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john_howard_24

miracle fruit- yellow leaves, watering, fertilizer?

john.howard.24
12 years ago

Hi Everyone,

I ordered a miracle fruit tree back in May, and transplanted it into larger pot with 50% peat moss, 50% perilite and I even threw in some orchid bark for texture and acidity. I tested the acidity of the mix and its at about 5.5. I also included a touch of blood and bone meals. I keep it in a green house with very high humidity where it never gets below 60 at night and never above 100 during the day. I also included a yeast CO2 bubbler since it is a small DIY green house and doesn't have great circulation.

It has been doing great, but all the new growth is much more pale than the old growth. On the new leaves, the veins are green and in between the leave has a yellow ting. The substrate is always moist, and I have only watered it maybe twice in the past 3 to 4 month and each time it wasn't much water. The peat moss really retains a lot of moisture, could this be the problem? I did put a layer of lava rock on the bottom of the pot to help with drainage. Could the problem also be the amount of sunlight or nutrients?

Also, can anyone recommend a good fertilizer? I was thinking left over coffee with a tiny touch of 20,20,20 and splash of the chelated iron/mag solution.

Any recommendations?

Comments (10)

  • simon_grow
    12 years ago

    Miracle fruit doesn't like strong direct sunlight. Mine shed most of its leaves when I gave it some direct afternoon sun. You may also be underwatering it. I have lots of peat moss in my container grown miracle fruit but I still water it at least once a weak. I don't have it in a greenhouse however and I also don't have any humidity dome over it.
    Simon

  • pepperot
    12 years ago

    Pine Island nursery also recommends no direct sun. But I've left my plant in full afternoon sun and it grows fine. So I don't really know what it prefers. I also keep the medium moist, never letting it dry out. Try some liquid fertilizer like fish emulsion, 1 TB/gallon.

    -Tom

  • BrittanyExtra
    12 years ago

    Check the pH again. My plant did the same thing when my pH meter broke and the pH got too high. :/ a quick check can do no harm.

  • mrtexas
    12 years ago

    To get mine to grow I had to put a tablespoon of phosphoric acid (Ospho available at the hardware store) per 5 gallons of rainwater to get a 4 pH(tested with pH paper)for watering. They thrive then. Blood meal is the only nitrogen fertilizer I use. The pool chemical pH Down should also work.

    Here is a link that might be useful: mrtexas

  • mrtexas
    12 years ago

    Forgot to mention, they like water. Best to water every day.

  • mrtexas
    12 years ago

    Coffee grounds are good which I use, commercial fertilizer is death to miracle fruit. I know, I've killed many a plant until I started watering with rainwater that I lowered the pH and blood meal only for fertilizer.

    When the air conditioning goes off here in SE Texas in November the miracle fruit trees go in the house and they go back outside when the air conditioning goes back on in April.

    Good luck with miracle fruit trees. They are the most challenging plants I have ever grown.

  • mikemazu
    9 years ago

    I have a question regarding my plant. I can't seen to drop the ph from a neutral (7) . As of right now my mixture is 70 % Peet moss and 30 % perlite. I water them with bottled water which was left out. its been 6 days and tye ph has not dropped. I bought 2 ph readers thinking one is off but both are identical. Please help me.

  • 3170760
    3 years ago



    Mrtexas,

    I am taking your advice by using blood meal, as I cannot seem to find anything in my area to use. Mine looked like it last year and I believe because I didn't have the fertilizer it did not produce. But I'm curious what did you do for the bone meal how much did you give it and in what intervals?

    Thank you,

    Melissa

  • 3170760
    3 years ago

    What I meant to say was mine looked like it was going to produce last year but I didn't have the fertilizer so I assume that's why it did not grow a single Berry.

  • eddie
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Aloha,

    I came across this site and took notice everyone sharing stories concerning their Miracle Berry Plant. I am also new to growing this interesting plant. Now, living East Coast in Zone 8b which I have to baby my plant as its more of a tropical plant and will not survive the weather out here. Currently my plant is in a 5 gallon container with 80% Peat & 20% Perlite. It's stored indoors on a partly sunny patio and during winter its in a double wrapped clear plastic bag fully covered. Unsure about fertilizer but did a solution mix with Fish emulsion and distilled water. I didn't want to take any chances with tap water due to chemicals or any type of water treatment kit from Home Depot. I just went and bought a gallon of Distilled Water from my local Walmart store which seem to work a lot better. I usually water mines from the bottom of pot over top watering. But will look into Blood Meal as it's not as potent in smell over the Fish Emulsion bottle. Thanks for any feedback greatly appreciated. Mahalo

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