Kiwi fruit - in polytunnel

[welsh veg grower]

I was given a kiwi fruit plant last year by my mum in law, I poped in the polytunnel (in the ground) and it fruited and grew up the supports I gave it. Shame the fruits never got any bigger than a cherry tomoato but they actually tasted great.

My question is do I need to prune it back and what should I do with it (thinking of giving it some well rotted horse manure) any suggestions and advice as my mum in law will ask how it is going!!!!!

[Muddy Sarah]

There are several other threads on kiwi pants around somewhere - they are what initially brought me here in the first place, as I searched through Google on how to look after my plant.

If I remember rightly, you shouldn't prune the plant as it's the new shoots that produce the fruit. Keeping it in the polytunnel's a good idea as any frost when the shoots are first developing can stop fruit following.

I don't know what size your plant is, but mine would never fit in a polyt as it's huge! It's kind of taken over the side and roof of my shed, and there's no way I could move it. As for feeding, I gave mine a good few handfuls of well-rotted compost a few weeks ago, and there don't appear to have been any adverse effects, but I'm a newbie, noit an expert!

Hope someone with a bit of a clue comes along to advise!

Sarah

[welsh veg grower]

oh gosh, I didn't think it would grow that big. Its reasonably large already but I have a really big poly tunnel and if nothing else it will give a bit of shelter down the bottom end which is were I put it.

So do you never prune it back?