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We have two large female kiwis grown from seed around 12 years ago. Both are well grown and smothered in female flowers at present.
Unfortunately the only male we had died a couple of years ago, and was always a weak specimen. I bought another one two years ago but it has yellowing leaves and no flowers yet.
Yesterday we made a visit to a kiwi orchard thirty or so km away. Wonderful friendly people who not only gave us a couple of flowering male branches to use to hand pollinate, but also invited us for a drink, and then lunch! (French hospitality!)
I have hand pollinated as many flowers as I could and will need to wait to see the result.
The question I want to ask is what is the best way to get our male specimen into a healthy state and flowering asap so we won't need to go begging next year. Although they are planted near together the female is healthy and green but the male yellow and sickly.
I have taken some male cuttings to have an insurance policy, but don't know if they will take yet.
Should I just feed up the male? Are they sensitive to limy soil? Do they need lots of fertiliser? They have plenty of water a foot or two in the soil.
Could I graft a piece of the male on to a branch or two of my healthy females? Would that take just as long to flower if it worked?
Our two female vines are on opposite sides of the house about twenty five metres apart. Will I need a male for each female vine or will insects pollinate successfully the more distant one once it gets flowering successfully?
What a lot of questions! Any advice would be welcome.
Unfortunately the only male we had died a couple of years ago, and was always a weak specimen. I bought another one two years ago but it has yellowing leaves and no flowers yet.
Yesterday we made a visit to a kiwi orchard thirty or so km away. Wonderful friendly people who not only gave us a couple of flowering male branches to use to hand pollinate, but also invited us for a drink, and then lunch! (French hospitality!)
I have hand pollinated as many flowers as I could and will need to wait to see the result.
The question I want to ask is what is the best way to get our male specimen into a healthy state and flowering asap so we won't need to go begging next year. Although they are planted near together the female is healthy and green but the male yellow and sickly.
I have taken some male cuttings to have an insurance policy, but don't know if they will take yet.
Should I just feed up the male? Are they sensitive to limy soil? Do they need lots of fertiliser? They have plenty of water a foot or two in the soil.
Could I graft a piece of the male on to a branch or two of my healthy females? Would that take just as long to flower if it worked?
Our two female vines are on opposite sides of the house about twenty five metres apart. Will I need a male for each female vine or will insects pollinate successfully the more distant one once it gets flowering successfully?
What a lot of questions! Any advice would be welcome.
