Miracle Fruit Annual Update

I recently replanted my miracle fruit because I felt that it might have reached it's capacity within the original pot.  I must have been on to something because after the re-pot it took off!  For comparison first I'm posting my old photo from June 09 that shows March 09 when I got it and 3 months later.

The shadows might make it hard to make out details but the base is no longer a silly twig, it's several inches taller (currently 12'') and from a different angle it's spread is actually around 22'' so it's spreading more like a tree.  Also, there's new growth everywhere, from the inch segment on the top that sprung up over the weekend to new leaves at pretty much every intersection (new leaves are red so they stand out).  I'm still crossing my fingers for a little white flower to pop out somewhere, though I know that's very optimistic.

Miracle Fruit Update 7-21-09

No picture at the moment since nothing really stands out but recently the plant must have liked the climate because it has sent off numerous shoots like the two I circled earlier.  By current count I see 5 young shoots and 6 main stalks with new vertical growth, including the main stalk which hadn't had any growth since I started raising it.  All in all it's a bushy plant with lots of new growth but probably a long ways away from any fruit, but hopefully one day that will change.

Miracle Fruit 3 month Comparison

There's my change in 3 months. Not much growth in the height department but plenty of foliage. In the very top right is the strange long sprout I've recently blogged about with a small leaf at the end.

Miracle Fruit 6-1-09 Alien Growth

I've added colors to draw attention to what I observed this Monday morning.  Over the weekend these long growths developed (circled in red) and to the best of my knowledge there was nothing there before the weekend.  This is in addition to the new leaves I've had sprout recently (circled in blue) due to my hardcore misting every few hours.  The plant is certainly liking the treatment, but I'm very curious about its intentions given that there isn't much vertical growth going on but plenty of foliage developing.  And what will come of the new spindly growth?  While it appears similar to the branches that come from the main stalk, this would be a first coming from an offshoot (for reference, the top red circle is coming off the main stalk and therefor just resembles a new branch, the bottom one is coming off an already well established branch).

Miracle Fruit new growth

It may not look like much, but after seeing my new miracle fruit plant get off to a good start with all the new growth turning into mature leaves it almost appeared like it was settling down for the winter.  There wasn't a single new leaf budding and though it looked healthy, I thought it could do better.  So I bought a small desk lamp and recruited a misting water bottle and since spraying it with a fine mist whenever I think about it and keeping the lamp on the black pot to keep the whole thing warm leaves have started to bud.  The pictures above are the progress of the newest growth from 5-12 to 5-18, and while those pictures may not appear to show much, it's easily doubled in length and now has the full features and reddish appearance of the new growth that it came with, plus there are several more buds all over.  So we're looking at success with miracle fruit plant growth, we just need to see some progress with the fruit some day.

Miracle Fruit 4-7-09

Notice how all the new growth has turned a healthy green. There's still a few new leaves but it seemed to be going through a rapid growth when it first arrived. I'm keeping my eyes on it to make sure everything looks healthy and that new buds keep appearing. I think the growth is pretty noticeable.

Beneficial Nematodes

The Home Depot product description: (bold = my emphasis added)

Beneficial Nematodes are microscopic warriors that kill soil borne pests such as flea larvae, spidermites, fungus gnat, weevils, grubs, rootworms, cutworms, and many more. These Nematodes search, find, and kill pests living in the soil. They are extremely effective, and will reproduce and spread to provide you with long lasting organic pest control.

• Economical
• Effective! (<- their !, not mine)
• Fun for the garden
• Natural
• MFG Model # : 361
• MFG Part # : 361
• ADA Compliant : Yes (American Dental, Diabetes, Dietetic Association or Americans with Disabilities Act?)
• Assembled Depth (In Inches) : 6 In.
• Assembled Height (In Inches) : 4 In.
• Assembled Weight (In LBS) : 1
• Assembled Width (In Inches) : 4 In.
• Indoor or Outdoor : Outdoor
• Longevity : 12 months
• Stains : No

Fungus... Gnats!

"Ever notice those irritating little insects that fly out of the soil when you water your potted indoor plants? You are probably seeing fungus gnats."


Indeed, it appears that I am!


"An adult fungus gnat lays up to 200 eggs during the one week it spends as an adult winged gnat. The adult then dies. Legless larvae hatch out in about four days. After two weeks of feeding, larvae spend about three to four days as pupae before emerging as the next generation of adults."


Oh shit!


"Apply beneficial nematodes (Steinernematids or Neoaplectanids) to control larvae."


Spiders? OK!

In Harmony with Nature

As usual, plants that I tend to introduce into an environment seem to gather their own wildlife, as I mentioned earlier.  Gnats have gone from "a few" to "several" in very little time.  I'm not exactly sure how they are thriving, but they are.  I set out to find a spider to control my problem passively.

Instead I found a lady bug nymph!  It may not have any effect on my gnats, but I'm excited to see if it cruises for scales.  I have long suspected that I only see the mature and established scales, which I have been removing from my plant, but that there was some dense subculture of immature scales.  I think that my young lady bug friend will be able to infiltrate the source and thrive.  Now if only it could move a little faster maybe it could catch some gnats as well!

Miracle Fruit Progress

We're getting up close to track the progress of the new growth of the Miracle Fruit plant.  It's been two weeks and I've had to defend it from various bugs, tried adding a guardian spider who after attempting suicide I decided to free in the wild, and I'm fertilizing it with used coffee grounds.  This plant is in for an experience!

Miracle Fruit Project

Expect pictures to be posted as I see progress or lack of progress in my growing of a Miracle Fruit bush.  One site said it could produce fruit when it was as little as 12'' tall.  It's 9'' right now but apparently grows very very slowly.