Very nice job. We are trying to gain control of our kiwi plants after going too long without a regular methodical and correct pruning. Your video gives me a good start. Thank you.
Ok this is the best description of fruit branches on RUclips for H/kiwi. I’ve been searching for the past three days! You got yourself a subscriber please come back and make more videos of this Hardy Kiwi!!!!🥝
Thank you so much for this video. I bought a property with a 2 very twisted kiwi vines that were overtaking surrounding plants. I love seeing how you have your vines growing - now I know what my project is for the day :)
This was so helpful! I was about to plant mine to go up our wrought iron fence. But those trunks are SO thick! I think I'll have to make a post next to the fence or something. I still want it to cover the fence with leaves, but I don't want the trunk to break the iron. Anyway, thank you!
Hi Lee! Thanks for the excellent info. I have an Issai Hardy Kiwi in its 1st year. This info will be super helpful as I train and size manage it. I've been reading your books and you have lots of great info out there! Thanks for all of your valuable insights into uncommon fruits. I hope you release more videos in the future. You have an awesome demonstration site!
I love your videos! Great information and I'm learning a lot from watching you. Thank you so much for taking the time to do the videos and keep up the good work!
I've watched so many videos to understand how to care for the kiwi in our new yard, and this is by far the clearest and most direct! the structure of your vine is beautiful and "organized" and I can finally see and understand the structure and how to translate it to my own. watching someone prune gnarled twisty overlapping random shoots just doesn't illustrate it enough for me. this is perfect though, thank you! how often should one grow new cordons, if ever?
I hope you still read the comments on this. Would you be willing to send me some photos of how you have your trellis system in place for that size Hardy Kiwi?! I’m starting one next year but wanted to know how the pro set his up. That’s looks awesome with the fruit just hanging there easy to pick!
Hi, Not sure if you are STILL monitoring this... when you are cutting the 2yo wood (@about 2.10). Where there more 1yo shoots on the wood? Do you you cutting off every 2yo wood on the plant back to the first 1yo shoot? I getting the principle of the fruiting on last years wood.... but my vines NEVER look like the books! Thanks for a great video !!
What sort of pruning cuts would you recommend for those of us that have NO frost? I live in Hawaii 20sec from the ocean, salt is a big stunting factor so making sure to prune the right ones can be tricky.
+Lamyka L. Kiwifruits generally do not like salt, whether from the ocean or synthetic fertilizers. The pruning cuts would be the same as anywhere else. More important would be shielding the plants from the salt. Which kiwi species are you growing? If I lived there, I'd try the tropical species, Actinidia chinensis, golden kiwifruit. The flavor is unique and very delicious, perhaps the best of the kiwis.
+Lee Reich Salt in unavoidable in Hawaii :-P I donʻt know anywhere that actually sells the seeds or young plants on Oʻahu but I bought some fruit from Samʻs and thought, what the hell! Never know. Thanks for getting back to me!
Thank you for the helpful video. I have 2 hard kiwi trees, one male and one female. I did not plant them. They were there when i bought the house 18 years ago. They bore fruit for many years until last year. I saw that they overgrew all over so I pruned all the extra shooting and left the distance from the main arm about 3-4 ft long. After that year they stopped blooming. All the branches become hard wood. I know they are not dead because new shooting from the trunk come out. Though for the last two years, they have no fruit. What did I do wrong? what should I do now?
+DEN Garden Grove Correct pruning of kiwi, although not difficult, is hard to condense into a few words. Basically, they bear fruit on one-year-old stems, so those are the stems to save. But they make too many one year old stems, so many of them need to be cut away. And finally, they bear towards the bases of those stems, so those that are saved need to be shortened to 18-24". That's the short answer. For more, with graphics, see either of my books: GROW FRUIT NATURALLY or THE PRUNING BOOK.
Hey bud short story cut all old wood off leave new sprouts but dont cut all the way to your main root your main line leave new sprouts cut all water suckers vines that will have hair you'll know the difference no need of tipping them all vines
Hey Lee, Great help. Thanks for making this. I just bought three hardy Kiwi vines. Two female and one male. What would be the best placement of these for pollination? Also, would pruning the male be the same as the the female. If not what is different. One more if you could. I was told the male plant can pollinate the different varieties of females. So I have two different females. Will the male plant really pollinate both? Thanks so much
I'm not sure about distance but I'd keep the male within 25' of the females, just to make sure. Or right next to them. Males can be pruned more heavily than females, after they flower, of course. One male can pollinate up to eight females. For more details about kiwis, see my book UNCOMMON FRUITS FOR EVERY GARDEN, GROW FRUIT NATURALLY, or LANDSCAPING WITH FRUIT. The first book has the most about kiwi, the last book the least.
Looks a lot like silver vine (matatabi), except that clearly isn't silver vine because silver vine is the most potent kitty intoxicant known to man. An early Western botanical paper on it says that they planted it in the Harvard botanical gardens and it was destroyed by stray cats.
I understand that these mini kiwis do not store as well as the furry ones. Apart from eating them fresh, what else do you do with your bountiful harvest?
Do you worry about distance between fruiting laterals. I have a young tree trained like yours it’s now about to flower and it has lots of fruiting laterals with flower buds on them should I leave all of them to grow. Cheers from michael in Australia
My neighbour cut my 7yr old Hardy Kiwi to the ground (just about 2 inches above the ground) thinking it was a “weed” vine…. Is there any hope it will come back? I was just cut down about a week ago temps about 5 degrees Celsius at night and about 15 during the day, it will rapidly get warmer as we move towards summer. Please tell Me there is hope for it I am heart broken 😢
I want to plant these next year. I have like 120 feet of space so I want to do it right. I like your trellis and pruning style. I'm having trouble seeing how many cables you have on there and how tall it is. Is that just 2 cables on each side of the T that are 24 inches apart? I'm 6 foot 5 inches so I'm wondering if I should put it right at arms length. Customize it to my exact reach lol How long does it take for those trunks to get that thick? Those are nice Subscribed
A great informative video Lee thanks. I've just purchased a small plant from my local nursery here in Australia which is a self pollinating variety so was looking at the best way to grow these things and came across your video. I'm going to be growing it on a T-bar trellis like yours but was wondering how long did it actually take your plants to grow to the height you wanted them before branching out the two main cordons? Do I just keep trimming everything off the main stem until it's at the height I want to branch it? Sorry very new at this so any advice to get it established from a small plant would greatly appreciated. Cheers. Dave.
A good plant in good soil will reach the height for branching in one season! Two seasons should definitely do it. As the trunk is reaching up to full height, cut off all suckers arising from ground level. Shorten any side branches to about 6" so they can help strengthen the developing trunk. Once the trunk is full height, cut back all side branches right to the trunk, and do this from then on. For more on kiwifruit cultivation, see my book UNCOMMON FRUITS FOR EVERY GARDEN.
Thanks for the advice Lee, I'll be sure to do as you suggest. One last question if I may about the structure... how big should I build the trellis to accommodate just the one vine? How long, how high and how wide? 3 wires or 4? I'm considering building one along my boundary fence (I have a neighbour on the other side) but was unsure how far from the fence i should position it to 1) be able to prune easily near the fence and 2) prevent it from trailing over the fence into the neighbours yard. I don't have a lot of room to play with. After the final 18" prune on the 1 yr old wood, how long are the fruiting shoots likely the get before harvest?. Thanks again. Dave.
dsr20631 My trellis is 5 wire and the tops of the T's are 4 feet across. 5 feet would be better. Each vine needs 20-30 foot length along the trellis. The vines are very vigorous, growing even 15 feet each season. The height of my trellis is just high enough so that I can walk comfortably underneath and reach up for pruning and harvesting. I do sometimes also need to step up one step on a small stepladder while pruning.
Terrible technique. Cut closer and remove those coat hangers they'll rot. Also remove all second year wood at end of season if there's a first year cane off it remove that too. Keep the first year canes only for the following season.
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This is by far the best video I've seen on pruning. I think I've been cutting off fruiting canes!! Can't say how much I appreciate this.
Very nice job. We are trying to gain control of our kiwi plants after going too long without a regular methodical and correct pruning. Your video gives me a good start. Thank you.
Thank you! that's exactly I've been looking for! That was so informative! Better than any other tutorial I've seen
Glad it helped
Ok this is the best description of fruit branches on RUclips for H/kiwi. I’ve been searching for the past three days! You got yourself a subscriber please come back and make more videos of this Hardy Kiwi!!!!🥝
Thank you so much for this video. I bought a property with a 2 very twisted kiwi vines that were overtaking surrounding plants. I love seeing how you have your vines growing - now I know what my project is for the day :)
This was so helpful! I was about to plant mine to go up our wrought iron fence. But those trunks are SO thick! I think I'll have to make a post next to the fence or something. I still want it to cover the fence with leaves, but I don't want the trunk to break the iron. Anyway, thank you!
I get to watch pruning, AND a cat. Win win. :) Kiwi berry plants get really big, so I need to think hard on where to plant it.......
That particular vine is 16 years old. It started bearing at 3 years. The variety is Anna: productive and delicious.
Thanks Lee, nice clear instructions and love the animals!
Hi Lee! Thanks for the excellent info. I have an Issai Hardy Kiwi in its 1st year. This info will be super helpful as I train and size manage it. I've been reading your books and you have lots of great info out there! Thanks for all of your valuable insights into uncommon fruits. I hope you release more videos in the future. You have an awesome demonstration site!
Hey I want to ask how has that Issai been doing for you, has it made some good fruit, and do you have any regrets I can learn from in this time?
Here's my cat and me, pruning kiwiberry vines. Check it out.
I love your videos! Great information and I'm learning a lot from watching you. Thank you so much for taking the time to do the videos and keep up the good work!
I had no idea how big they got... I might have to move my plants 😊
Excellent video....thanks
I adore him
I've watched so many videos to understand how to care for the kiwi in our new yard, and this is by far the clearest and most direct! the structure of your vine is beautiful and "organized" and I can finally see and understand the structure and how to translate it to my own. watching someone prune gnarled twisty overlapping random shoots just doesn't illustrate it enough for me. this is perfect though, thank you!
how often should one grow new cordons, if ever?
Thank, glad it was helpful. Cordons don't ever need replacement unless something is wrong with them.
Cracking good video.
Thank you !!
I hope you still read the comments on this. Would you be willing to send me some photos of how you have your trellis system in place for that size Hardy Kiwi?! I’m starting one next year but wanted to know how the pro set his up. That’s looks awesome with the fruit just hanging there easy to pick!
You used a lopper to cut the older and thicker shoot at about 1:45 in the video. I am looking at buying a similar pruner. What kind is yours?
That's a Fiskars Power Gear Lopper, which is available online and in many stores. I highly recommend it.
Thanks for the info.
great video make more thank you.
Hi, Not sure if you are STILL monitoring this... when you are cutting the 2yo wood (@about 2.10). Where there more 1yo shoots on the wood? Do you you cutting off every 2yo wood on the plant back to the first 1yo shoot? I getting the principle of the fruiting on last years wood.... but my vines NEVER look like the books! Thanks for a great video !!
The short answer is "Yes"
First time hearing about kiwiberry
What sort of pruning cuts would you recommend for those of us that have NO frost? I live in Hawaii 20sec from the ocean, salt is a big stunting factor so making sure to prune the right ones can be tricky.
+Lamyka L. Kiwifruits generally do not like salt, whether from the ocean or synthetic fertilizers. The pruning cuts would be the same as anywhere else. More important would be shielding the plants from the salt. Which kiwi species are you growing? If I lived there, I'd try the tropical species, Actinidia chinensis, golden kiwifruit. The flavor is unique and very delicious, perhaps the best of the kiwis.
+Lee Reich Salt in unavoidable in Hawaii :-P I donʻt know anywhere that actually sells the seeds or young plants on Oʻahu but I bought some fruit from Samʻs and thought, what the hell! Never know. Thanks for getting back to me!
Great video! How old are the vines you're showing?
Yup out with the old in with the new just dont cut all the way to your base root
Thank you for the helpful video. I have 2 hard kiwi trees, one male and one female. I did not plant them. They were there when i bought the house 18 years ago. They bore fruit for many years until last year. I saw that they overgrew all over so I pruned all the extra shooting and left the distance from the main arm about 3-4 ft long. After that year they stopped blooming. All the branches become hard wood. I know they are not dead because new shooting from the trunk come out. Though for the last two years, they have no fruit. What did I do wrong? what should I do now?
+DEN Garden Grove Correct pruning of kiwi, although not difficult, is hard to condense into a few words. Basically, they bear fruit on one-year-old stems, so those are the stems to save. But they make too many one year old stems, so many of them need to be cut away. And finally, they bear towards the bases of those stems, so those that are saved need to be shortened to 18-24". That's the short answer. For more, with graphics, see either of my books: GROW FRUIT NATURALLY or THE PRUNING BOOK.
Hey bud short story cut all old wood off leave new sprouts but dont cut all the way to your main root your main line leave new sprouts cut all water suckers vines that will have hair you'll know the difference no need of tipping them all vines
I just came in to see the cat
Good. Welcome. Cat, meet Luis.
@@LeeReichFarmden thanks for the video by the way... I finally understand how this plant works...
Hey Lee, Great help. Thanks for making this. I just bought three hardy Kiwi vines. Two female and one male. What would be the best placement of these for pollination? Also, would pruning the male be the same as the the female. If not what is different. One more if you could. I was told the male plant can pollinate the different varieties of females. So I have two different females. Will the male plant really pollinate both? Thanks so much
I'm not sure about distance but I'd keep the male within 25' of the females, just to make sure. Or right next to them. Males can be pruned more heavily than females, after they flower, of course. One male can pollinate up to eight females. For more details about kiwis, see my book UNCOMMON FRUITS FOR EVERY GARDEN, GROW FRUIT NATURALLY, or LANDSCAPING WITH FRUIT. The first book has the most about kiwi, the last book the least.
Lee Reich Thanks for the info and the response.
Looks a lot like silver vine (matatabi), except that clearly isn't silver vine because silver vine is the most potent kitty intoxicant known to man. An early Western botanical paper on it says that they planted it in the Harvard botanical gardens and it was destroyed by stray cats.
I understand that these mini kiwis do not store as well as the furry ones. Apart from eating them fresh, what else do you do with your bountiful harvest?
That's it. All I do is eat them fresh. Picked as soon as the first start to soften, then kept cool and humid, they keep 6 weeks or more.
Do you worry about distance between fruiting laterals. I have a young tree trained like yours it’s now about to flower and it has lots of fruiting laterals with flower buds on them should I leave all of them to grow. Cheers from michael in Australia
I don't worry about them but do remove enough so that they are no closer than 8-12" apart.
My neighbour cut my 7yr old Hardy Kiwi to the ground (just about 2 inches above the ground) thinking it was a “weed” vine…. Is there any hope it will come back?
I was just cut down about a week ago temps about 5 degrees Celsius at night and about 15 during the day, it will rapidly get warmer as we move towards summer. Please tell
Me there is hope for it I am heart broken 😢
I want to plant these next year. I have like 120 feet of space so I want to do it right. I like your trellis and pruning style. I'm having trouble seeing how many cables you have on there and how tall it is. Is that just 2 cables on each side of the T that are 24 inches apart? I'm 6 foot 5 inches so I'm wondering if I should put it right at arms length. Customize it to my exact reach lol
How long does it take for those trunks to get that thick? Those are nice
Subscribed
5 cables at a height that I can reach without a ladder.
hi I'm from Kashmir nice demo.can we proun a kewi plant in Summer also.
Ideally, kiwi is pruned when it is dormant and a few times during the growing season.
Lee Reich thanks.
What about the male and female plants? Do you grow and prune both the same? Do they both fruit?
Male plants get pruned much more drastically right after they finish blossoming.
Auckland ki immigration thik chal rahi hai a sakte h Auckland m
Please reply me
Аnd..... how do we know if it's one or two years old ???
A great informative video Lee thanks. I've just purchased a small plant from my local nursery here in Australia which is a self pollinating variety so was looking at the best way to grow these things and came across your video. I'm going to be growing it on a T-bar trellis like yours but was wondering how long did it actually take your plants to grow to the height you wanted them before branching out the two main cordons?
Do I just keep trimming everything off the main stem until it's at the height I want to branch it? Sorry very new at this so any advice to get it established from a small plant would greatly appreciated.
Cheers. Dave.
A good plant in good soil will reach the height for branching in one season! Two seasons should definitely do it. As the trunk is reaching up to full height, cut off all suckers arising from ground level. Shorten any side branches to about 6" so they can help strengthen the developing trunk. Once the trunk is full height, cut back all side branches right to the trunk, and do this from then on. For more on kiwifruit cultivation, see my book UNCOMMON FRUITS FOR EVERY GARDEN.
Thanks for the advice Lee, I'll be sure to do as you suggest. One last question if I may about the structure... how big should I build the trellis to accommodate just the one vine?
How long, how high and how wide? 3 wires or 4?
I'm considering building one along my boundary fence (I have a neighbour on the other side) but was unsure how far from the fence i should position it to 1) be able to prune easily near the fence and 2) prevent it from trailing over the fence into the neighbours yard. I don't have a lot of room to play with. After the final 18" prune on the 1 yr old wood, how long are the fruiting shoots likely the get before harvest?.
Thanks again.
Dave.
dsr20631 My trellis is 5 wire and the tops of the T's are 4 feet across. 5 feet would be better. Each vine needs 20-30 foot length along the trellis. The vines are very vigorous, growing even 15 feet each season. The height of my trellis is just high enough so that I can walk comfortably underneath and reach up for pruning and harvesting. I do sometimes also need to step up one step on a small stepladder while pruning.
thanks, I'll give it a shot.
Do you pay your cat for all its hard work?
Free food
Terrible technique. Cut closer and remove those coat hangers they'll rot. Also remove all second year wood at end of season if there's a first year cane off it remove that too. Keep the first year canes only for the following season.