Hi folks,

while on vacation on a Big Island of Hawaii, I bought a five year old Miracle fruit bush in a two gallon pot. I would like to bring the plant with me to California. Yesterday I called USDA and they told me that I will have to bare root the plant for inspection at the airport to take it with me. Currently the bush is planted in a mix of peat moss and some wood chips, which is overall very fine and does not drain too well. It was grown near Hilo, which is extremely damp, and actually had live moss covering the lower part of the trunk. Today I watered the plant, and it took about 5 minutes for the water to drain.

For transportation, I plan to bare root the bush, wrap the roots in a moist paper towel, stick the root ball into a plastic bag, wrap the entire bush in a plastic wrap, and then put the plant into a box for transportation. Any objections to this so far?

Now regarding the choice of growing media. From scanning the web, it appears that people grow miracle fruit trees both in peat moss and in 5-1-1 mix. It likes high acidity and PH around 5.0-6.0. I would like to know what would be the best potting mix to use once I arrive home. I like 5-1-1 for its drainage properties and ease of wetting the growing media.

Your suggestions about transplantation and choice of growing media are highly appreciated.