My new baby kiwis got their bits frozen off...

[chrisdb]

... thanks to the first serious frost in weeks last night. The forecast minimum was 3 or 4 degrees, but I went outside this morning and everything was white.

Some pictures of before and after attached below.




The plants are artic/manchurian kiwis, actinidia kolomikta. They can stand far worse than the coldest British winter, but because they come from a continental climate that warms up consistently they're quite vulnerable to spring frosts.

I'm hoping they rebound well, since they grow vigorously and they regrew from the last frost a few weeks ago. All reports I've read is that once established nothing stops them, not even half their new growth being killed off by frosts every year.

[Scarlet]

I think VC grows a Kiwi of some type...she's always hacking it back cos it grows like billy O!

[veggiechicken]

I hacked it back completely and dug out the roots as far as possible, laid a concrete slab over and put a GH on top...................and still it came back.
Its a thug - it was a Jenny.http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ing_66036.html I bet it will be back again this year too

[chrisdb]

This is a slightly different species, but I think the principle is the same.

But I think the 'Jenny' kiwis from Wilkos must be defective, since I've had a couple of those in big pots over the years and they've never done much!

[veggiechicken]

Mine didn't come from Wilkos but from a fruit tree supplier. I'm growing a Kiwiberry from seed but that doesn't help you either

[SkyChild]

They sound like they'd be pretty hardy then. Good luck with your poor frozen kiwis chris!

Still trying to convince myself that my garden is NOT big enough for kiwi.
What's kiwiberry?

[veggiechicken]

Skychild - the history of my http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...rry_63702.html

Chris, you may find that thread useful too

[chrisdb]

VC: I did almost buy some actinidia arguta (I ordered some then cancelled the order) but the issue is one of size even with pruning. Research suggested that it was likely to impossible to restrain to the area I wanted to grow it on. Actinidia kolomikta is supposed to be a less vigorous species and there are also varieties selected (mostly in Russia/Ukraine) for fruiting.

See for example this page:

Hardy Kiwifruit in Minnesota Gardens - Commercial Fruit Production in Minnesota

On kolomikta:

It’s a twining vine that will grow about ten feet tall and spread about three feet wide.

On arguta:

It can grow more than 20 feet tall in a single season, and spread to eight feet wide.

The fruit is supposed to be similar in taste to the arguta varieties, although arguta fruit are bigger. Hopefully I'll see how good the fruit is before too long since mine already have flower buds on. I'm not expecting fruit this year since there are only a few buds per plant, even though the closed flower buds seem to be the only bit of the plant unharmed by the frost, but maybe in a year or two I might get a few to munch on?

EDIT: I know Issai is supposed to be a less vigorous variety of arguta, which seems to be be true based on my mother's experience, but she'd had her vine for almost 8 years now and it only flowered for the first time last year, and still failed to produce a single fruit. By comparison, the varieties of arguta that my aunt grows, while rampant, do produce fruit regularly. I don't know anyone who's had a good experience with growing Issai. The only thing it has going for it is that it remains small.

[chrisdb]

Sentyabraskaya, the female variety of actinidia kolomikta I planted:

[boatsman]

The leaves on my kiwi plants are turning brown and becoming like tissue paper. I don't know what's causing it. I tried a liquid seaweed fertilizer over the base of the two plants and am waiting to see if that has solved the problem. As soon as I can get a hold of a camera I will post pictures. Anyone have any ideas?

[veggiechicken]

Wind damage, sun scorch, frost?
Whereabouts are you? In the UK?

[Jay-ell]

A few weeks ago in the last frost all my kiwi's buds got frosted, turned brown and dry and came off. Now I have new growth coming from some of them that’s nice and healthy, including the third bud from the top of the stem so there's only a couple of feet to grow before I start to tie it down as a lateral.

[chrisdb]

A few weeks ago in the last frost all my kiwi's buds got frosted, turned brown and dry and came off. Now I have new growth coming from some of them that’s nice and healthy, including the third bud from the top of the stem so there's only a couple of feet to grow before I start to tie it down as a lateral.

Mine have sprung back now and one of the female plants even has a few flower buds on it. The males don't so probably no chance of fruit this year, but even so it means there's hope for mini kiwis in future.

[boatsman]

Wind damage, sun scorch, frost?
Whereabouts are you? In the UK?

I am in Israel. No frost or wind damage and no sun scorch as the plants are against a wall facing north. Both the male and female plants are planted in a peat based soil mix in ground in a limestone area.














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[boatsman]

Managed to get phone camera to work. This is the damage to the leaves. The larger plant is the female.