Photo: Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez (Lmbuga) Copyright: GFDL (GNU Free Documentation License) Publicada por/Publish by: Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez — CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Survives zone 7 through 9
Sweet, aromatic; kiwiberries eaten whole.
- Hardiness
- Zone 7 to 9
- Habit
- Vine
- Edible part
- Fruit
- Ripens
- Late Aug–Oct
- Mature size
- Vigorous vine, strong trellis; container short-term only
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 5.0–6.5 (slightly acid)
- Environment
- Subtropical forest
- Status
- Cultivated
- Years to fruit
- 3–5 yrs
- Pollination
- DIOECIOUS — needs male and female plants
Growing guide
Fertilizing. Moderately heavy feeder — apply a balanced fertilizer split between early spring (before growth starts) and after fruit set in June, increasing the annual amount as the vine matures; potassium is particularly important for fruit quality.
How it spreads. Not a colonizer, but an extremely vigorous woody vine (20–30 ft of new growth per season) that will overrun any support or nearby planting without a strong, permanent structure and annual pruning.
Growing tips. Requires a sturdy trellis or arbor built to carry a mature vine's weight and up to roughly 45 kg of fruit; prune hard during winter dormancy since fruit forms on the previous season's wood; watch for bacterial canker (Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae) and root rot in poorly drained soil.