Kiwi fruit

[BigG up North]

Hi all

This is my first post on here & I have so many questions. I'm relatively new to gardening & in effect in my second year & have so much to learn, but to say I'm hooked is an understatement!

My kids now just buy me garden vouchers, plants for my veg patch or something garden related for birthdays, Christmas or Father's day

However, for the last Father's day one of the kids bought me a kiwi fruit plant, but none of my books seems to give any information on the care it needs. I've planted it into a pot so I can move it into the greenhouse in winter, but how much watering, what feed, when will it fruit etc, etc I have absolutely no idea!

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[rustylady]

Hi BigG, welcome to the madhouse. Doesn't look as if a pot will do for long - found this information for you Kiwi Fruit Bushes - Fruit Expert

[BigG up North]

Thanks for the information Rustylady. Seems like a replan is needed Not a problem, may just have to acquire an extra bit of my better half's floral section!

As for being a madhouse should suit me just fine!

[solway cropper]

Welcome, BigG. I planted one of those cheap kiwi fruits from Wilkos about four years ago and it has spread and looks like it will take over the garden if I let it. they do tend to climb and straggle all over the place.

This year it actually had some flowers and I was hoping it may bear fruit but all the little fruitlets dropped off. Not sure if they're really happy this far north.

[BigG up North]

Thank you for the information Solway. I notice innthevlink posted by Rustylady that I need both a male and female plant, so it looks as though I'll need to plant two! At least it seems as though they will grow up North so will give it space and a try. My biggest concern was whether it would survive the frost and colder weather up here, but it seems as though it should.

Thanks again

[scarey55]

Hello and welcome to the Vine
I have one Kiwi plant and it grew to be a bit of a monster in the first year. The second year, I pruned it right down and the third year I had some fruit. I followed some excellent pruning advice on here from TonyF, and I now have a good crop of (still smallish) fruit but I did have to prune a lot of the foliage down first. I am still learning but I am very happy just to get some fruit. You might be lucky enough to have a self pollinating variety too which will mean that you only need one. Although I live in France, we are quite high up and we get some terrible frosts (up to -15) here but the plant is against a wall and it comes back every year.

[BigG up North]

FAntastic information scarey an also TonyF. Thank you it is really appreciated - been and checked and it is self-pollinating which is good news!

All the help is really appreciated and I'll be printing off TonyF's advice reference the pruning.

Also if the help is as good as this I've so many other questions, as a novice, I hope you don't mind me asking.

Thanks again

[rustylady]

Also if the help is as good as this I've so many other questions, as a novice, I hope you don't mind me asking.

Thanks again

That's what we're here for Well, help and advice and friendship.

[bobleponge]

As its self pollinating you shouldnt really have any problems, apart from containing the beast.
They are a vine not a plant, and as such will just spread and spread. Like Scarey I also live in France, but we get frosts here just as bad as in the UK, and my kiwi gives a decent amount of fruit every year.
I prune mine every 2 years, as far back as I dare, I am pretty brutal with it but it seems to thrive on the tough love treatment.
Mine grows against the garage wall, on the north side of the house, and really doesnt get a lot of sun at all, and yet still provides me with plenty of fruit and comes back every year.
Oh and welcome.

[Grandpa Rob]

Hi there
I've read some of your replies but no-one seems to have said that as a rule Kiwi Fruits need a partner. You may have a male or a female, if you don't know look at the label that came with it. You may have a 'self fertile' one but in any case having a male Kiwi will ensure a better, fixed crop. A male Kiwi will pollinate 2 or 3 females so I suppose it's down to what you have as to what you get next. If I was in your boots I would get a male AND a female then you'll have virtually guaranteed a good regular crop of fruit. Most of the big seed catalogues can advise you on what to get.

I am not connected in any way to Dobies but I have phoned them a few times about fruit and they have been very friendly and helpful. You can get their info in line. Hope this helps.

Grandpa Rob

[veggiechicken]

I have a "Jenny" Kiwi from Deacons Nurseries which I bought at least 10 years ago. Jennys are male & female and do not need two plants. In fact, this one is so vigorous I couldn't cope with hacking back 2 plants each year. It does fruit each year but the fruit are small, nothing like a shop Kiwi - more a smallish plum. I shall start picking mine any day now as they like a bit of cold to soften them.
It has always lived out of doors, bu with hindsight, I wish I hadn't planted it so near the house. If I don't keep cutting it back through the year the tendrils are knocking on the bedroom windows. Its a bit of a thug!

[veggiechicken]

Welcome Grandpa Rob!

[hamamelis]

Oh, I was meaning to ask a bit about these- I got one (Jenny) last autumn- it was on sale cheap. It's put on no growth at all this year- it's just sat there, looking bored, going a little brown around the edges.

Any suggestions for perking it up? I know it'll be next spring before it does anything now, but should I cut it back hard over winter, or would that be a bit risky?

I'm always nervous about hacking things back, and it's very small to begin with.

Thanks!

[veggiechicken]

I'm certainly no expert but I would give it a year or two to get established. The new shoots grow from the old stems so I wouldn't hack it back yet. Its the new shoots that go berserk, not the old stems. Did yours have leaves this year? Mine is still in leaf, green starting to yellow, will then fall. The fruits stay on the vine
even though the leaves have gone. Its a race then against the squirrels here.

[horticultural_hobbit]

I've got a 'Jenny' from Wilkos; was reduced to less than a fiver. I've got it in a large pot at the moment, on the 'lotment (Can't plant trees and vines on it). I had an 'ooh' moment followed by a 'why not' one. Will be. Joined by cordon trees, also in large plants. To get a better idea about them, I had a butchers in one of my gardening tomes. Mr. titchmarsh outlines their care quite nicely in his kitchen gardener book. Haven't looked in the 'lotment sourcebook. Will be interesting to see what happens