Fruit on kiwis

[glallotments]

Anyone know how long it will take for my kiwi plants to fruit? The plants have been in for about two years. Have to admit they have been unpruned as until recently I didn't know that I should prune them!!!

[Westi]

Hi Glallotments

My vine is 3 years old. I trimmed it back neatly
in the first year and got no fruit at all, last year
only took the tips off that got frosted and this year
have fruit forming so I think I may have cut off the fruit
bearing stems the first time. If you haven't pruned
yours it may well be OK. Mine is on the patio in a
huge pot and the root has gone through the drainage hole at
the bottom and in between the pavers so maybe it
is just getting better moisture and food - either way am
really chuffed. It is a self fertile Jenny also so doesn't need
another pollinator.

Westi

[glallotments]

Thanks for that - it gives me hope that it doesn't tale years for kiwis to fruit which is what someone told me.

No signs yet of any fruit or any flowers yet but some gorgeous leaves. We have two plants growing in the ground on the allotment and trained (well sort of trained) along a wire fence! The plants are huge.

Can't remember which varieties they are. But mine are the same age as yours so here's hoping or maybe restricting in a pot encourages fruit to develop in which case we'll just have to admire the leaves!!!

[PLUMPUDDING]

I've had a "Jenny" for three years and it has fruited in the greenhouse for the past two years. Since it has got rather large I've potted it up into a very large tub and put it outside in a sheltered place over winter.

It has lots of buds on and plenty of leaf so I'm hoping we don't get a late frost. I've got some fleece handy for cold nights.

One I planted outside a few years ago never got going as the frost took all its new shoots off and it died.

They don't seem to have very large fruits though - not as big as the bought ones, but they taste nice.

[glallotments]

I looked at the kiwis today and saw what I think are buds so here's hoping!

[glallotments]

Really excited - sad I know - but yesterday I noticed what I think are buds on our kiwis? Anyone know when they flower?

[longpod]

I am four or six weeks ahead of you in the gardening season, my kiwi's flowered during the week commencing 18th May. If you check out the rhs web site, you will find some really good advice on pruning kiwi's. Pruning must be done before January (much more detailed on the rhs site) in summer you take the tips off six leaves beyond the fruit.
The fruit needs to be picked in October and laid down for about six weeks to ripen.

Jeanne

[FelixLeiter]

I looked at the kiwis today and saw what I think are buds so here's hoping!

And here's hoping that they're both going to flower so that they'll cross-pollinate. Pollination is an important consideration, if you're not growing an hermaphrodite variety (there's only one, Jenny, and the fruits are rather poor). Commercially, they plant one male to several females, about 6:1. Kiwis (or Chinese Gooseberry, as I prefer — kiwi was originally a trade name; they're not from New Zealand at all) are extremely vigorous and unless you have a lot of space, there's a compromise to be made between keeping your vines within bounds and getting them to yield lots of fruit. If you're growing for fruit, there's a nice little guide here. We're at the northernmost limit for ripe fruits in the UK, and then only in a good season. A greenhouse is best for guaranteed crops.

[glallotments]

Oh dear we are in West Yorkshire so maybe flowers are all we will get. Maybe we will just ave to wait for global warming to increase. The kiwis are just left to do their own thing along a fence on our plot. They have lots of space and are now quite large.

The problem is the two sort of mingle so it will be difficult to tell whether both flower or not but maybe in our area that won't be an issue as the plants won't fruit anyway. Still they are lovely plants with beautiful leaves.

I did visit a walled kitchen garden north of York where kiwis (sorry Chinese lanterns) were growing up the walls but no flowers or anything apparent.

[Johnboy]

Hi Felix,
Do you manage to get them to the Chinese Gooseberry stage?
Chinese Gooseberries are wonderful but I absolutely dislike 'Kiwi Fruits' as the most insipid fruit that I have ever tasted!
I simply would never entertain growing them!
JB.

[Westi]

Oh JB

You are right about them being insipid but
when I lived in Aussie we had some growing
and the fruit taken a little under ripe was
gorgeous - really juicy and kind of limey.

I haven't had one like it here in the UK which
is why I am growing my own. It may have
been the variety though but don't know what
it was as my grandfather bought back some
scaggy wilted plants with him after a shearing
trip somewhere - but I have my fingers crossed.

The early fruit has not developed into anything
but it is still on the vine and it is still flowering.
I will send you some if they are anything like my
memory - or will deny all!

Westi

[PLUMPUDDING]

My Jenny Kiwi fruited in the greenhouse last year and the year before, and produced small but tasty fruits. It has been outside this winter in a sheltered corner and has lots of buds, but no flowers as yet. I had high hopes of them flowering with the hot weather last week, but don't know what this week's chill will have done to them.

[glallotments]

My few buds are still swelling. I'd be happy at this stage just to see a flower!!

Mine aren't Jenny but we did buy two to cross pollinate - trouble is I can't remember which two we got and the labels have gone awol.

[glallotments]

Great excitement this week when my kiwi flowers opened. My plot neighbour was just as excited as I was. I only have 5 buds and only 3 so far have opened so I don't expect any kiwis but it's a start and the flowers are quite pretty.

[Westi]

Hi Gallotments

All my little kiwis disappeared. I still have some
flowers that have dried off but no fruit behind
them except for one small little blob that may
or may not be a fruit.

There is something eating the leaves so I expect
that is the culprit but don't know what it is. There
seems to be a shiney trial of some kind and the leaves
have chewed holes leaving just a skeleton in parts and
whole bits missing in the other. It only likes the kiwi and
nothing else so all my excitement may have been for
nothing. I think I will put it in the ground next year -
do you know the best time for this?

Westi