Miracle fruit is quite difficult in it's growing requirement needing a soil pH of around 5. I've killed at least 5-3 gallon plants over the years before I realized that my city water is 8+ pH.

Recently I've tried again growing MF, a glutton for punishment.

There is a forum out there for MF and I've been reporting the results of watering my new MF plants with 4-5 pH water using a pool chemical, sodium bisulfate which forms a dilute solution of sulfuric acid when mixed with water. I've googled sulfuric acid as a plant pH modifier and it is apparently used by some blueberry growers.

I've been watering with 4-5 pH water daily that is rainwater with 1 tablespoon of sodium bisulfate. I wouldn't consider using sulfuric acid or battery acid as it is too dangerous to handle. The MF plants are thriving like I've never seen them grow! I had one 3 gallon plant double it's leaves in 6 weeks. I've gotten some comments from the other forum wondering whether what I've done is a good idea: http://www.miracletaste.com/index.php/topic,307.0.html

One suggestion was to use phosphoric acid as phosphorus is a plant nutrient . Well I've used 75% phosphoric acid brand name Ospho for years http://www.skybryte.com/OsphoMSDS.html to get rid of rust on rusty iron so I added a tablespoon of it to my 5 gallons of water and once again got 4-5 pH. One advantage of ospho is that is a pretty safe in that it only irritates the skin not like sulfuric acid burning the skin.

Another thought is to use citric acid as an acidifier. It's advantage is it is food grade and cheap. I am watering the plants daily.

An article a friend gave me about bonzai stated that the soil pH approaches very rapidly the pH of the irrigation water.

Any comments as to my water pH experiments?

A few other things I'm going to experiment with are:

from:http://www.super-grow.biz
Super-Grow GrowTonic
MycoMaxx - 1 Ounce - 28 Grams
Kelp Extract - 1 Ounce - 28 Grams
Water Soluble GA3 Powder 20 - 5 Grams
Fulvic Acid 75% 1 Ounce - 28 Grams

I'm especially interested in the GA3 as MF has a very low fruit set.
The other ingredients will likely be ineffective but also very cheap with the quantities I'm buying. I'll be very interested to see any effect from the mycorrhizal fungi.

My interest has been generated by the claims of http://www.livemonarch.com/store_miracle.php for his expensive miracle soil at $10 per pint. The same guy has hinted that beneficial fungi/microbes are part of his soil. I've sent a sample of the miracle soil out the Texas A&M U to be analyzed.

I considered SuperThrive but am convinced it is a scam. A friend swears by the stuff helping out his MF plant(that I sold him!) enough to spend $$ buying a gallon of it. The stuff I've ordered are probably a scam as well but I'll only be out $25, a small sum considering the $$ I've spent buying MF plants!

I've been documenting my exploits here: http://members.fortunecity.com/pjsauber/MiracleFruit.htm
I'm sure my ramblings will be entertaining to some on this forum!

Entertaining? Yes. But I agree with you on tap water screwing up your PH. I've very interested in what you find works the best for you at the lowest cost...and ease of use. Nearly everything I grow has low PH requirements. I now strictly use rainwater for the most sensitive plants. Our winter weather will pose a problem and I will need an alternative solution. So I will be hitting you up on this later. Thanks! Jay

You can also use elemental sulfur applied to the soil--it will turn into sulfate as it oxidizes--also used on blueberries. You can fertilize with ammonium sulfate.

A tablespoon of sodium bisulfite seems like a lot--it only takes 1/4 tsp in 6 gallons of wine. Many of the chemicals you mentioned are buffers and a small amount will change the pH almost as much as a large amount if the water is not already buffered with a large amount of carbonate.

I'm sure the sodium bisulate is cheaper at $10 for 2.5 pounds. The phosphoric acid is $30 for 1 gallon.

Ohiojay wrote:

Entertaining? Yes. But I agree with you on tap water screwing up your PH. I've very interested in what you find works the best for you at the lowest cost...and ease of use. Nearly everything I grow has low PH requirements. I now strictly use rainwater for the most sensitive plants. Our winter weather will pose a problem and I will need an alternative solution. So I will be hitting you up on this later. Thanks! Jay

A LONG time ago I ordered a 15-gallon carboy of Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4) from Van Waters & Rogers (now Univar Corp), used to acidify my well water. It takes VERY LITTLE. I will probably have it for a LONG time to come before it is all used up. NOTE: this is not a recomemdation to handle pure H2SO4. - Millet (881-)

If you don't already know, a buffer will move the pH of pure water rapidly to near the midpoint of it's buffering range, adding a lot more will only move it a little closer to the midpoint. But once you have a buffer in solution, it will have to be neutralized before the pH will change very much.

I would like to thank you MrTexas for you idea. I like how you think.
I too have been torturing a good size MF tree for about 3 or 4 years now. I've repotted it any times with many different soils.
I started using pond water that I made to about 4 to 5 acid. My tree has sent out new growth with bigger leaves and is a nice dark green now. It's about time.
Terry

Besides the correct pH, I have found that heating the root zone of a Miracle Fruit (MF) plant also provides a LOT of benefit. I have an old 250 gallon dye vat in my greenhouse which I can adjust the water temperature all the way up to 200+ F. I have covered it with a 1-inch plywood 4 X 8 sheet to make a large heating table. I use it for plants that require additional heat during the winter months, plant propagation, and also for emergencyl heat during extremely cold Colorado winter blizzards. Miracle fruit really does well when the root zone is heated. About a year ago on the old UBC Citrus Forum (now shut down) there was a company that sold 1 and 2 year old MF trees. They also sold a special container made especially for MF that plugged into an electrical outlet. The container's temperature could be set to the optimum temperature for growing MF. I never purchased one, because I had the heated dye tank, but after reading that they worked very well for growing MF, that is when I started putting my tree on the heated dye vat. After all MF originated in tropical west Africa. - Millet (838-)

The guy who sells the heated pots is here:

http://www.miracletaste.com/index.php/topic,279.0.html

I sent some of his miracle soil off to be analysed. He sells it for $10 for a $5 flat rate box full. It looks like peat moss, perlite, and pine bark to me. He claims it has "miracle" beneficial microbes in it.

This winter when we get cold weather I will put my MF plants by my garage window and use heating mats.

I've had my plant for about 5 years now & have never had a problem with it. It always produces loads of fruit & the birds take their fair share. All I use is Osmocote a few times a year & my used coffee grounds a few times a week on the surface of the soil & then water in with tap water.

Phil, I don't think that your link is the company that was selling the Miracle Fruit trees and the heated MF containers I think the link you show is a different person. - Millet (833-)

As a side note-you need to buffer your city water when you do any spraying with chemicals, i found that most chemicals I use for gardening require a ph below 7, with 6 being about good for most.

Your ph @ 8 is quite high- I suspect that it must be from the chemicals put in to treat it. My well water is 7.3

The buffer I use is indicate 5 , and like Mr. Skeeter says it takes it to a ph of 5 pretty easily then will only go down to maybe 4.5 even if you dump a bunch more in

Phil, you must be correct. That has to be the same person. As an side note, I use rain water when doing any foliar spraying. If, and when, I adjust the pH from my well water I use H2SO4 (Sulfuric acid). Actually Phosphoric acid would be better, as it would also supply phosphorus to the plants, but I have a carboy H2SO4 in stock. - Millet (832-)