Propagation and Vine Selection

The common way to propagate kiwifruit is to graft a desirable variety onto a seedling rootstock. If you only have enough space for one plant, it is possible to graft both sexes onto a single plant. This type of plant requires more attention than individually sexed plants, since you don't want a branch of one sex to overtake and kill a branch of the other. Another propagation method is to root a cutting of the desired variety.

The home garden requires one male and one female vine for pollination and fruit production. Select your vines from nursery stock with 1/2 to 3/4-inch diameter trunks near the bud union. Plants should be 3 to 6 feet tall at planting, and the larger the better. You will lose more plants in the first year if you use smaller plants, and smaller plants do not produce fruit as soon after planting as do larger plants.

Planting

The vigorous growth of the kiwifruit vine makes it inappropriate for most small gardens. You will either need to have a sizable area or to prune continuously through the growing season to keep the size of the vines in check.

One or two female vines should supply household needs for the average family. By adding one early ripening Blake female vine, you can substantially lengthen the harvest season.

Plant kiwifruit in a sunny area. Place a male and female vine, selected from the nursery, 15 to 20 feet apart under a support structure. Plant bare-root vines in winter. Container plants can be planted year-round, but are better planted in spring. Plant each vine on a mound or bed slightly higher than the surrounding area so water will drain away from the trunk. Plant the vines as deep as they were planted in their nursery containers. Do not let dirt mound against the trunk, since that will encourage rot.

Fertilization

Do not fertilize new vines during the first year after planting. For full-grown vines, use a total of 1 pound of nitrogen per plant split into three to five applications over the course of the year. One pound of nitrogen can be supplied by 2.2 pounds of urea, 3 pounds of ammonium nitrate, or 5 pounds of ammonium sulfate. Most nitrogen for bearing vines should be applied in March, April, June, and July.

A younger plant's annual nitrogen needs are proportional to its age. For example, a second-year plant requires 0.2 pound of nitrogen for the year; a third-year plant, 0.4 pound; a fourth-year plant, 0.8 pound; and a fifth-year or mature plant, 1 pound, but only if the plant remains vigorous.

Never apply a chemical fertilizer at the base of the vine; instead, spread it thin under the canopy. Irrigate after each application of chemical fertilizer. This will allow the fertilizer to dissolve and move with the water into the soil profile for plant uptake.

Organic fertilizers can also supply sufficient nitrogen for kiwifruit vines. One pound of nitrogen can be supplied by 71-pounds of blood meal, 24 pounds of chicken manure, or 47 pounds of steer manure. Use only dry manures. Nitrogen from organic fertilizers does not become available for plant growth as quickly as that from commercial chemical sources. Due to its slower release, the nitrogen from organic fertilizers is available to the plants over a longer period. Apply one-half to two-thirds of the organic fertilizer in March; follow up with the rest in late May or June.

Do not fertilize in late fall or in winter. Winter flush, an unseasonable surge of new growth caused by such fertilizer applications, will make your vines vulnerable to frost damage.

Spacing
select a male and a female vine for planting. Plant your vines directly under the center wire, halfway between two T-bars, and 15 to 20 feet apart. If vines are to be grown on an arbor or patio cover, plant one vine at either end of the structure. One male vine can pollinate as many as four female vines, provided they are near to the male.