I thought at first you were having a similar issue to what I've been dealing with but your unhealthy plant looks like my 'healthier' plant. I have heard that they don't like much fertilizer so I'd agree with that assessment. I have also heard that low light does make the leaves yellow, but I could be wrong and Fab seems to disagree. I have two plants both from seed that are about 3.5 years old. They are both about a foot tall and grown indoors in 1:1 perlite:peat. They don't enough light, they don't get enough humidity, and up until recently I didn't know they were sensitive to chlorine so they used to just get tap water. Now I use tap water left out overnight with some vinegar to drop the pH. So far no fruiting, but they are just now getting around the appropriate size so I am hopeful. My problem is also pale leaves, however mine are usually bright yellow with dark green veins. I haven't had them grow this way lately, but old yellow leaves are still there and they occasionally put out new ones. Does this sound like chlorosis or is it a nutrient deficiency of some sort? Mine get the occasional extra dilute foliagepro. Fab, you indicated chlorosis would give the reverse to the coloration that I see. I also have a problem with new leaves drying/dropping off on occasion. They are stable once they mature but the new growth is not super robust. I just figured it was a humidity issue. Any thoughts? drag, please keep us updated if you resolve this. ryan

This is one bush I have bought as a relatively mature plant, (fruiting). If you don't know me, well I'll tell, you I'm about the cheapest, most frugal gardener you'll ever come across. But they will not grow fast enough in my lifetime to satisfy me. You do need to have one! So be willing to shell out $30 or a bit more for a plant that's healthy and flowering or fruiting. You can keep it in a pot forever, in a fertile, loose, acid mixture, repotting every few years as the potting soil breaks down. Partial shade seems to be preferable to full sun. Mine's in the garden, about 3' by 3' for years. You can prune them lightly. I feed it mostly compost and give it a minor element spray every spring. A dose of gardenia fertilizer at the beginning of the rainy season and it fruits in flushes all summer and fall. It's flowering now and putting out a few berries. The neighborhood children are asking almost daily if there are any miracle fruits because my calamondin tree is next to it and the key lime nearby is always dropping ripe fruit. I get more enjoyment giving the neighbors and kids the experience than I get from them myself. But that key lime squeezed in water on a hot afternoon or that evening mojito with No sugar, and just that one miracle berry, really brighten up a day. The seeds do germinate under the bush, but transplanting them has been disappointing. I highly recommend you all have one. There's room in everyone's yard to tuck a nice evergreen bush somewhere. There is a taller growing tree type too, so know which you are buying. Both are wonderful. Treefrog

Thank's for the feedback. I only have the 1 plant but I guess from everything I've read I'm doing all the right things. It's happy right now, just not putting out the berries. I can wait. Your seedlings look great, Rick. If I can figure out how to download a photo of my plant, I'll send it along next time. It's also nice to know that you're having luck up there in CT. How does your plant do during the winter months inside? Any special heat lighting involved? Has it bloomed during the winter months? And Regine, your plant is 25 yrs. old?! That's also encouraging. I have some older plants around here but nothing that ripe old age. That's terrific that the miracle plant has hold on for so long. Your thumbs must be very green. Thanks again. Check out that site I posted a little ways up. Jene's Tropicals is my favorite nursery and I promise "anyone" you "adopt" from their nursery, won't let you down. (Never made it to that plant swap in Tampa. Maybe next year)

I keep mine in 1:1 perlite:peat which is the standard medium for miracle fruit. Very fast draining and not a lot of water retention. I tend to agree with puglvr. As far as I'm aware, miracle fruit are all grown from seed and are therefore not clones of one another. Different behavior in similar growth conditions can happen. Also if you potted them up into a larger container and kept the original rootball intact, one may have a tighter original rootball or have trapped some poor media in the center. This can cause rot. You may want to try taking the sick plant out of its pot, removing all the soil, and replanting. They are sensitive to too much fertilizer, so maybe cut out the fert until the plant perks up. Dry leaves is often a sign of too much water or too many solutes in the water... Now if I could only get mine to fruit!