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Growing Kiwis in Your Home Garden

Actinidia deliciosa

March 8, 1998 Tachovazquez wrote to me and indicated that he would like some information about kiwis. It took me a while, but here it is!

Kiwi vines (Actinidia species) are native to southwestern China. These perennial plants are dioecious which means that male and female flowers are borne on separate plants, so vines of both sexes must be grown to ensure pollination. Actinidia deliciosa is the variety of kiwi which is usually grown commercially. This is because of its large fruit size. The stems and leaves are covered with velvety red hairs. It has 1 1/2-inch cream-colored flowers that appear in midsummer. They turn orange-yellow as they age and are followed by 1 1/2- to 2-inch fuzzy green fruits. It is only winter hardy down to approximately 10 degrees F and consequently will not survive the mid west winters. Actinidia arguta and Actinidia kolomikta are cold hardy kiwi which can survive temperatures of -25 degrees F. The fruit size is considerably smaller than that of A. deliciosa and is about the size of a large cherry. The skin of A. arguta is smooth and consumed with the fruit. Fruit are greenish-yellow in color. When ripe they are very sweet and juicy. A. kolomikta has smaller fruit than A. arguta and has pink and white variegated leaves. Hardy kiwi are often used as a screen or shade vine because of their dense cover of 3 to 5 inch glossy dark green leaves on long red stalks Kiwis thrive in full sun or partial shade. They can be grown in any good garden soil but prefer rich humus soils. Plants do best when the soil pH is around 6.5. Plant them in an area that is moist but well drained, and be sure that the soil does not become dry in hot weather. The roots are very sensitive to fertilizer burn, so over fertilization should be avoided. Feed established plants sparingly in spring when the plants are dormant and then just after bloom in early June with a general-purpose (10-10-10) garden fertilizer. Prune the vines in late fall after fruiting or in early spring, cutting back to about one third of the previous year's growth to produce more numerous blooms. Flowers develop on growth of the previous year. Since male plants do not produce fruit, they can be pruned immediately after flowering and are cut back to vigorous new growth. Propagate actinidia plants from stem cuttings taken in midsummer, rooted in moist sand and set out the following spring.

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