Anyone have experience with Miracle fruit ? Gaylord was here two weeks ago & my tree had very small budds. Now the tree has many fruit that have developed & turned red within two weeks time.

This is the first year I have had this as it was a gift from Citrus Joe. This tree is very strange to me... Are the fruit ripe once they turn red ? Seems a bit quick but who knows...

Laaz, I grow Miracle Fruit. I also got my tree from Citrus Joe. Yes, when the fruit turns red it is ripe and ready to use. Chew on the pulp and swish it around your mouth THROUGHLY , and then spit it out. Quickly bite into a sour Lemon and it will taste sweet instead of sour. If your "tree" has produced fruit, it must be over a year old. Miracle Fruit basicly just sets in the pot for the first year, developing the root, and then really puts on growth during the second year. - Millet

Thanks Millet. The strange thing about this tree is it doesn't produce flowers... It goes from little buds to fruit with no visible flower. Also some of the buds turn into leaves & others into fruit...

Laaz, The flowers of miracle fruit are small and brownish-green, but definitely flowers. Rather like tiny tulips on their sides.

I've cautioned this group in the past that citrus is not "really" an acid-loving plant, since it likes only slightly acid soil. Well, with miracle fruit, we have an extremely acid-loving plant. Soil pH should be kept below 5.0, and below 4.5 is even better. I'm not aware of any other plant that likes a more acid soil than this one.

There are two forms of the plant (same species) -- the "big leaf" and "small leaf" types. I've never heard any scientific explanation, and certainly, seedlings are not nucellar. But the population does seem to naturally fall into these two groups. We grow both. The fruit are about the same.

Malcolm

Thanks Malcolm. I have never seen a fruit develop & ripen so quickly.

Citrus Joe sent me 2-3 fruits last winter that I tried. It really does make a tart lemon taste sweet! I planted the seeds but w/ no luck

you Know i herd of Mirical Fruit but i thought it was a joke ..
Lazz Can you post pics Please Id really like to see what the plant looks like .. Tammy

Seeds are easy if treated as follows:

1. Don't refrigerate the fruit. Cold can damage the seed.
2. Don't dry out the seeds before planting. I sow them by eating the fruit and planting the pits as I spit them out. VERY fresh!
3. Plant 1/2" deep in pure Canadian sphagnum peat (pH around 3.6).
4. Keep moist but not overly wet, and keep them warm (my greenhouse probably averages 80F or a bit more).

They should come up in about 2 weeks. Seedlings look like a reddish-black mechanical pencil lead coming up. When about an inch high, it will make 2 or 3 leaves. It will then sit there, doing absolutley nothing, for about a year. Then it will rather suddenly burst into growth, to become a foot or so tall and start fruiting, in less than another year. Bizarre plant.

Young seedlings are susceptible to slugs, squirrels, and damping off diseases.

Malcolm , wish I kew that when I planted them (about 4 hours after I spit seeds out). I think I had them too moist & they rotted.
Tammy, type 'Miralce Fruit' in your search engine.

Patty i did 3 times then copied and pasted since i didnt spell it right ...
Awesome plant . If Laaz wants to sell any seeds i hope he lets us know .

grins
So Laaz what does the Miracle fruit actually taste like By its self ?
what type of soil and how cold hardy is it ? Im in 9 just like cali at my house but im in the banana belt of oregon ..Tammy

Sorry Tammy, I typed lc instead of cl ---MIRACLE fruit.
From what I remember, fruits were no bigger than a inch - big seeds, they weren't tart nor sweet. Not bad tasting at all- hard to describe, but the fun part is you eat just one & bitter/tart 'things' taste sweet. I think it temporarily numbs some taste buds.

Thanks!!!! another plant for my "GOT TO HAVE" list!! LOL
Interesting plant!!!
I love sour.. but that would be interesting to eat a "sweet" lime..
My oldest girl would love these for sure!! She can't stand sour food.. not pickles or lemons etc.. if it's sour she turns her nose up at it.. makes cooking dificult some times.. I will put a lemon or lime in with stew and she will complain about it.. "Here Elizma eat this red berry... Now you can NOT complain about the lemon I put in the stew!!!"
Wonder how it would change the flavor of a fresh onion??

Gina *BabyBlue*

In a stew, lemon would not taste bitter! I never heard of lemon or limes in stew. Sorry, doesn't sound good to me -- I may not eat it either.

lemons or limes are great in mexican style dishes

so are these miracle fruits a one-trick pony? are they good on their own, or just for freaking people out?

Eating straight lemons isnt exactly good for your teeth

The first batch of seeds goes to JoeReal.

The fruit sweeten everthing, which can work to a disadvantage as well. I ate a tomato after eating one of these & it tasted like pure sugar... The effect last quite a while as well.

My Corona tasted terrible after eating one so beware...