How I care for my Miracle Berry plants

[@Joshsmoove]

This is probably the best video I've found on the proper care of one of these guys. Cheers mate!

[@MoebiusUK]

Thank you so much for your complimentary comment, I really appreciate it. I'll do a 'Part 2' video soon to discuss secondary considerations, like light requirements, frequency of feed, care for young seedlings and more!

[@Joshsmoove]

@@MoebiusUK nice, I'll subscribe.

[@PeterEntwistle]

Wow, they are looking incredibly healthy! Looks like your feeding schedule is really helping them 👍

[@MoebiusUK]

Thanks, Peter. Miracle berries have a reputation of being difficult to grow but this is not what I have found. Once the pH has been adjusted the only thing they really need is a very light amount of Citrus fert. I give these half the recommended minimum dose with each watering and they seem to thrive.

[@garycard1456]

Incredibly healthy! Looks like you have the pH just right. It will enjoy the humidity brought on by the rain and drizzle.

[@MoebiusUK]

Thanks, these plants love 'some' rain. Indoors I spritz with rainwater (when I can remember) and I definetly see growth spurts when I do.

[@VirginiaFruitGrower]

That's one happy looking miracle fruit

[@MoebiusUK]

Thank you. Its really satisfying for me because despite their reputation they're actually quite easy to grow and I've been able to propagate many seedlings from the fruit.

[@lyonheart84]

I've got to say your miracle berries do indeed look extremely healthy Dom, you really are pampering them with every possible beneficial , you're putting me to shame with how I neglect some of my tropicals 😱. I must admit I've never really thought about growing them as i considered them more of a novelty rather than a serious fruiting plant 😂

[@MoebiusUK]

Oh, I think you're right. They are a novelty rather than a serious fruiting plant. 😂 but they're also very unique with the taste altering ability. You've got so many wonderful tropicals it would be impossible to devote much time to them all but I think the Fish-Mix is a relatively cheap and easy plant tonic everyone might want to consider, particularly for poorly or struggling plants ... it's a high N feed that doesn't burn foliage and has a bunch of beneficial micro-nutrients. It can be applied as a soil drench or foliar feed ... In America they call it 'Fish emulsion' and it's more widely used.

[@myexoticfoodplants6727]

Great Job Dominic. I tried growing Miracle berry years ago, but the growth was incredibly slow and my plant eventually died.

[@MoebiusUK]

Thanks, Mike .... growth is slow on these plants for the first 2-3 years but it does pick up. They do have a reputation of being tricky to grow. I think where some have problems is either, not acidifying the feed, using an unsuitable substrate or using tap water that is high in dissolved solids (hard water).

[@myexoticfoodplants6727]

Yes tap waterer has an incredible amount of dissolved salts that could radically alter the PH of the soil and rebalancing for particular plants might be needed.@@MoebiusUK

[@0dysse0s]

Thank you for the information. Do you know where i could purchase some plants?

[@MoebiusUK]

Thanks for watching. 🙏🏽 Are you looking for Miracle Berry plants? Where are you based?

[@0dysse0s]

Do you lower the ph every time you water? Did you add any sulphur to the potting mix? Really nice looking plants

[@MoebiusUK]

Thanks, I've never used sulphur myself. The substrate (Peat and Perlite) is sufficiently acidic. Yes, I do add Vitamin C to lower the pH with every single watering. The formula I have settled on is very simple. I add 1 gram of Vitamin C and 1 gram of 18-18-18 Citrus feed with every watering. I measure out the quantities on simple, cheap scales I bought online. .... rather than using my pH meter. I find this method quicker.

[@SamMTL514]

For someone who loves acidic citrus, you grow the best miracle berry plant 😂😂😂😂

[@MoebiusUK]

😂Thank you, these plants are really fun to grow. I currently have about 10 of them. I like acidic fruits also but these are useful if I want to experience a fruit without the acid element.

[@kenshanbackyardgarden]

Did you place in a partial share area of full sun?

[@MoebiusUK]

I find my mature plants prefer partial shade for much of the day, with direct sun on them for a couple of hours. During winter they're indoors by a bright window.

[@garycard1456]

My miracle berry arrived in a chlorotic state (looks like iron deficiency chlorosis, as opposed to nitrogen deficiency, etc). So, I've been dissolving into pre-acidified tapwater about half a teaspoon of ferrous sulphate / iron sulphate, which comes as emerald green crystals. I am not sure whether it is true, but I have heard from some sources that plant miconutrients in a chelated form can be harmful to the plant, over time. Although, I have used a 'plant tonic', based on iron chelate and manganese chelate, without any issues. This 'plant tonic' comes as burgundy red crystals.

[@MoebiusUK]

Maybe they nursery weren't adjusting the pH correctly so the plant was unable to get the iron it needed from the substrate. As you know, nutrient take-up is massively dependent on the pH around the rootzone. Personally, I'd be cautious about going too heavy with supplemental Fe as this could lockout other macros, in particular phosphorus.

[@MoebiusUK]

The 'Here but not' fella I mentioned in response to your other comment, also uses acidified tap-water. His plants are super healthy, so rainwater is not absolutely necessary. I should have stipulated in this video that rainwater is most useful in areas of very hardwater, like central london.

[@garycard1456]

@@MoebiusUK In nature, phosphorus is tie-up in rocks as phosphate minerals, which solubilise and release to plant roots at a slow and steady rate. Root hairs and some bacteria and fungi associated with roots can solubilise rock phosphate by secreting acids to lower the pH. While it is true that ferrous phosphate has a poor solubility in water (and the same applies for the phosphates of calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, and zinc), a low pH (acidifying the water to around pH 5.5) increases the solubility of all phosphates. The solubility of phosphates is decreased under alkaline conditions.

[@garycard1456]

@@MoebiusUK I do use rainwater when I can collect enough (as I don't have a water barrel, I put out a large plastic storage box when a heavy downpoor is imminent). Otherwise, I use pH-adjusted tapwater. If I did not adjust the pH, the alkaline minerals naturally present in tapwater (albeit in lesser amounts where I live, due to my local geology being sandstone) would accumulate in the growing media and result in a very alkaline pH. The alkaline minerals in tapwater are the carbonates and bicarbonates of calcium and magnesium. You'll notice that when an acid is applied to the solid deposits from hardwater, a fizzing is produced. This is carbon dioxide gas, indicating the presence of carbonates or bicarbonates.

[@MoebiusUK]

@@garycard1456 Great explanation, Gary. I have used vinegar (acetic acid) along with baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate) to clean the kettle but assumed the reaction was only from these two substances ... This was effective in dissolving the mineral deposits in the kettle into a brown slurry. I didn't consider that the hardwater scale were reacting too, but of course, it must be for it to dissolve.

[@garycard1456]

For the sake of increasing microbial life, which form a mutually beneficial relationship with plants, it might be worthwhile to add some Baccilus subtilis (just one example of a plant-friendly bacteria) , mycorrhizae and trichoderma. B. subtilis comes in various products; I use 'Livesoil Probiotic'. For the mycos and trichos I use 'The Nutrient Company' (TNC) product, which contains a blend of various mycos and trichos.

[@MoebiusUK]

Thanks for this. I think these are very 'boutique' plant treatments but definetly worth looking into. I think I have innoculated them with mychorrizae and this usually only needs to be done once, the funghi is then said to live inside the plant cells for the life of the plant. I'll check out 'The Nutrient Company' as they may have stuff I'm interested in adding for all my plants. An interesting webiste / blog for specifically 'Miracle Berry' but more widely 'Tropicals' is called 'Here but not' ... he has the healthiest plants I've ever seen and uses a bunch of boutique treatments.

[@SamMTL514]

I’m a big believer in soil microbial. I have recently switched to organic fertilizers and worked on promoting soil microbial. I also use fish emulation and I add 1 table spoon of molasses. My citrus never looked this healthy and I saw huge difference in root development.

[@tombennett8856]

Did the air layer on this work ?!? I remember trying some miracle berries from seed a few years back as found them really interesting how they alter the taste buds. My seeds didn't germinate but I don't think I was as into growing back then. If you ever get an air layer I'd be very interested. :)

[@MoebiusUK]

Yes, Miracle Berry is a fun plant. Tthe airlayer worked very well. Here's a link to that video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/qImoqIqXg696o9U Unfortunately, I don't have any more airlayer plants to sell atm but I do have lots of seedlings.

[@tombennett8856]

@@MoebiusUK Thanks Dom! I watched the video after I posted the comment. Great that it worked so well. That's ok, Ohh I could be tempted with a seedling if that is possible?

[@MoebiusUK]

@@tombennett8856 It's certainly possible, I have around 100. I have some nice specimens. Willing to do a good deal for subscribers. My email is in the 'about' section of my page so feel free to contact me. *I won't be around next week as I'll be in Europe.

[@ethanbevan6212]

My miracle berry plant had dry leave ends but has been producing nice berries, however, now the leaves are dropping off and the berries too prematurely.I live in Florida zone 9, any advice? My PH seems to be doing well, I am using the recommended fertilizer suggested when I purchased it. It is only getting about 2 hours of sun due to being under my lanai, birds were getting the berries out in the open. thanks

[@MoebiusUK]

Hi. Without seeing a photo of your pkant in it's location, the advice I can offer may or may not be relevant, please bear that in mind. That said - 1. I would consider cuting all the brown / dead sections of leaves off with scissors, leaving only the healthy section of leaf on the plant.. This will enable you to monitor whether or not any future detoriation is occurring after treatment. The healthy sections of foliage will continue to photosynthesize and won't drop off as long you have treated the issue. 2. Is your soil drying out too much between watering? My Miracle berry plants like a slightly moist (NOT soaking wet or muddy) substrate. Dry, baked soil is not good and could lead to leaf necrosis. 3. Related to point (2) Through the process of evaporation, water is constantly being drawn up to the soils surface and into the air. This leaves behind a concentration of dissolved solids (salts) at the soils surface, which will raise the pH around the plant. This will be exacerbated if using tap water that is hard (high in dissolved solids / salts) to water the plants. My container plants ONLY get rain water but providing ONLY rainwater for in-ground plants, might not be possible for you. With this in mind, I would consider, mulching heavily around the plant, if you are not doing this already. .... This will slow down the rate in which water is being pulled up into the air and reduce the concentration of salts at the surface. It will also keep the soil more moist. 4. I know you said your plant only gets 2 hours of direct sun a day but .... Is it possible this is still too intense for your plant? Maybe a 40% shade cloth to provide dappled light during the most intense part of the day will help. 5. You mentioned you were recommended a feed when your purchased the plant. ... It's difficult for me to comment on this without knowing what the NPK of this feed is, the dosage you're giving it, and seeing a photo of the plant. You're welcome to email me a photo. My email address is listed in the about section of my page. However, typically you'll want to be giving your Miracle Berry plant a very low dosage of a citrus type synthetic fertiliser ... if you want to be organic, liquid seaweeed (or similar) will also work well.

[@teigns2010]

where did you buy this plant?

[@MoebiusUK]

I bought this online from Canarius.

[@tombennett8856]

​@@MoebiusUK Do Canarius still ship to the UK since Brexit or is that not happening anymore? I assume not.

[@MoebiusUK]

@@tombennett8856 Canarius are still willing to send items to the UK with phytosanitary documentation .. I've ordered from them since Brexit. It's just more expensive + they have a minimum order.

[@tombennett8856]

@@MoebiusUK That's interesting and good to hear! Yeah I've seen the minimum order of €150 . Perhaps at some point I'll try them out with a couple of things.

[@selvaganapathi6328]

I bought Miracle fruit plant two weeks ago now plant leaves are turning brown can you please help me with a solution

[@MoebiusUK]

Yes. No problem, I'll help if I can. Are you giving them rainwater? This would be best. If you live in an area with soft-water, you may get away with tap water but imo nothing beats rain. Try, misting them with a spray bottle, twice a day. They respond VERY well to this. They like a bit of humidity so if growing indoors or in a dry environment this is essential Are your plants in a bright area near strong natural light or artifical growlight? ... they actually like partial shade. What substrate are using? They like a slightly acid substrate. I use 50/50 peatmoss and perlite. Try not to let the substrate dry out ... you want the substrate to be free draining, loose and a little damp. What feed are you giving them? They don;t require much fertiliser. I would dial it back until you see some recovery. You can send me pics if you like ... my email is in the 'about' section on my KZbin page. There is an excellent blog on growing Miracle berry plants, where I learned a thing or two ... it will give you lots of tips. SEARCH - 'Here but not' + 'Miracle berry' ... you'll find it. Any more questions, don't hesitate to ask. Goodluck.

[@selvaganapathi6328]

Can't find mail id can you please send it

[@MoebiusUK]

@@selvaganapathi6328 [e-mail] One last thing ... Miracle berry tend to be tough plants so don't worry too much. You've done the right thing by reaching out and trying to figure out the problem at an early stage. When I received my first MB plant it had lost most of it's foliage due to the package being lost for 49 days. It's now thriving and I get hundreds of berries. Yours will also be successful. 👍🏽 Feel free to send pictures and/or ask as many questions as you like. - Moebius

[@MoebiusUK]

@@selvaganapathi6328 After seeing the picture of your in-ground tree, I can confidently say that you need to shade the plant. 40% shade cloth will really help. 👍🏽 Additionally, get a water bottle sprayer and mist with rain water whenever you can. A little bit of seaweed liquid added when watering may also help.

[@selvaganapathi6328]

@@MoebiusUK Thank youuu