8 Miracle Berry Plant Issues and How to Treat

Brown Leaves: 

• Your plant may be too dry, too wet, too fertilized, or has an abundance of chlorine or salt

• Too dry: feel the soil around 4 inches from the top. If it is too dry, you need to water it until you see the water draining from the bottom of your pot. We recommend watering your plant more frequently if you experience the correct drainage but the soil dries out too quickly.

• Too wet: Feel the soil around 4 inches from the top. If it is too wet, there may be a combination if issues:

• If you are using a metal or plastic container, these typically retain moisture more in the soil than a terracotta made pot. We recommend transferring your Miracle Fruit Tree to a terracotta plant and water a tad less to see if the issue persists. When transferring, mix half of the previous soil with new soil so it is not overly wet when repotting your plant. Water until you see the water draining from the bottom of the pot. 

• If your planter has inadequate drainage, it may be holding onto too much water and cannot drain properly. We recommend transferring your plant into a pot that has adequate drainage holes. Please see the image below for the perfect type of pot for your plant. 

• Too Much Fertilizer: You may be feeding your plant too often or too much which is not good for this sensitive tree. We recommend getting a fertilizer that is 20-20-20 or 7-9-5 and feeding every other week after watering. If the issue persists, stop feeding and allow your plant to acclimate to the soil.  

Dry, Brittle Leaves:

• Dry bottom soil: This issue arises when the roots are not soaking up the water from the soil and nourishing the leaves. This often occurs during the hot summer months as the water evaporates before the roots can take in the water. We recommend a good soaking. An easy way to do this is to put your pot into a large enough bucket with water and let it soak up the water. You will know when the plant is done when the water line hasn't moved in 30 minutes. Be sure to water your plant until water drains out of the bottom of the planter and all around to ensure the roots are receiving water, not only the top.

• Wet Bottom Soil: Dry and brittle leaves can also occur when the roots are sitting in too much water. This is because the roots cannot get enough oxygen and may begin to have root rot. We recommend replanting and introducing new soil. Be sure to allow the soil to dry out enough before watering and choose a pot with plenty of drainage.

• Too Much Fertilizer: You may be feeding your plant too often or too much which is not good for this sensitive tree. We recommend getting a fertilizer that is 20-20-20 or 7-9-5 and feeding every other week after watering. If the issue persists, stop feeding and allow your plant to acclimate to the soil. 

Red Leaves:

• This can occur from too much light or low fertilizer levels

• We recommend moving your plant to a filtered sunlight spot and feeding more often, but this is natural and you can let the leaves grow as they are. They should fall off and continue to produce new ones. 

Burned Edges:

• This can occur from high salt levels in your soil 

• We recommend a nourishing watering for your plant. Make sure to water all around the top of your soil to get every inch inside the pot. Water until you can see it draining from the bottom of the pot. This is important because watering helps rinse the salt off of the roots and soil. Be sure to water with only rain, filtered, or distilled water. 

No Flowers: 

• Your plant may still be too young to produce flowers. Miracle Fruit trees typically produce flowers when they are 1.5 feet tall or 1.5 years old. 

No Fruit:

• Your plant may still be too young to produce miracle berries. Miracle Fruit trees typically produce fruit when they are 2 feet tall or 2-3 years old. 

• Your plant may have bloomed flowers but no fruit which can occur. Try hand pollinating your tree if it is inside. This can help produce fruit more successfully. 

• Miracle Fruit appears on brighter and warmer days, between summer and fall. 

Pale Leaves: 

• Pale leaves can be attributed to a high pH level or lack of fertilizer. 

• We recommend purchasing a soil pH reader from your local hardware store to get an accurate reading. 

• How to lower pH: Add sphagnum peat moss to the top of the soil, around an inch, and work into the top layers of the soil. Be careful not to disturb the roots

• We also recommend feeding your plant more often. They may not be getting enough acid which they thrive on. Do not use any fertilizer with lime as this can be detrimental. We suggest a 20-20-20 or 7-9-5 blend of water soluble fertilizer and following the instructions on the back. Any type of fertilizer that says it will “feed your plant for 6 months” will be too much for the Miracle Fruit tree and create more problems. You should be feeding your plant every other week after you water. 

Yellow Leaves:

• This can appear when your tree does not produce enough chlorophyll, bad drainage, damaged roots, compacted roots, high alkaline, nutrient deficiencies, or has moved to a new sun spot in your home or change in soil. 

• Inefficient Chlorophyll(Also known as Chlorosis) or High Alkaline(High pH): This is caused by the soil having a high pH level which is not compatible with the Miracle Fruit Tree. 

• How to lower pH: Add sphagnum peat moss to the top of the soil, around an inch, and work into the top layers of the soil. Be careful not to disturb the roots

• Bad drainage, damaged roots, or compacted roots: 

• Follow the instructions from above to transfer your plant. Do not disturb or try to separate the roots of your tree. 

• Select a terracotta pot that is 2-3 inches wider and taller than your current pot with enough drainage holes. Use a mixture of new and old soil to ensure it is not too wet as this may lead to root rot. 

• New Sun Spot or New Soil: This is completely normal. Allow your plant to get acclimated to their new spot or soil for a couple weeks. If the issue persists, please refer to the issues above to mitigate.