Advice
RHS Help & Advice
Growing kiwi fruit
Although not difficult to grow, kiwi fruit need careful training and pruning to maximise their fruiting potential
Kiwi fruit (Actinidia deliciosa) is a vigorous, twining, deciduous vine capable of growing to 9m (30ft) tall. It is a warm-temperate plant that needs sun and shelter; young shoots are extremely vulnerable to frosts. The large, heart-shaped leaves are ornamental in themselves.
It grows best on a south- or west-facing wall, but can be grown in the open in milder areas on a sturdy support such as a pergola. Plant 3-5m (10-17ft) apart in fertile, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Regular summer watering and feeding is required.
Pollination
Male and female flowers are produced on separate plants, so both are needed for fruit (borne on one-year-old wood, three to four years after planting). One male can pollinate up to eight females (see cultivars below).
Training
Kiwi fruit are best trained as espaliers on horizontal wires.
To form the permanent framework, tie in the leading shoot to a cane attached vertically to the wires. Train in a pair of shoots along each horizontal wire, pinching out the tips when they fill the allotted space.
Allow sideshoots to develop at 50cm (20in) intervals, pinching them back to five leaves. These should fruit the following year.
In summer shorten sideshoots to five leaves beyond the maturing fruit. Cut barren laterals back to five leaves in June.
In mid-winter prune fruiting laterals to two or three buds beyond where the last fruit was borne. On older vines, cut back three-year-old fruiting laterals to a dormant bud near the horizontal arms.
Harvest the fruits as they ripen; they will store in the refrigerator for up to six weeks.
Problems
Leaf scorch may show as brown edges with an inward curl. Dry winds and lack of regular watering could be the cause. Pests and diseases are rare.
Cultivars
Female: ‘Hayward’ is the most widely grown, least vigorous and latest-flowering cultivar.
Large, broadly oval fruits, good flavour.
Alternatives include ‘Abbott’ (medium-size oblong fruits, crops well), ‘Bruno’ (fruits large, elongated, crops well) and ‘Monty’ (good cropping with attractive growth).
Male: males are not always named but there are at least four: ‘Atlas’, ‘Matua’, ‘Tomuri’ and ‘All-purpose Male’. ‘Tomuri’ is the latest to flower, so the best to partner ‘Hayward’.
Self-fertile: ‘Jenny’ is partly self-fertile, so is ideal where space is limited. Fruit are small, however, and it is of borderline hardiness, so not suitable for colder areas.