fruit usage, germination, gibberellic acid, etc), and once I’ve gathered some good pictures, I’ll share some more detailed and illustrated information about my specific setup.
Hi, Where are you from? Is it a secret?
Thank you
Kicker
I live in Kentucky, in America.
Thanks for these tips, now I know to stop using tap water when I water my miracle plant. I got it 4 days ago, and so far I only watered it twice, but now I know to water it everyday and to only use rain water, I live in the Philippines so the humidity is no problem.
Congratulations on getting your plant.
Depending on the humidity in your growing area, it may not be necessary to water every day. I generally water between every two and every five days. Sometimes in the winter I have a harder time maintaining proper humidity levels and I will go to every day waterings, but you may can save yourself some work there. I assume you are using a pot, so as long as it has proper drainage it won’t hurt to water it more often.
That all being said, if your plant is new to its pot or you have transplanted it lately it is a good idea to water it more generously until it has a chance to overcome any shock.
A little tap water here and there isn’t likely to hurt your plant noticeably. Sometimes in dry weather I will run out of rain/snow water and use tap water until the next precipitation.
Good luck!
Hi Jeff, my wife is a diabetic and I’d really like to get some of these fruits or tablets for her to try. I think it would make a great birthday present. I’ve read conflicting reports about the tablets but I’m not sure if it’s a supplier issue or not. I’m hoping you have time to answer a few questions.
I’m in Cincinnati OH but I’m not sure where I can get these berries. Do you know any reputable places?
Have you found any tablets or powders that are fairly close to the actual fruit? It’s hard to trust reading other websites because most forums are owned by a company selling the tablets.
I’d like to try the berries or tablets out prior to trying to grow the plants.
I have had limited experience with the tablets. I ordered some on eBay and they did have the effect of the fruit, but it was less pronounced. I could eat a grapefruit without pausing but a lemon was still a bit tart.
Granted I’ve never ordered miracle fruit online so I’m not the best source for information there. I can say that fruit fresh off the plant is, in my experience, about twice as potent as one of the tablets. I can only assume the age of the tablet or the dehydration process used to make them mellows the effect out somehow.
There are a large number of sellers on eBay who sell both the tablets and the fresh fruit. If I were going to try it for the first time I’d go for the fruit. Even if they are a few days old they are still fairly potent, if less visually appealing. Other than that I don’t have a lot of information on the online fruit sellers. Beyond those reasons, if you order berries that haven’t been frozen and aren’t too old, you can plant their seeds just for kicks, just don’t expect them to fruit for a long while.
Thanks for all the info Jeff.
I have been using tap water that is filtered by the refridgerator although I doubt that changes the PH. I should probably start using rain water and since I live in Oregon, that shouldn’t be a problem (thanks for the tip). I’ve had my Miracle Plant since December (about 5 months) and, unlike most people on the web, I have had to put my plant in direct sunlight as much a possible. I think the clouds here have been acting as my sun filter. Maybe in the summer, I will have to move it. I am going to the store tonight to see if I can find the soil ingredients you posted. I’ll try to remember to post back later to tell people what I’ve learned, if anything.
Brian
hey,I find that your site is really beneficial and helpful and we were interested if there is really a possibility of acquiring More articles like this on your web log. If you willing to aid us out, we can be willing to compensate you… Sincerely, Aleida Fryou
I do plan on updating the blog more. I have tried to stay on top of comments as much as possible, but miracle fruit is mostly a hobby and I have a new son, excuse, excuse
As far as paying me to write, I’m not sure what I have to say is that interesting. If you waited around long enough you could probably get it for free off my blog.
I’m currently trying to grow plants from cuttings with hydroponics, rooting solutions, etc. With miracle fruit being as slow growing and fragile as it tends to be though, these things take longer than I’d like and are more error than trial. Feel free to contact me if there is something specific you are curious about however and I will try and answer as best as I can.
Jeff, I am curious about what you have found with GA and seed germination. If you dont mind, what are your findings with GA concentrations, treatment times, and % germination? Have you tried planting the fresh berries with pulp on them, and if so have you seen any difference between that and a cleaned seed? Im curious if the degenerating fruit tissue would put off sufficient GA, or be more effective than a synthetic treatment. Thanks Jeff (my email is c o d a v i s @ u c d a v i s.e d u, if you would contact me directly, without the spaces of course)
I don’t believe I’ve done a scientific enough study of gibberellic acid to answer your questions in good faith. I can say that when I plant my seeds I don’t tend to clean them all that throughly. My testing with GA is still ongoing.
In all honesty I’ve not noticed a huge difference between soaking cleaned seeds in GA at 500ppm and just pushing a pulpy seed directly into the dirt. I’ve not grown a huge number of plants fully from seeds (yet) and I’ve only fooled with GA a hand full of times. I may just be lucky but I have a good record of germination both with and without GA when planting seeds fresh from the tree, however I’ve not collected any good numbers. I’ve still yet to put the serious work in to comparing them that I plan to.
I recommend the fresh fruit to try it just the best. But if you wanna use it often then I recommend tablets. Easier to store, longer shelf-life, etc.
Sorry forgot my name: Dave.
Miracle Fruit trees are hard to grow, so tablets are handy I guess. I have some trees see my site…
I am planning on growing my plants indoors under artificial light. I wanted to know if I should turn off the light every once and a while or just leave it on.
Miracle fruit plants, as with all things living, need a time to rest. 24 hour light won’t likely kill your plants, but it doesn’t do them or your electric bill any favors. Timer switches are inexpensive and sold at most hardware stores. The only problem with them is if I don’t get myself into the habit of turning the lights on and off manually I will sometimes forget to water the plants as well, and that never turns out well! I suppose an adventurous person could rig up a timed watering system as well… I wonder if I’m not lazy enough to work something like that out myself.
The story for seedlings is a little different. At first, young plants can take 24hour light and ask for more, but as your plants mature the day night cycle will help your plant better produce. The miracle fruit plants I grow under artificial lighting spend 16 hours a day in the light.