How to Germinate Actinidia Chinensis Seeds

Of the two types of kiwi fruit – fuzzy and hardy – the fuzzy kiwi is the one most people are familiar with and purchase at the grocery store. Actinidia chinensis, also known as golden kiwi, is a fuzzy kiwi with yellow flesh, hence the nickname. Best grown within zones 7 and 8 on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map, A. chinensis requires full sun and one male plant for each 6 females to ensure pollination. Start the Actinidia chinensis seeds indoors or in a greenhouse in late fall or early winter. Then sit back and wait – it takes the plant grown from seed three to eight years to begin bearing fruit.

Nursery flat
Sterile germinating mix
Fan
Spray bottle
Individual planting pots
Potting soil

Instructions

- 1
  Fill a nursery flat or other germination container, to within 1/2 inch of the rim, with a sterile germinating mix. Moisten the mix thoroughly.
- 2
  Sow the Actinidia chinensis seeds on the surface of the mix. Moisten the seeds and place the flat in a cold frame or in the refrigerator for three months. Keep the seeds moist during this period.
- 3
  Remove the flat from the refrigerator and place it in an area with indirect sunlight and where the temperature remains between 50 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 4
  Place a fan either to the side of the flat or overhead, set to low speed, to provide air circulation. A. chinensis seeds are susceptible to damping off – a fungal disease that kills seeds and seedlings. Good air circulation is one method of avoiding the disease.
- 5
  Spray the seeds periodically with room-temperature water from a misting bottle to ensure they remain moist. Actinidia chinensis seeds typically germinate within 20 days to three months. Fresh seeds germinate quicker than stored seeds.

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