Kiwis are among the few temperate vines that humans can consume, and you can grow them in your home.
While a vine fruit numerous fruits, it takes a vine approximately seven years to establish and bear fruit, so planting kiwis becomes an investment, and you want to be sure your stock is adequate with the best methods of cultivation to get the best fruit.
It should go without saying, that kiwis have nutritional and economic value and “if” they are cultivated properly, will return profits for you in the long run.
Kiwis will require a great deal of garden area because their vines will grow upwards of fifteen feet, this can hinder cultivating kiwis, if you have a small garden.
You will want to adequately prepare and clear the soil for sufficient room to comprise the kiwifruit, well in advance of it becoming mature.
The origination of kiwis is southern China and other countries in Southeast Asia. The southern Chinese kiwis tolerate warmer temperate conditions.
Meanwhile, the northern Chinese kiwis do better in colder temperature conditions. Hayward variety is preferred among kiwi home growers. Regardless of their origin, whether northern, southern China, kiwis grow well and acclimate to the predominant climate for maximum production.
Therefore, you should be careful to select kiwis suitable to the climate you reside in, before investing in a fruitless attempt. Some kiwis can produce green or pink leaves which enhances your site in the garden.
Selecting Kiwi to Grow
Although the brown kiwis you find in supermarkets and stores may look appealing, they are probably not a good option for growing. These are native to southeast Asia and, as a result, rarely thrive in freezing temperatures.
However, the hardy kiwis that originate from Russia and northern China survive extreme freezing temperatures down to -25 0F.
There are roughly 50 types of kiwi fruit, and which ones you should grow depend on factors such as climatic condition, space, or flavors.
The most common varieties are arctic, hardy, fuzzy, and hairless. Each variety has different taste and frost tolerance characteristics.
Kiwi, no matter what variety, to some may have a fuzzy profile but are tastier, enjoyable, and more nutritious than most ordinary vine fruit.
Many people that look to kiwi as an option for growing may feel it is complicated, but with a little thinking, it is one of most ridiculous straight forward things you can grow.
In addition to having a beautiful landscape in your backyard, you will have numerous health benefits, including consuming kiwis.
Many kiwi skins and seeds are edible and have a lot of copper, potassium, vitamin A, and vitamin C, you can just peel off the skin if its texture isn’t appealing.
Although eating kiwis when fresh is nice, an added benefit is you can use them as a meat tenderizer in your own kitchen.
Start by Growing Seeds or Rooted Vine Cuttings
Put your kiwi seeds in a moistened paper towel inside a polythene bag, close the bag, and place it in a warm space for seeds to sprout successfully.
Each day, watch to see the seeds are sprouting. The kiwi seeds will need moisture to sprout, so be sure to moisten the paper towel frequently to help sprouting along.
Kiwi plants need a relatively cool period before germinating, so at this point, you can start to grow either rooted vine cuttings or seedlings, whichever you have first.
It is important to note that you will find both male and female kiwis in the store, so you must think about things, essentially the gender correctly; when you plant both, it will maximize pollination processes.
That said, you do not need to plant them in pairs; you can plant several female vines with one male plant and can utilize the male for pollination.
However, in the store, you will also find grafted varieties, so if you want, you will not need to purchase both male and female kiwis.
There are hybrid breeds that are self-pollinating and self-fertile, such as the Jenny kiwi variety and, however, it is possible that you will still get the Hayward kiwi; the Hayward variety will need planting of the two vines.
Transplanting the Kiwi Vine
Prepare the soil and add mulch to the holes ahead of planting the plant. Then, anticipate the possible length of each individual vine and space them out with a five to ten feet space. Give a form of support for each vine.
If you plant female and male vines, have a space of twenty feet for the optimum pollination, fertilization, and fruit.
Most importantly, choose a place where the plants will have direct sunlight and shade occasionally. The place also has good draining property to help reduce or avoid water logging that can destroy the plant’s roots.
Are there Pests and Disease Dangers Associated with Kiwi Cultivation?
You won’t have to fret about any bugs infesting your garden as kiwis do not attract many bugs, just keep deer off your plants as they like to feed on kiwi leaves.
Kittens and cats also happen to be big fans of playing with kiwis, but that should merely amuse you.
By the way, you may lose new vines around kittens, so put on a strong fence around your garden to keep the deer and cats out!
Kiwi Cultivation Guidelines
After conditioning your soil, it is okay to add a little organic fertilizer but it should not be necessary. Using too much fertilizer may also burn the roots.
Once you have planted your kiwi, be sure to water regularly, especially early on. Once they stabilize, you will only need to water when they are very dry.
You will need to have some firm structure to support the vines, especially once they begin fruiting, to keep them secure, because there will be many fruits and they will be heavy.
This plan should be made during the transplant process and when you determine the distance length between each vine. If you create a trellis to surround the plant you will damage the kiwi plant.
You can create a horizontal wire structure with two strong poles separating the vines. Then take one wire and spread it at three feet high and another wire at six feet high.
As the kiwi develops, tie the main branches toward those wires to create a strong structure for which the plant can grow along.
Proper and timely pruning is key for all vine plants like kiwis to enhance production, in other words, you are going to want to remove those branches far from the stem and remove the dead ones, all pruning should be conducted in the winter when the kiwi is dormant.
In other words, do not prune in the spring break as you will lose sap and any vulnerability towards disease is increased.
If you have planted a female and male kiwi you can prune the male kiwi more often and heavier since it is not producing fruit.
Summer is the optimal time regulation to remove the long hanging vines that are extending beyond the maturing fruit. Also during the summer you can remove non productive vines that fall from the hay bale.
Once again, the primary objective in pruning is to maintain the main stem and some firm branches without affecting annual fruit production.
Once again, during the leftover pruning, the plants may not produce fruit that year, and no, do not panic. You are simply trying to cut off any left over tips flopping beside the established framework.
You can also grow your kiwis in pots or similar sized containers, in reality the only pot you should ideally be growing a kiwi in is an Issai.
This variety is also self pollinating and self viable, although the fruit is much smaller in size than the previous varieties mentioned in this chapter.
The only downside to the Issai variety is the fruit is not as tasty as most kiwis in which that is a pivotal point when growing kiwis.
It would be ideal to grow your kiwis in a twenty gallon pot, also be sure the vines have firm structures for support.
Considering once again the inevitable increase of size the vine will have, if you only depend on the soil and pots lifting and breaking off since the roots will no longer be anchored.
Once again, water regularly.
Also, as previously stated do not go out and obtain the commercial inorganic fertilizers, go for the organic matter of compost or perhaps manure.
Harvesting and Storing Kiwis
Kiwis start bearing fruit about three years after planting, with complete production following about seven years, although the Arctic kiwis start producing fruit already the first year.
If left alone, a healthy vine can produce up to fifty pounds of kiwis, and once the plant is mature, it can continue to produce for about fifty years.
When the fruits start getting soft, it is time to harvest; however, the easiest way to know when to harvest is to eat one of the kiwis and see how it tastes.
That might mean you harvest more than you think you will; I have done that but simply put them in a bowl with ripe bananas and the ones that did not complete ripening on the vine opened beautifully over a few days.
After harvesting, you can store your harvested fruit in the refrigerator for about six weeks; however, if you put them in a polythene bag with a paper towel to absorb moisture, they can stay fresh for more than three months.
It is okay to freeze as well, but they will get mushy when you thaw them.
If your kiwi fruit does not ripen before the frost hits, it can also be harvested and left in your kitchen where it will ripen over time.
Bottom line: Harvest all of your kiwi fruit before the frost. This will prevent you from losing any kiwis on the vine and give the plant adequate time to rejuvenate for the next crop.
Final Thoughts
All in all, growing organic kiwi is an appealing opportunity that you should think about around your home; you receive nutritious fruit, and your garden has an attractive appearance.
Growing kiwis also means you are growing fragrant flowers, white, small flowers, with a lily-like fragrance especially as summer approaches.
Kiwi fruits mature through the summer and can be harvested just prior to fall.