GREENGOLD GARDEN CONCEPTS
CARE AND MAINTENANCE NOTES

KIWIFRUIT (Chinese Gooseberries)

The Kiwi fruit is a large, vigorous vine that loses its leaves in Winter, It is native to Southern China and used to be called Chinese Gooseberry until the New Zealand farmers decided to exploit it and popularized the name world-wide with their lucrative exports of the hairy brown fruit, Kiwi fruit are surprisingly easy to grow if a few simple rules are followed, The fruit is not only delicious but very nutritious, high in Vitamin C and digestive enzymes.

How long do they take to bear?

The variety Dexter has been known to bear 50 fruit within eighteen months of planting, Some varieties such as Hayward take about four years to start bearing, Bruno will bear in two years,

Do I need two plants for pollination?

Yes, The Kiwi fruit is not bisexual, Female plants bear fruit and a male plant has to be present to supply pollen for pollination of the female flowers, One male plant is enough for six or seven females provided bees are present,

What time of year do they bear?

They start picking in May (early winter) on the North Coast of N.S.W,. but will hang on the vines for many weeks if not picked.

Do they need pruning or training?

Yes, It is vital that Kiwi fruit are both trained and pruned often during the first two years and at least twice a year there after. First, it is necessary to have a trellis, The overhead T-bar type has proved to be the easiest to manage. This should be 2 metres high with a T-bar about 4 - 5ft wide. Four or five wires (fencing wire) should be strained along the trellis top laying on the T-bars.

Vines are planted 15 - 20ft apart along trellis, These are trained straight up to the top as a single leader. They need tying up and checking on every week at this early stage because they grow so quickly. When the leader is within 6in of the wires it should be out off just above a bud, When the next flush starts select the two top shoots (these should be the strongest) and start these running in opposite directions along the middle wire. Any other shoots that come from lower down should be nipped off. One important point in the early training of Kiwi fruit is this. The vine will grow in "flushes". These flushes start as very strong growths but after a while, say 2ft of growth (can be less or more depending on the vigour and size of the vine), they begin to "peter out".

The growing end will become quite thin and it may start to wind itself tightly around the wire. At this point the shoot must be cut back to the last strong looking bud, After you do this the vine will have a rest for a couple of weeks, thicken up,then it will shoot out again with renewed vigor from that last bud. As you train these main leaders along the centre wire of your trellis you may get some lateral shoots from buds back along the leader. Leave these on and train them out at right angles until they reach the outside wire, then head them off. Eventually, you want one of these laterals every foot or so on alternate sides of the trellis along the main leaders.

The vine may not be a_able to manage all of these until the second growing season, The overhead trellising system is not the only method but if Kiwis are not trained at all they will not bear fruit and they can easily turn an average back yard into an impenetrable jungle,

Once your main leaders have reached the required length, say 10 ft from the main trunk or until it meets another one coming from the next plant, head them off then concentrate on filling out your lateral system. Simply speaking, you should have a herringbone affair if looked at from above, The backbone is the main leaders running in a straight line along the centre of the trellis, The laterals should be roughly 12" - 18" apart spaced alternately and at right angles to main leaders and wires. These laterals will grow out across the wires and hang over the edge. At this point say 12" over the edge they should be cut off. After two seasons your basic framework should be more or less filled,

Subsequent pruning is less demanding..Basically it is just a matter of

1, In Spring, tying down new shoots and laterals that shoot straight up vertically. It is important to do this only after the new shoot has hardened enough so that it does not break when you bend it down to tie it.

2, In Summer, cutting off ends when they hang out over the edge of trellis.

3, In Winter, thinning in the form or: a) removing any spindly or dead wood, b) shortening fruiting arms to about six good fat buds. Fruiting arms are any strong shoots that have arisen in the preceding Summer. Many of these would have arisen from the fat fruiting buds of the previous Spring and will have had fruit on their lower sections if vine is mature,

The male vine should be trained in a similar fashion to the female but with much less attention to detail, Basically, just keep your male in close proximity to your females but keep it under control because the male can be even more vigorous than the female,

If a double-grafted vine is planted then make sure that:

1. You know which part of the vine is the female and which part the male right from the start
2. Train them as separate vines in opposite directions from each other so that you don,t get them mixed up,
3. If one side of the vine refuses to grow vigorously keep the other side pruned back until its mate catches up, This can be a problem with double-grafted vines,

If grown properly, Kiwi fruit have the capacity to bear enormous quantities of superb fruit,

How many females do I need for a home orchard?

Two is ample, One may be enough.

Do they need spraying?

Generally no, but keep your eyes open for pest problems,

Where can I grow a Kiwi vine?

They need full sun in Summer but not so important in Winter, Well drained soil, they suffer from root rot if position gets too wet, To grow two vines you need an area about 3 metres, (ten feet) wide and 50 - 40ft long,

Do they need much fertilizer and water?

Yes, in Spring and Summer they need fairly heavy applications of manure and water, First dose should be in September and this should be manure or complete fertilizer, They can be side dressed with strong nitrogenous fertilizers such as UREA or NIT RAM monthly until January. Dolomite once a year in Winter for first three years. Water should be in plentiful supply in Spring and Summer,

How do I know when fruit are ready to pick?

It is safe to start picking in May provided the weather is dry, Do not pick during or within five days of rain. Dry sunny weather concentrates sugars in the fruit and wet weather does the opposite, Kiwi Fruit will keep for three months in refrigeration if put in soon after picking,

Which is the best variety?

The best all round variety is DEXTER which was selected in the Coffs Harbor district. Male variety MATUA will pollinate all female varieties,

Will Kiwi Fruit tolerate frost?

Yes, in fact Kiwi Fruit climatic requirements are the same as for Oranges,

How do I plant my Kiwi Fruit vines?

DO NOT

1. plant in heavy clay
2. disturb the roots
3. plant it deeper than it was in the pot
4. put a stake through root system.

DO

1. water well before
2. put plenty of cow manure, compost or rotted animal manure in and around the hole but not against stem of plant
3. plant it close to an upright of your trellis or stake
4. water in well
5. spread 1 kg Dolomite on ground around plant
6. mulch well but do not let mulch rest against stem of plant,