How to Grow Flowering Kiwi Berries
The grape-sized fruit of the hardy kiwi vine (Actinidia arguta) is often referred to as a kiwi berry. It is a hardier plant than the larger and more familiar, fuzzy-skinned Actinidia chinensis, tolerating temperatures as low as minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit. The fruit is the size of a berry, which is how it came upon its nickname. The hardy kiwi vine is heavy and requires a strong support system that you should install before planting. You will also need to grow both a male and a female plant to allow for cross-pollination. Choose a planting location with a northern exposure and plant the flowering kiwi in the middle of May. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Pull weeds from the garden and loosen the soil to a depth of 10 inches. Add 3 inches of compost and mix it to a depth of 6 inches.
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Remove the vine from the nursery pot and plant it at the same depth as it has been growing. Grow the plants 10 feet apart.
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Tie the strongest cane to the support system. Tie it loosely, but ensure that it will grow straight up the post and not twisted around it.
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Keep the soil moist at all times.
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Wait until the kiwi vine's second year to fertilize it. In the spring, spread 2 oz. of 10-10-10 fertilizer around the plants. Increase the amount of fertilizer to 4 oz. in the third year and 8 oz. in the fourth and subsequent years.
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Prune plants at least two or three times during the growing season. Cut any side branches that aren't flowering back to the trellis. On flowering branches, from the last flower, count back four leaves and make the cut. In the winter, take off canes that have already produced fruit and any dead wood. Trim the strongest side canes and remove others so that they are one foot apart. Cut these canes back until they contain eight buds.
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Comments
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they ar good.
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can you grow them in louisiana.
