How to Grow Kiwi Fruit

A guide to growing Kiwis (Chinese Gooseberries) in gardens

and containers

Kiwi Fruit

Family/Latin Name	Actinidiaceae - Actinidia
Type of Plant	Hardy Deciduous Climbing Vine
Suitable for	Gardens, Large Containers
Recommended Tree Forms	Climbing
Jump to:- Pruning \| Pests & Diseases

Growing Kiwifruit - Details

Site and Soil	Prefer full sun or partial shade. Best planted in sheltered positions trained against a south facing wall. Tolerant of most soil types provided they are well drained and rich in organic matter Suitable for large containers
Plant Dimensions	Trained - Height: +3.6m/12ft - Spread: Up to 3.6m/12ft
Yield per mature vine	+50kg/110lb
Time between planting and harvesting	3 year olds - Produce in 1 year
Planting Time	Best - February - March
Number of trees needed for pollination	Self fertile variety (cultivar) - 1 (recommended) 1 male plant needed for up to 6 female plants
How to plant - against a wall, trellis or pergola in open ground	Prepare the ground before planting, forking in a general fertiliser such as Growmore. Fix supports, trellis or wires to the wall before you plant the tree. Dig a large hole wide enough to take the roots when spread out and deep enough to take the whole root system about 30cm/1ft away from the wall and slightly sloping away from the wall. Fork over the soil in the bottom of the hole .You should be able to see signs on the tree of the original soil depth on the tree stem. Stand the tree in the hole, spreading out the roots of bare-rooted specimens, tilting it slightly towards the wall, then fill in the hole with soil, slightly rocking the tree between each spadeful so the earth falls between the roots, firming gently as you go, until the hole is filled to the top. Water in well.

	How to plant - in containers	Container size minimum 60cm/2ft wide x 60cm/2ft deep Good drainage is essential so make sure there are plenty of drainage holes in the bottom of the container. Place a 2.5cm/1" layer of stones or crocks in the bottom and cover with enough soil or compost so that when you place the tree in the container, the original planting depth (which you should be able to see on the stem of the tree) is 5cm/2" below the top of the container. Fill the container with soil or a loam based compost to the original planting depth. Firm well and water in.
	Aftercare	Open Ground against a wall, trellis or pergola - Apply a mulch of well rotted manure or compost once a year in spring and a supplement of a balanced inorganic fertiliser in February will be necessary. Once the flowers start blossoming give a high potash liquid feed every 10 days until the fruit begin to ripen. Keep trees well watered as the ground near walls often dries out quickly Containers against a wall, trellis or pergola - Yearly pruning will be necessary (see below). Apply a mulch of well rotted manure or compost during the first year in spring and a supplement of a potash rich inorganic fertiliser in February. Once the flowers start blossoming give a high potash liquid feed every 10 days until the fruit begin to ripen. In subsequent years, it is best to carefully remove some of the soil from the container and replace it with fresh compost. Do this carefully so as not to damage the roots. Keep the containers well watered. General - Protecting from birds with netting and from frost with garden fleece in the early spring is a good idea.
	Harvesting	Fruit are best left to completely ripen on the tree. Harvesting usually takes place from mid September. Pick individual fruit as they ripen. The fruit are ripe when they come away from the stalks without having to pull too hard.

How to Prune Kiwi fruit

Always make pruning cuts no more than 6mm¼" above a bud. Slant all pruning cuts away from the buds as in the diagram on the right, to prevent water being channelled towards the bud which will cause problems.
Kiwifruit bear fruit on the last seasons growth so correct and vigilant pruning is essential especially as the vines can grow very tall. Once the basic form has been achieved the reason for pruning is to keep enough of the current year's growth to provide sufficient fruit the next year. If this is not done, you can end up with a vine which is bearing fruit at the tips of the stems but none on the middle of the stems.

In Summer prune some of the side-shoots (laterals) so that the ones remaining are spaced about 30cm/12"apart, and pinch the remaining laterals back to five leaves. These will bear fruit the following year. In winter prune the new growth on laterals which bore fruit in the summer to two or three buds beyond where the fruit grew. Once branches and laterals have filled the allotted space pinch out the growing tips . Tie new growth into the wires or supports throughout the season.

Cluster Leaves on stem Laterals may have a set of cluster leaves at their base then spaced leaves all the way up their stems. Always ignore the leaf cluster when counting the leaves to prune back to e.g. the diagram below has been pruned back to 5 leaves on the right had lateral and 3 on the left hand lateral

Kiwifruit Pests & Diseases

Relatively disease and pest free.

Private Privacy | About Us | Contact Us