Anyone with a kiwi that had has produced fruit?

[SarahC73]

I've been growing a kiwi (actinidia deliciosa) for 3 years now and still no fruit. It's a variety called "jenny", which is apparently self fertile.
The vine is planted against a south facing fence, so lots of heat, and I've always kept it well watered and fed with chicken poo. This year it reached about 8 foot in height and had loads of pale yellow flowers but no fruit.

Anyone got any experience of kiwis? I'd love to be able to pick my own fruit. I recently visited Will Giles's garden at the end of August and he had many kiwi fruits hanging from a tunnel so it must be possible. Perhaps I just need to be patient!?

[fern Rob]

You need a male and a female vine, I have one planted but its very slow growing .

[Kristen]

You need a male and a female vine.

Well ... Yes and No

Jenny is self fertile, so a single plant will do, and it should fruit at 3 to 4 years - so maybe starting next year. However, IMHO it is a long way inferior to having a Male / Female pair in terms of reliable productivity, but the male/female varieties I think are better off in a greenhouse.

[SarahC73]

Thanks, I thought "jenny" should be able to produce fruit without another plant, hopefully it might fruit next year. . I might think about getting a male and female but have no room for a greenhouse! Really it's quite a nice plant to cover my back fence in summer.

[Conifers]

It's another of those continental climate species (native to northern China) that needs a long, baking hot summer for the fruit to ripen. So you won't get ripe fruit in Britain very often.

[fern Rob]

I have a kiwi, I think its the female vine and that lives outside fine all year.

[SarahC73]

Know what you mean conifers but I had thought maybe with the heat this summer, I would see some fruit. Not hot for long enough, I guess?

Fern Rob- my kiwi has been fine as well and I had to dig it up a couple,of years ago when we moved home. I did cover the buds this spring with a sheet of fleece to protect as it was such bad weather. Maybe if you want fruit it might be best in a greenhouse but my garden is too small. I have lots of fun trying to overwinter without one!

[otorongo]

Kiwi is supposed to fruit profusely here. The one I bought in spring 2012 was said to have fruited in 2011 at the nursery.

In 2012 I get masses of flowers, which all dropped (or were taken off by the pigeons?), so no fruit.
This year it didn't even flower, and the foliage mostly shriveled up not long after it leafed out. It's now been smothered by other things and I'm thinking of getting rid of it to make room for something more attractive.

[Kristen]

This year it didn't even flower, and the foliage mostly shriveled up not long after it leafed out.

Sounds like a victim of the cold spring? RHS says "Young shoots are extremely vulnerable to frost damage in the spring and may require protection."
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/pro ... px?pid=600

[otorongo]

This year it didn't even flower, and the foliage mostly shriveled up not long after it leafed out.

Sounds like a victim of the cold spring? RHS says "Young shoots are extremely vulnerable to frost damage in the spring and may require protection."
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/pro ... px?pid=600

Our last frost date this year was earlier than last year. It even put out leaves in May, maybe even June, and then kind of gave up.

[Kristen]

Our last frost date this year was earlier than last year. It even put out leaves in May, maybe even June, and then kind of gave up.

I suspect the cold would have been enough, even without a frost?

[Leigh]

Got a Kiwi growing (smothering) the boundary fence at the Fishing club just round the corner from me, that reliably sets fruit every year, it is growing on a south facing aspect but it has been there 20 + years and I suspect it is in fact two plants male and female. Shame of it is no one bothers to pick the fruit any more !!!

[huporhaha]

I have a self fertile Jenny and both male and female others - (Issai. Ken's Red and Maskulino) - Too far north to fruit for me I'm afraid but this year they have had some lovely lush leaves this year - Jenny is the least impressive. Issai and Ken's Red have put on a fair amount of leaf this year - I suppose I can dream of fruit.

[Chad]

This year it reached about 8 foot in height and had loads of pale yellow flowers but no fruit.

That is very small for what is usually a rampant vine.

Is it in the soil or a pot?

Are you prunning it hard to keep it that size? They usually flower close to last years wood and prunning to keep it in bounds but flowering and not just trying to regrow the bits cut off is an art. Good instructions here. If you have the space they can run rampant and then fruit without care, but if you need it kept in check you need to prune with care.

If it was hard prunned it may flower but then abort the fruit if it tries to grow too vigerously.

Was the suppier of the plant reputable?

If it is a male or a female on its own you won't [as everyone else has said] get fruit.

They are difficult to 'sex'. Male and flowers look the same but are functionally male or female [functionally dioecious rather than morphologically dioecious].

Chad.

[miketropic]

I have been trying to get some kiwi vines for awhile over here but its always the males you find never the females at the DIY store. I am going to order some for the new place though.