How to Grow Kiwi in Colorado

General Care

• 1

  Grow a cold-tolerant kiwi variety, such as Actinidia kolomikta, which is hardy in USDA zones 3 through 8, that can survive your Colorado winters. After the last spring frost date, plant kiwi vines in an area that receives sunlight in the morning and shade in the afternoon. This helps prevent early spring growth that can become damaged by a late frost. Avoid planting vines in frost pockets, such as low-lying areas. Kiwi vines prefer moist, organic soil.

• 2

  Add a 4- to 6-inch layer of mulch around each kiwi vine, but keep it 2 or 3 inches from the stem. Mulch helps prevent the ground from warming up too fast in spring during warm spells. It also helps keep the soil moist during the growing season and weeds at bay.

• 3

  Water kiwi vines frequently from spring until fall with 1 inch of water to keep the soil moist. Kiwis are heavy drinkers.

• 4

  Wrap the trunks during the first two or three winters with cloth to prevent them from cracking in the cold. Use burlap or a blanket and loosely secure it with tape or string. Do not tape the trunk.

• 5

  Fertilize kiwi vines after new growth commences in the second spring. Sprinkle 2 ounces of 10-10-10 fertilizer around each plant. Settle it in with 1 inch of water. Each spring thereafter, increase the fertilizer rate by an additional 2 ounces for each plant, but do not apply more than 8 ounces of 10-10-10 fertilizer.
  .

• 6

  Harvest the fruit once or twice a week starting in September. They will still be slightly hard. Soft kiwis do not store well and should be eaten right away. Pick fruit that feels and looks ready. Cut one open. If the seeds inside are black, it is ready to pick. The day before the first hard frost date -- which is when temperatures dip to 28 degrees Fahrenheit -- pick all the kiwis to prevent damage.

Pruning Habits

• 7

  Prune kiwi vines once every two or three weeks during the first year, allowing only one lateral shoot to grow per plant. Tie this stem loosely to its support system; it will become the trunk. After the vines stop growing in fall, cut the trunks to the top of the support system.

• 8

  Allow two side branches, one on each side, to grow horizontally near the top of the support system in the second year. In winter during the second dormancy, prune those side stems to 12 to 24 inches, and prune the main trunks to the top of the trellis. It is on those two main lateral branches that fruiting stems will form; however, this might not happen until the fifth year.

• 9

  Cut back non-flowering stems growing from the main lateral branches on female vines to stay within the trellis system during the growing season in subsequent years. For stems that are flowering, cut them 4 to 6 leaves past the last flower on each stem. During dormancy, cut all the stems that produced fruit back to the main lateral stems. They will not fruit again. Keep the strongest 1-year-old lateral stems so they are spaced 6 inches apart. Always remove dead, damaged, weak and tangled stems as necessary.

• 10

  Cut the male vine back during summer to maintain a manageable vine that does not intertwine with the female vines. When pruning during dormancy, keep several 1-year-old stems so enough flowers will develop to produce pollen for the female vines.