Growing Hardy Kiwi aka Kiwi Berry (Actinidia arguta)

[@patfromamboy]

I planted some hardy Kiwis about 18 years ago and I forgot about them for about 8 years and when I saw them again they had climbed up a Pacific Dogwood tree about 35’ and there were thousands of fruits. Now 18 years after I planted them the vines are huge and are covering the tree and adjacent trees. The plants are beautiful and the fruits are fantastic. I live north of you in Yacolt Washington.

[@shaunaoverbeek]

Hope that’s not too much of a problem for you. But great lol story and wonderful treasure !!

[@v-mac2263]

It is such a hardy climber, I have grown it from seed from a Lidl shop bought fruit 4 years ago. We are on a Scottish Island and it fruited this year for the first time. :)

[@ykyk2222]

How can you tell which one is male and which one is a female?

[@SminkyPinky]

I was scraping seeds out of a Lidl berry as I watched this :D Did you to anything to them before planting? A lot of people seem to recommend "cold stratification" which seems to mean that you should put them outside or in the fridge for at least a month.

[@v-mac2263]

@@SminkyPinky Yes they germinated late winter, I just sprinkled them on a small pot of soil in a cold greenhouse, kept them damp and was amazed when they all sprouted in cold weather. Good luck! :)

[@Jonaslouissaint-s3y]

I just got a plant from them too a Jenny kiwi . lol I like that store

[@NasierOmran]

Thanks thats what i was looking for, mine are starting their second full year. I planted them september/october 2022.

[@apropostt]

Love kiwi berries. After several years of growing really well, my vines died mysteriously in the middle of summer. I replaced them with some grapes grown from cuttings and those are doing pretty well. I do plan on trying them again in a better spot, along with Schisandra.

[@danihall3676]

We use velcro strips to "fix" damaged or broken plants. Works great and its reusable! I would love to grow kiwis of any kind as they are my son's favorite, but I just don't get enough chill hours here in Florida. Great video! Thank you.

[@Darkice77]

There is a huge nursery by me and they had a whole bunch of the hardy kiwi vines. A couple different kinds. I bought all of them and built a lattice structure all along the back of my house. (Looks like a pergola with climbing lattice all across it.) The kiwi on one side and schisandra on the other. I think i planted 9 schisandra vines. They are all doing awesome. It took a couple years but they took off. My back yard is about 1 acre and i planted 60 trees consisting of apple, pear, peach plum and cherry. A couple dozen hazelnut bushes. I just added 12 Che trees, and 18 PawPaw trees. Smaller bushes i have about 200 that are just everywhere that boarder everything. Sea buckthorn, raspberries, blueberries, haskaps, black berries, cranberry bushes, currents, that's all i can think of right now. I went the trees and bushes rout because everything takes care of itself for the most part. I had a garden for a long time and i hated the maintenance and the replanting. The trees and bushes are always there. From a distance, my yard just looks like a well planted yard. But it produces about 10,000 pounds of fruit nuts a berries a year.

[@sergio34410]

Beautiful Angela ,I’ve been growing my Artic kiwis for 9 years in zone 6b in Rhode Island.I usually trimmed off the runners vines Wright after fruit set and every time they start growing again,just to keep them in control because they are on a pergola, now I just added three more varieties and two more are ordered for 2022 spring season, adiós Bella!

[@KrisWiltseArt]

Thank you! We kiwi lovers are desperate for info from experienced growers. Great tip on taping damaged vines. Your H.kiwis are beautiful! Interesting to see how each gardener treats then. I planted 4 Hardy kiwi 2 years ago before even tasting them. Kens red, Anna and Issai. I love the hairy kiwi so figured I'd love these too. Finally found them in a local grocery. They were very delicious so I promptly planted 3 more! The Issai set fruit this year but sadly the recent heat dome fried most of the berries. I'm north of Seattle.

[@joslinnick]

Your point about avoiding weak arch-style metal trellis systems is spot on. If you're going to grow hardy kiwis, you need to invest in a proper trellis system. I have 4 females, and that can mean up to 400 pounds of fruit hanging on the trellis structure. Just go to home depot, buy the materials, and build a T-Bar trellis system with steel cables connecting them.

[@DAndyLord]

I have 4 hardy kiwis they're about 8 years old, the biggest one is thicker than my ankle. This is the first year it's flowered! I'm so excited.

[@jasminthiaa]

I loved that little wire thing you did to strengthen the vine with potential fruit- great tip! I'm very new to growing fruit, but learned the hard way that lemon trees can get VERY heavy and sometimes tip over if you don't prune them correctly. You kind of underestimate how heavy the fruit will actually be!

[@falcolf]

Thank you for this! I saw these in a local store and wondered whether they were worth growing - now I know they are!❤

[@melstill]

Glad you made this, I learned some things. I planted "Ken's Red" and a generic male plant in February so I have a ways to go yet. I guess I'll be putting some wire fencing around the base of my plants for the neighbors cats. I don't have to worry about squirrels. I had one in the yard but I think the coyote that patrols through here took care of that problem for now.

[@nathanyoung3371]

They grow well up in canada, I'm in Newbrunswick, they don't grow very fast, uts their second year in my front yard and we've got flowers ! Left them out all winter with no cover and they're doing great

[@jrswackhammer8205]

Bought a couple hardy kiwi early last year and both looked like they were dying. I had some comfrey in my yard and tossed a few leaves around them. In a month or so they were good as new. After that i had a whole new respect for comfrey. Im not 100% sure it was the comfrey helping or if they came back on their own. From what I've heard about Comfrey, I'm pretty sure it helped. Thanks for the video!

[@sweepyourspeech8350]

Thanks I got mine in the mail today I'm gonna try and grow it on an old wooden ladder against a tree. And train it in an arc with a large pot in the middle ( full sun). Wish me luck🤞🏾!

[@cedricnora4481]

How’d it go?! Did you plant in a pot and then transplant in-ground once it grew?

[@Khalinjai]

I just found this channel, and its a gem. Such a calm and collected way of talking about the plants, its clear, straight to the point, informative for the subjects that matter the most. And by the end of this year ill get myself a weiki male, kens red and dumbarton oaks alltrough there are 2 other varities that peak my intrest called jumbo and Purpurea Shadow :p

[@yellowbirdie2703]

thank you for this video. you were very informative and let me know alot more than the other video's. its just me and my husband and he actually is interested in the thought of growing them when I introduced the idea. he was already talking about building a heavy duty structure that could withstand the weight of them without us knowing how heavy they might become....when you said how heavy each vine could be, his head popped up from his phone because he really wasn't listening since I am watching tons of videos about this and it made him feel as if what he had already been planning was valid. I already know we have to build a sturdy fence around it because we live in the country with large pastures miles around us that attract all kind of animals....fox, deer,bob cats,bear and also throw in neighbors cats,feral and barn cats.....I laughed when you commented on the male only being good for one thing....I almost died laughing when my husband looked over hahahahaha ! I had no idea about the leaves having a cat nip scent.....I started imagining us becoming the crazy cat people. I also need to figure out how to keep it under control and keep animals and birds from spreading this to all of the farms near me. I would be the only person around all of these farms to have these kiwi plants for birds and animals to poop and spread to their fields or I might be just worrying to much.but rather be safe than sorry and keep those friendships

[@robinchristensen1657]

I have 1/4 an acre too. The previous owners took their hardy kiwi out when it got too much for them. I have the fuzzy kiwi I just got at 7Dee’s nursery. My husband is making it a trellis now. I think I will had the Hardy kiwi next year. I hope they taste much better home grown than store bought as those are horrible.

[@gregorys447]

Thanks, a couple new tidbits of info for me to know. Second year for mine. I will hope for patience with the average number of years to harvest🌿

[@speaklifegardenhomesteadpe8783]

Thank you so much for including the links where to buy these!

[@joecuthbertson6476]

Great info, Miss Angela. Many thanks.

[@itme7685]

Oh my goodness it was like 115F around this time last year. I moved closer to Salem, but I found your video learning about hardy kiwi. I’m definitely interested, but need to figure out where to put them. I only have about 1/4 acre and most of that is a big house. I think growing up my house might be a bad idea, and I’m not sure about foundation damage.

[@buckbeaksgarden761]

Thanks for this! I'm expecting mine to flower this year

[@andersonsoutdoors4873]

Thanks - quite informative. I am considering growing this plant here in NM in zone 7. It should do well here, I would think. I just need to select a good location and get some support up. Thanks!

[@kristinraabe6887]

Thanks for this one. I planted a Hardy qiwi at the start of spring and it croaked. It has been a rainy spring here I think root rot is the culprit. So Im going to build a super strong trellis and try again. Ordering both male and females this time. Im almost finished with Restoration Agriculture by Mark Shepard. Im really enjoying it and learning alot! Taking notes as I go. How do you harvest at vine that has grown up in a tree? I did wonder. I think I will go the sturdy structure route. Thanks for the great tips! I will try again!.

[@TnT_F0X]

I'm rooting Some Anna and Meader cuttings from Ebay, Also got a Red Kiwi. (Meader is a male that fruits ;)) Cant wait for the first Berries in a Year or two.

[@cherylcarlson3315]

Bought a hardy kiwi "plant" from Lowes on clearance over the weekend on impulse. So glad to see your video as I was thinking of using cattlepanel arch. granted this thing is 1/4 sprout with baby roots so guess I have years to figure this out. either it will grow or I am doing plant hospice... hard to tell. Mortified that squirrels love it as have fox squirrels who gorge on walnuts, acorns,mulberries, grapes so usually leave cherries to the birds. Am wondering if it can be planted at base of well established, healthy cherry and somehow kept down to where I can reach without ladder.

[@bryanjames5256]

I was thinking about training my kiwi vine to grow along my fence, that or I have a medium size rose of Sharon tree, that blooms huge flowers and attracts lots of pollinators. I've become completely obsessed with completely covering fence with vines. it started with morning glory and cardinal vines, but now I've moved to edibles. Gonna be slowing transforming the yard into a food forest of sorts as well.

[@itme7685]

I was definitely about to commit to trying fuzzy kiwi. I even found a Canadian variety that is hardy to 5F, but as you said the males are just generic plants not specific breeds. I’m in NW Oregon just a little west of Salem and here it is claiming 12F in the forecast tomorrow and below freezing for 3-4 days. A rare cold event like this could kill my male. I better just do the hardy kiwi. I was worried about having to pick multiple tiny fruits on a ladder, but I think they aren’t too small after looking at a comparison and you don’t have to peel them!

[@Kira-kg4kl]

So glad I got a self pollinating kiwi 😅 mine is growing up a really sturdy gondola lol it is attached to the house, but we never let it get more than half way up the mesh on the roof as I don't want it attaching to the house

[@iambilly]

I learned quite a bit from you today, thank you so much for sharing :)

[@ingriderzen2826]

Thank you! I have seen also your video about early sping Pruning and Just search for information, when comes the next Pruning and how should be done. Do you prune them soon after flowering? Thank you for your work and sharing knowledge! 💪

[@branchingoutpermaculturewi4766]

great video i cant wait for my cold hardy kiwi multiply and i get fruit cheers

[@shawnplowman7924]

Thank you, very educational. I also love OGW ❤️

[@elainewelch2020]

I planted actinidia arguta as a 15" stick in CT last year and thought it had died, but it's growing strong. It looks pretty with its variegated leaves. I just read that these plants are invasive in the NE and several other parts of the country though, so I may have to dig it up and give it back to the nursery. I have an urban yard, but if the birds can spread the seeds in local wooded areas, it would be bad for the environment

[@CuriousinNY]

Thanks for the video on growing hardy kiwi. I picked up a couple of them at a big box store but it didn’t say anything about whether it was a male or female plant nor that it needed a male plant. I tried to find a phone number on the box so I could call and find out and there wasn’t any. Do you think the ones sold in all the big box stores are the self fertile one? After you gather the fruit in the fall, what happens to the vines? Do you cut them back to the ground so they start over the next spring?

[@cinaannie7338]

Thank you so MUCH for sharing! Do you have a passiflora? I am wanting to grow a fruiting vine on my front porch that has potential for something special.

[@mgs721]

SOLD! I just planted one in my orchard here in L.A. today. (Still need to find a male for pollinating).

[@decentparks3597]

Very cool. I got 10 plants for .99 cents from tractor supply. Tractor supply has the best employees for discounts. They were all dead looking and at least two plants have survived.

[@buckbeaksgarden761]

What a steal!

[@mikecf1]

A T trellis is the preferred way to grow hardy kiwis. It can be a beast, and should be pruned heavily.

[@themusenextdoor]

I planted an Issai this year, and I'll get her a boyfriend she doesn't produce well on her own. My food forest is designed to be transported from one patio to another until I can afford to buy a home that suits my needs. She'll make a great privacy screen for any tiny rental property and provide snacks for the neighbors as they walk by!

[@burntrubber7458]

Bought a hardy kiwi at lowes. There was nothing in it except soil!

[@Danni-j3x]

How long after planting your kiwi plants did it take for you to be able to start harvesting kiwis? Was it several years or just a couple?

[@gryphonrampant24]

any thoughts on conditions that will encourage a storebought dormant Prolific hardy kiwi to take off? It had already woken up in the store and then experienced drought stress in the bag. It showed a healthy new stem coming off old growth but all the leaves on said stem were dried out and crispy. I pruned that stem off as I noted several promising buds on the rooted cutting base near where the new stem had grown. I've got the plant in the ground in a sheltered sunny corner of my garden in an elevated bed with a sturdy trellis to climb, but have not seen those promising buds pop open and start growing. It's been planted for a little under a week.

[@markanthony8430]

Great timing on the video! I just planted a new variety called Sweet N Solo that's supposedly self fertile. . Any tips on optimal support structure design for productivity and ease of harvest? most of what I've seen involves t-bar trellis designs.

[@buckbeaksgarden761]

Keep in mind, they grow very tall, so for ease of harvest, I might not let them go up more than 8 feet. At that point, have them go over a pergola so the fruit will hang down over your head, if that makes sense.

[@CuriousinNY]

@@buckbeaksgarden761 so you snip the growing vine at 8 ft? Does it then produce lateral vines? What do you do after harvest? Cut them back to the ground so they can start over the following spring?

[@buckbeaksgarden761]

@@CuriousinNY NO no!! I meant don't let the trellis be more than 8 feet high. When the vine reaches the top of the trellis, train it either over the trellis or back down the other side. Kiwi get very long. New shoots grow on last year's vine so dont cut last year's vine away. It takes a good few years for kiwi to get very big so just leave it until it starts getting out of control. Then you can shape it and fuss with it a bit and not damage it. It grows lateral vines from the get go.

[@CuriousinNY]

@@buckbeaksgarden761 Thanks!!!! Do you know anything about whether the Big box stores sell the self fertile Hardy Kiwi? My packages didn’t say male or female or self fertile on them? Is there a way to tell if a hardy kiwi is a male or a female plant? Last, do you know anything about growing grapes? I bought a white grape from a nursery. Do I leave the growth alone for three years (except for training it up and over a cattle panel trellis) or do I cut it back every year?

[@buckbeaksgarden761]

@@CuriousinNY For the Kiwi, where did you buy your packages of kiwi? I got my one self pollinating hardy kiwi from my local garden nursery, not a big box. The variety is called "Issai" hardy kiwi. Stark Bros sells it. Here is what I found about how to tell male from female flowers : "When determining the sex of kiwi blooms, the female will also have bright white, well defined ovaries at the base of the flower, which, of course, the males lack. The ovaries, by the way, are the parts that develop into fruit. Male kiwi flowers have a brilliantly colored yellow center due to its pollen bearing anthers". As for grapes, new shoots that bear fruit emerge from last year's new growth. I let my vine grow big and strong for 4 years. Now it's bearing fruit. Do not cut it back for the first 4 years so it can get established. Then you can shape it after that.

[@ediblelandscaping1504]

I planted a pair of Kolomicta hardy kiwis 7-8 years ago and this year it is thriving and putting out a ton of flowers on both vines. I definitely need to reinforce the trellis. This year I added 3 more plants at the base of a huge cattle panel trellis and I'm thinking of adding them on my south-facing boundary chain link fence. Do you think 4ft is high enough for the trellis (fence) as long as they have length to spread on?

[@ediblelandscaping1504]

Growing them here just outside of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.....

[@hauntedshadowslegacy2826]

So, there's something I haven't been able to find an answer to: Do male and female seeds come from the same fruit? Like, can you scoop the seeds out of a single fruit and have a mix of male and female seeds? I have a kiwi fruit, and I plan on germinating the seeds, but I don't know if I need more than one fruit to have a mix of male and female seeds.

[@O91y82]

How old are your vines? And at what age do they start fruiting?

[@fightingquads9198]

I have serveral large trees, but growing them up the trunk would just create a food highway for the squirrels.

[@SamSam-ci7kn]

سؤال كم تحتاج شجره واحده كيوي مثمره من الاسمده سواء سماد طبيعي او غيره من المكملات كم كيلو ب السنه للشجره الواحده ارجو الرد

[@mynjgarden]

I bought arctic beauty kiwi and planted them in pots 4 years ago and moved them in the ground 3 years ago. One of the vines bloomed for the first time (I think it was the female) this year... one small set of flowers. The leaves are not showing any of the pink varigation at all. Do you think the nursery sent the wrong variety? What do you think of the fruit from arctic beauty?

[@nathalie703]

I was gifted a male/female pair. They weren't well rooted so they are growing slowly this sunner (only a few new leaves) plus we're having a pretty cool summer. Im not sure i'll be in this house another 6 years so... How transplantable are these? Can i put them in a large pot or maybe a black storage tote?

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

You can definitely transplant them! Cut them way back and you could dig them up and move them if you leave your current property. They also grow well from cuttings if you can't take the whole plant (of course then you'll have to wait another 4-6 years for fruit again)

[@DreamsOfGardening]

Very informative video thank you!!!

[@chouxcoffee]

Hi, I need help with distinguishing what kind of vine I have and whether it will “weather” a Vancouver 🇨🇦 winter I’m my balcony pot … Oh, I want to add a photo but I don’t know how, lol

[@annikasyren3696]

I like the music that you added to your videos! I would very much like to have hardy kiwi. Will have to find a good sunny spot. I wonder if you could talk some day about what it takes to have ducks? How do you take care of them? What do they need?

[@sonjaambrosius731]

Great, a hardy kiwi video! I have just had some issues with my females. I planted Issai and another variety that needs a male. The slugs nearly polished all three of them of, before I noticed it. I could stop that from continuing but only the male seems recover. One female has not a single new growth left. Is it lost, will it start again next year? The other female has at least a few partially damaged leaves and a bit of new vine left but also doesn't seem to bring forth more growth. Any ideas anybody? Thanks and greetings from Northern Germany!

[@MarkCherry-c7u]

0:24 I have hundreds of berries do they vine ripen or do you pick them hard?

[@ll3174]

I have large canopy oak and pecan trees however I also have very destructive squirrels that dig holes all over my yard un root potted hanging plants of my trees this year I got absolutely no pears from my tree because the squirrels started eating them when they were still hard and green the beds around my trees had peanut plants that were also destroyed. Do I real have a chance to grow them up my trees ? I have heard of fruits squirrels leave alone is this kiwi one of them ?

[@1cspringer]

I bought a male and female and I think I kept the female. My neighbor took the male plant and he is several blocks away. Regardless, I had lots of fruit last year after years of being in the raised bed. I am not sure exactly when to pick the fruit. Last year I waited until they were soft and I think that was too late. So this year I will wait until they are a good size and then pick them. Do you store them in the refrigerator until ripe?

[@Doktracy]

How many chill hours do they need?

[@amandacarney9884]

Oh no. I'm a first-time hardy kiwi grower and planted mine on a flimsy piece of wire fence supported by two T-posts and zip ties! Yikes! Will they be okay like this the first year? Or should we build something stronger asap? And is there a way to tell male from female plants? I bought two small plants from a home gardener and she said one would produce fruit on its own. I only bought two because they were only $5 each. Now I'm not sure what I have.

[@MsMe99999999]

So you are saying if you see the plant flowering that's a sign its going to fruit?

[@scrambled4031]

You can get a species of actinidia deliciosa which is self-pollinating, just in case you want to grow them 🙂

[@albertgauche9271]

Do they preserve well dehydrated?

[@limpolsebastian2360]

Soy de agentina yo puse agerminar y tengo una planta y es macho como te das cuenta cuando son chicas

[@sharoncourt75]

Hello I have a kiwi issai that is just making it 1st leaves, is inside the house, what temp. Is needed outside so i ca planted? I am in zone 6b

[@reitairue2073]

I grow enough to share with the local animals, I'll do the same for kiwi. :D

[@andreaschmidt6753]

I have some very old and raggedy Arborvitae that I’d like to use as a trellis for hardy kiwi. The trees aren’t too tall (about 10 feet) Has anyone else done this? What happens when the arborvitae die?

[@MsMe99999999]

When do the leaves turn pink?

[@Happylife7675]

آپ کے پاس کی وی کے پلانٹس ہیں ؟

[@amyjones2490]

Can one preserve kiwi in jams or chutneys etc?

[@goooglezoom6042]

Thanks. Subscribed.

[@bj97301]

I have some kiwi vines in the portland area. Let me know if you want a cutting. I also have some strong rebar that can be bent and used as a trellis.

[@andreaschmidt6753]

Do you still have kiwi vines? What kind are they? I live in Portland and would love to get some hardy kiwis started.

[@JohnDoe_88]

.... I have been for years yet still need to. I've been watching a supposedly self fertile issai kiwi for years and it's continually set fruit and then dropped it. So this year I was done waiting and bought a kiwi pollinator so I'll see how that goes.... So far I wouldn't say issai is self fertile

[@malcolmnew8973]

I have four different female hardy kiwis, including Ken's red which is the oldest at four years. I have one male which is growing well in its third year, but not yet flowering, so no fruit on any yet. I have not seen any female flowers this year yet and I'm not sure when either gender flowers in North Wales, UK, does anyone have any experience in Wales or other parts of UK? I did plant Issai, at the same time as Ken's red but it never did well and finally gave up last year. I had thought that it was self fertile and assumed it would bear both gender flowers, but apparently not, it doesn't need pollinating.

[@MsMe99999999]

Lol I was wondering why my cat loved rubbing his face on the base.

[@watzegjemedaarnouvan]

A good variety of fuzzy kiwi is jenny because you dont need a male but you will sitll get more kiwis with a male.

[@susankaempfer8427]

What do you do with the fruit, other than eat it fresh?

[@joannewolfe5688]

That's about it. Great in fruit salads.

[@JohnTibane]

How do I know that my kiwi is male or female?

[@Igniting-Moments]

What is the name of the fuzzy kiwi?

[@goodkarmaiscomingtoyou1381]

My kiwi berry leaves are green but look lifeless and not growing ⁉️

[@MrBlacksunster]

Have a ken's red for years now but no flowers. Is very vigorous, has full sun and a male which also doesn't flower, but just doesn't produce. Any tips?

[@ParkrosePermaculture]

How many years? It can take a LONG time for them to start flowering. How are you pruning it?

[@MrBlacksunster]

@@ParkrosePermaculture thanks for replying! Its 7 years old but the first 2 years it was in a pot. Last winter I pruned it harder than before after watching some explaining videos.

[@MrBlacksunster]

Have not pruned them this winter and have let them run up the trees behind them and now... They are both (male and female) flowering! Really hope I get to taste these fruits for the first time!

[@jeladsnikpoh1289]

"I said F....orget this!" 😅

[@gingernotturno5365]

how can you tell the male from the female?

[@riverrat8693]

Id like to buy some plants from you if possible?

[@ZE308AC]

You would think they would make the males better and make them a differently Variety that way you can make all kinds of new kiwi fruits.

[@maxihb7020]

Do you have any of the kiwi fruit 🥝 I can purchase from you?

[@artofmagi]

The self-fertile ones are turning out to be incredibly invasive. Please do not plant the 'Prolific' or any variant of Actinidia arguta. It's behaving like Kudzu in some places.

[@LearningkMehak18]

Hello everyone we r also working on the same line if u guyz like u can aso join us thnksss and sry if i dstrb uh but we want to help all

[@valeriesanchez3074]

🤔

[@GaD009]

приезжай в сентябре в Украину. я тебе сделаю зеленую экскурсию.

[@fomomofo6917]

The female is using him for his baby maker……….yeesh. At least she’s okay with a twig.

[@MarkCherry-c7u]

0:24 I have hundreds of berries do they vine ripen or do you pick them hard?