How Are Kiwi Vines Grown?

Requirements

• Kiwi need a growing season of 220 to 240 days and do best in soil with a pH of 5 to 6.5. Well-drained soil is a must. A strong trellis in a sunny location with protection from strong winds is ideal. Except for some self-fertile cultivars, you must plant both a male and female plant for pollination. One male will pollinate up to eight female plants within 100 feet. Buy plants that were grown in your region if possible.

Selection

• Choose a variety suited for your climate zone. Hayward, the familiar fuzzy variety sold in most grocery stores, is hardy only to about 10 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Hardy kiwi (Actinidia arguta) survives temperatures of minus 10 to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Its small fruit, about the size of a cherry, has smooth, edible skin. Hardy kiwi "Issai" is a self-pollinating variety. Arctic Beauty kiwi (Actinidia kolomikita) is hardy down to minus 30 to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit and has ornamental green and pink variegated leaves.

Care

• Plant vines at least 10 feet apart. Apply fertilizer in early spring while plants are dormant and again after blooming. Kiwi needs consistent watering in summer. Train kiwi vines like grapes, with a central trunk and branches growing in opposite directions. Before spring growth starts, remove branches that previously fruited. Prune 1-year-old branches to about eight fruiting buds on each. In summer, remove nonfruiting branches and those not needed for next season's fruit. Do not prune dormant male plants; wait until after flowering occurs.

Harvest

• Fruit can reach mature size in mid-summer, but does not ripen until late summer or fall. It is best to pick and refrigerate the fruit; then ripen it before eating rather than to ripen it on the vine. To determine when to harvest, pick a few fruits and allow them to soften before eating. When the fruit is ready, pick it all before the first frost and refrigerate. Kiwi will keep five to six weeks in refrigeration.