Plenty of flowers, but no kiwis!

[SlugLobber]

As title says, really. I was very pleased to get lots of foliage and flowers on my 'solo' kiwi vine. It's full of foliage still, but I can't see one fruit on the whole plant! Is there anything I've done wrong? It did get abused by the weather in the spring, when my greenhouse blew away, but came back to produce lots of flower and leaves again.

Any ideas? I also only got one cherry this year, but that's a very young tree and I did transplant it to a bigger pot, so am letting it off!

[Kristen]

I have read that they produce lots (and lots ... !!) of growth. My wife wants me to grow them, because we all like them, but I don't reckon I've got space [based on what I have read only]

[SlugLobber]

Mine is about my height (5'5") if that's any help. You're supposed to prune any branches that produce fruit at the end of the summer. Trouble is, I'm not seeing any fruit, so don't know if I should prune or not!

[Tam]

You need plants of both sexes to produce fruit. This is a good article about the pruning and training of kiwis.

Kiwi Fruit Bushes - Fruit Expert (UK)

[BarleySugar]

Is it a self fertile one? I think most come as male or female plants, so you need 2 plants of the opposite sex to get fruit

[realfood]

Some of the latest ones are self-fertile such as, Issai. I bought one myself this year. The fruit are up to 4 cm in diameter, smooth skinned, of good quality, flavour and sweet, but smaller than the ones you see in the shops. The fruits will be seedless when there is no male pollinator present. The fruit should be ready to harvest between August and October. Fruit can be produced in the first or second years without requiring a male pollinator, but the yields will be better if there is a male pollinator present. After 5 years, the plant could reach a height of 3 m and a width of 5 m. If the plant becomes too rampant, trim the new season’s growth.

You mention a greenhouse. If you are growing it in a greenhouse, there are unlikely to be bees to do the pollinating, and you will have to hand pollinate with your hand or an artist's brush.

Do you know the name of the variety?

[SlugLobber]

Hi, it's Actinidia 'solo'. It was given to me by a friend, who is a gardener, but maybe she's not up on exotics! It was only in the greenhouse early spring. From the high winds onwards, it was outside, so open to bees.

I know I'm going to sound stoopid here, but how to I tell if it's a male or female, without the flowers to look at?
--------------------------
Just googled it and used my bestest French (!) to deduce that the fruit mature in this variety between October and November!! Oops, think I might have been premature. I'll continue to feed and stare at the branches in anticipation! Seems this variety is self-fertile, too. Hurrah!

[TonyF]

We've done this one previously - the plant needs pruning about now time.

I'd suggest a search through the archive here because I posted several long messages about the right way and time to prune kiwis to get maximum yields.

[scarlett]

yes i have seen your messages,but i am still unsure what to do,we were bought a plant and havn't got a clue what it is i am waiting for it to flower to see what it is,its a couple of years old and this is the first time its even flowered,the plant itself is so pretty i dont really care if it fruits,its growing on a trellis and it has massive long vines sticking about four or five foot in the air,should these be cut off or is it too late?
any advice would be very helpful.
scarlett

[Alan6560]

Kiwi fruit bud

My jenny kiwi flowered last year for the first time but for some unknown reason the flowers dropped off. It flowered again this year and the the fruit set but alas the fruit bud has now dropped off this year my plant is 6years old and i am wondering is it slugs and snails nipping the heads off as i seem to have an awfull lot off them has any on else had this problem.