Growing kiwi from seeds
How to grow kiwi from seed – for the most delicious fruits
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Learning how to grow kiwi from seed, and bringing it to fruition, will be a source of great pride. It won't be a quick process, but if you are patient, you will be rewarded with the most heavenly tasting fruit that is rich in vitamins and antioxidants.
Kiwis are packed with more vitamin C than oranges, so will boost your immune system. They are also believed to have a positive effect on digestion and heart health, while being low in natural sugar. This makes them a great addition to your kitchen garden ideas.
‘Kiwi fruit vines are vigorous, hardy and easy to grow,’ says Period Living's gardening expert Leigh Clapp. ‘They need plenty of space on a strong support structure and will take three to five years to fruit.’
Bear in mind that most kiwis require both a male and a female plant to produce fruit, so you will ultimately need more than one plant unless you want to enjoy them purely for their lovely flowers and vines.
(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)
How to grow kiwi from seed
Growing kiwi from seed is not widely considered the best method of propagation, as the new plants will not be true to type – or, in other words, they won’t be exactly the same as the plant you took the seed from. Therefore, taking softwood cuttings in the spring is a much more reliable method of recreating an existing variety.
However, growing kiwi from seed is how growers create new cultivars, so it's a fun experiment. The plants make attractive features, and you might even create your own award-worthy variety.
Kiwi plants are best grown in a sunny sheltered spot, but are somewhat shade tolerant – although you won’t get as much fruit. ‘You could try kiwis on north-facing walls or spaces with less sunlight,’ says Clapp.
You can start off your seeds at any time, but ideally sow them in the fall for spring planting.
- Choose a well-ripened, ideally organic, kiwi fruit.
- Scoop out the pulp and separate the seeds.
You may find you can easily remove and rinse them off, but a reliable method is to put the pulp in a blender with water, and blend for a few seconds. The seeds should then be easy to separate and rinse in a sieve. - Either sprinkle the seeds over a tray of moist sand and cover with a plastic lid, or scatter them on a damp paper towel, which you should then place in a clear ziplock bag in a warm spot.
- The seeds should germinate within around two weeks.
- Transfer the sprouted seeds into small pots containing well-drained potting mix. If using the paper towel method, you can tear and plant small pieces, to avoid disturbing the seedlings.
- Keep the seedlings on a warm, sunny windowsill, or in a greenhouse.
- After 3-4 months, harden off the plants and either plant them outside in larger pots or into a garden bed. If it is winter, then it’s best to wait until spring to do this. They should ultimately be spaced at least 10ft apart.
- Kiwis like slightly acidic, fertile soil, so add organic matter before planting.
- As vine plants, kiwis will require training as they grow, so make sure you have good vegetable garden trellis ideas to support them. They grow very well as an espalier or overhead on a pergola.
- Mulch the plants annually – but keep it away from the plant base – and apply a general purpose fertilizer in the spring.
- Prune in winter, cutting back up to a third of the oldest branches to a bud close to the main stem, which will then produce new growth.
- Kiwis are vigorous plants, so also require summer pruning and pinching to keep them in check and allow the plants to focus on fruit production.
- Water well in warm weather, and ensure the soil doesn’t dry out in the growing season. However, the roots don’t like to soak in water, which is why free-draining soil is essential.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
How many plants do I need?
As kiwi fruit relies on male to female pollination, you will require at least one male and one female plant, though one male is enough for every 6-8 female plants.
However, you won’t be able to identify the plants’ gender until they begin to bear flowers, which won’t happen in the first couple of years.
Female kiwi plants have blooms with long sticky stigmas coming out of their center, and white ovaries at the flower base. Male plants, meanwhile, are filled with pollen-covered anthers.
Once the plants have begun to flower, ensure each female is planted within 50 feet of a male, then let nature take care of the rest.
Which variety to grow?
Hayward is a popular variety for its quality and flavor. But you could also try Tormuri, Abbot, Brodie and Atlas – the males of which pollinate with any variety.
You can also choose between a common or golden kiwi variety, which have different flavors. Golden kiwis are more frost hardy.
Self fertilizing varieties are beginning to come onto the market, but the fruit is not as strong as with traditional varieties. If you only have room for one kiwi vine, try Jenny.
For something different, try mini – or cocktail kiwis.
'Mini kiwis are far sweeter than the furry brown fruits you buy in the shops,' says Alex Mitchell in Crops in Tight Spots . 'They produce small sweet fruits the size of large grapes, which can be eaten skin and all in early fall.'
Cocktail kiwis are very frost hardy and will grow happily in a generous pot, adding an exotic touch to the patio.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Growing kiwi fruit in pots
Kiwi fruit can grow very well in pots and grow bags, so make an excellent addition to a container vegetable garden.
While initially the pot size can be quite modest, you will need to pot on the plants as they grow. Ultimately, aim for a container size of at least 40 gallons.
How long does it take to grow kiwi from seeds?
While it only takes a couple of weeks to germinate kiwi seeds, to get to the stage where the plants produce fruit takes a minimum of 3 years, and could be as long as 6-7 years.
How do you germinate kiwi seeds?
To germinate kiwi seeds, you can either sow them into sand, well-drained potting mix, or on damp kitchen paper.
Keep them moist and they should germinate within a couple of weeks.
What climate do kiwis grow in?
Kiwi plants are a versatile fruit, but they aren’t grown commercially in a huge number of locations. ‘Kiwi fruit originated in China and then was brought to New Zealand, the land of the kiwis,’ says Jordan Champagne in It Starts with Fruit .
‘It was in the 1970s that the first kiwi fruit crop was harvested in the United States in California, which is the only place in the United States where kiwis grow.’
Kiwis can be grown at home in many locations around the world, and are frost hardy, although they will struggle in very cold climates.
As editor of Period Living, Britain's best-selling period homes magazine, Melanie loves the charm of older properties. I live in a rural village just outside the Cotswolds in England, so am lucky to be surrounded by beautiful homes and countryside, where I enjoy exploring. Having worked in the industry for almost two decades, Melanie is interested in all aspects of homes and gardens.
Her previous roles include working on Real Homes and Homebuilding & Renovating, and she has also contributed to Gardening Etc. She has an English degree and has also studied interior design. Melanie frequently writes for Homes & Gardens about property restoration and gardening.
How to Grow Kiwi From Store Bought Kiwi Fruit!
You can grow kiwi fruit from store-bought kiwi and enjoy the process if you have a little patience.
Growing kiwi from seed is not complicated but it will take between 3 to 5 years before you can take a bite into your home-grown kiwi fruit.
Don’t despair though, there’s plenty to enjoy until your first fruit harvest.
Kiwi’s are beautiful landscape vines!
Before I share instructions on growing kiwi from seed, I want to fawn over the beauty that is the kiwi vine.
Yes, kiwis are vining plants, although some of you may have envisioned a kiwi tree.
From a purely ornamental perspective, kiwi vines (especially the male kiwi) have soft, velvety, large, almost heart-shaped leaves.
The new stem growth can range from dark green to a luscious burgundy red, depending on the variety.
During the spring, both male and female kiwi vines bear prolific, white (sometimes creme-to-pale-yellow) flowers that, when fertilized, become the kiwi fruit.
The male flower is charged with pollinating the female flower and is equipped with pollen-heavy stamens that attract the “birds and the bees!”
The female flower has stamens though they are sterile and cannot pollinate themselves.
Upon close inspection, you can see the ovule and stigma whose “sticky disposition” helps hold the pollen.
Long story short, the kiwi vine makes a gorgeous landscape plant whether or not it ever bears any fruit!
Give the kiwi a strong support system and lots of room to grow as it can grow up to 30 feet long and will become extremely heavy.
I demonstrated how to grow kiwi from seed on the Home & Family show recently.
Here’s a recap of the information I shared along with some photos.
How to Grow Kiwi From Store Bought Fruit Seed
(Actinidia deliciosa)
Where do you get kiwi seeds?
Take a look inside the kiwi fruit.
See all the black seeds?
These are the seeds that you use to grow more kiwi plants.
There are hundreds of them and each of them are a potential new plant.
Buy kiwi fruit labeled “organic” at the store for stronger seed stock.
How many kiwi fruit grows from one plant?
A mature kiwi vine can produce more than 200 pounds of fruit.
One hundred or more pounds are possible from a single cold-hardy variety kiwi plant.
How to harvest and prepare the Kiwi seeds for planting:
1. Remove seeds from Kiwi fruit.
2. Place kiwi seeds and water in small blender to separate gooey membrane from seeds.
3. Wash seeds in sink using colander.
4. Places seeds on damp paper towel and insert into a plastic ziploc.
5. Place in a warm spot.
6. Check daily until you see that the seeds have sprouted. Make sure the paper towel stays moist at all times.
7. Tear paper towel into small pieces and plant a couple of the sprouted seedlings that are stuck to it into a small pot.
STAGE 1 – Several tiny kiwi plants in one pot starting to grow
There are many plants that are growing from the small spouts we planted in the container.
You can see tiny leaves.
Up to this point the plant was drawing from the stored energy in the seed to grow.
At this point I separated the little plants and placed two in each pot.
STAGE 2 – Kiwi plant is separated 2 per pot
At this stage, it will take about 3 weeks for the kiwi plants to grow more leaves and rely on photosynthesis or energy from sun to continue growing.
The plants need plenty of light and consistent moisture.
Shows STAGE 3 – 1 large plant per pot
When the plants start growing more leaves, I move them into individual pots because they will begin to grow fast!
Start fertilizing them with “starter fertilizer” to boost their nutrition.
STAGE 4 – 2 large, mature Kiwi vines – one is male the other is a female plant
When plants have grown this big, it’s a significant time because they will begin to flower and you can see if it is a “male” or “female” plant.
To grow Kiwi fruit, the female plant needs to be pollinated by the male plant.
Nature will take care of this, but you have to make sure you have at least 1 male plant for every 5 female plants for successful pollination.
Only female kiwi plants bear fruit.
The male plant only assists!
How can you tell from the flower which is male and which is female?
Male flowers produce pollen from the many stamens.
Female flowers have a well-developed ovary with long sticky stigmas in the center to hold the pollen.
Fun Facts About Growing Kiwi
“How long do you have to wait for first Kiwi fruits?”
3-4 years
“Can you grow Kiwi in cold areas?”
Yes. Cold hardy varieties can take 10-degree winter.
“What month do you harvest Kiwi fruit?”
September-October
“How big does one vine get?”
30 feet long!
Do you have any questions about growing kiwi?
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Kiwi from seeds: the secrets of growing on the windowsill
Sat, 23/05/2015 - 09:59 | Comments: 0 | Author: OLCHUKS
Houseplant lovers can decorate the window sill in the house not only with the usual decorative crops, but also with fruit-bearing exotics: citrus fruits, creepers, etc. One of the types of tropical plants that you can try to grow on the windowsill is kiwi.
Its second name is Chinese gooseberry, it is a heat-loving vine, which can create quite suitable conditions for growth. How to grow kiwi from seeds with your own hands?
Contents:
- Peculiarities of growing kiwi fruit
- Germination of kiwi seeds at home
- Growing Kiwifruit: Basic Rules
- Important conditions for a good harvest
Features of growing kiwi
Kiwi is a dioecious plant, so if you want to get fruit, you need at least two plants - male and female. They will not begin to bear fruit soon: usually kiwi blooms only in the sixth year after seed germination.
It is possible to determine whether a plant is male or female only after flowering, so it is advisable to plant several vines for optimal results. As a seed material, you can take seeds from ordinary ripe fruits, which are now sold in stores in any city.
All varieties are suitable for growing at home, so seeds can be taken from both "fluffy" and "bald" fruits.
Kiwi is one of the distant relatives of grapes, and they need approximately the same conditions: plants need a lot of light and heat, so they are best placed on the windowsill in the southern part of the house or apartment.
The best time to germinate seeds is early spring. The germination of seeds depends on this, so it is better not to delay planting. In nature, kiwi grows in a zone with a long warm summer, and the task of a home gardener is to create the most comfortable conditions for him.
Germination of kiwi seeds at home
To obtain planting material, you need:
- Take half a ripe kiwi fruit, you need to extract about 20 seeds from it. They must be completely freed from the pulp, otherwise the seeds in the ground may begin to rot.
- For washing, the seeds are placed in gauze and washed with running water. Washing is desirable to carry out several times in order to remove the pulp as much as possible.
- Spread clean seeds on a saucer and dry for several hours.
- Next, you need to germinate them, for this you need to do the following:
- A cotton wool is placed in a saucer, which must be moistened with hot water, seeds must be laid on it. At the same time, there should not be a lot of water, it should only saturate the cotton wool well.
The saucer should be placed in a sunny area and covered with foil to create a draft-proof mini-greenhouse. At night, the film is removed, and in the morning it is necessary to moisten the cotton wool again and return the film to its place. The first sprouts of kiwi seeds will give in about a week.
As soon as thin white roots appear, the plants need to be transplanted into the ground.
The best soil mixture will be peat, humus, sand and sod in equal proportions. Seeds should be placed in small individual pots, they are placed on the surface of the soil and sprinkled with a thin layer of earth.
It does not need to be compacted, otherwise it will be difficult for the plant to break through to the surface. The soil must be sprayed every day so that it is constantly moistened. Additional protection from drying out can be provided by installing a mini-greenhouse made of a cut plastic bottle above the pots of earth.
Kiwi Growing Basic Rules
Repotting into larger containers is done when the plant has a few pairs of true leaves, and the soil should contain less peat and more soddy soil. When growing young plants, it is important to create conditions for them that are as close to natural as possible, then it will be possible to achieve healthy rapid growth.
Basic requirements for kiwifruit:
- Overdrying of the earthy clod must not be allowed, so uniform watering must be ensured. In order not to damage the plants and to ensure constant moistening of the entire surface of the earth, it is better to use a sprinkler rather than a conventional watering can.
You can pre-calculate the exact number of times the sprayer is pressed so that the amount of water is the same with each watering. - Kiwi requires a long daylight hours, so the pots should be placed on the southern windowsills. If there is not enough natural light, daylight hours can be extended with a fluorescent lamp. Winter lighting is best placed in a horizontal direction.
- Organic compounds are used as top dressing: biohumus is required, or compost can be used. Normally, organic top dressing should be carried out once a year if nutrient soil is used for planting. In order for the plant to constantly receive nutrients, a trench can be dug around the grown sprout, after which fertilizers are laid in it. During watering, they will gradually flow to the roots, ensuring healthy growth.
- In addition, in the summer, the plant is provided with complex mineral fertilizer: top dressing will be required approximately once a week or once every 10 days.
- In order for the vine to be strong, it is necessary to periodically pinch the top: this stimulates the appearance of lateral processes.
- Kiwi has wide leaves, so each plant requires a separate pot so that they do not block each other's sunlight. Sprouts are drawn out quite quickly, usually re-transplantation is carried out within 4 weeks after the appearance of the first leaves.
Important conditions for a good harvest
Liana needs proper placement. It takes up quite a lot of space, so an insulated balcony will be the best place to grow it. It is necessary to organize a support for her, along which the liana can climb up, it can be made to frame the balcony window so that it looks beautiful. The total length of each vine can reach 7 meters.
To obtain fruits, flowers must be pollinated: in nature, this work is done by bees and bumblebees, in greenhouse and indoor conditions, the owner must take care of pollination.
If it turns out that there are too many male plants, buds from the female ones can be grafted onto them to get fruit.
To get a good harvest, you need 1 male plant for 5-6 female ones, so if the ratio is wrong, it is better to transplant the "eyes". They take root quite well, so the method will increase the yield.
Leaves should be constantly inspected to:
- Early detection of fungus and cleaning of leaf blades.
- Kiwifruit can become infected by pests from other houseplants, so inspections should be carried out as often as possible, and plants should be kept away from other houseplants if possible.
- In autumn, it is desirable to remove old shoots: if the branches of the vine have already given fruit, it is better to remove them. This will make room for new shoots, and the vine will not age: this will allow it to bear fruit for many years.
If kiwifruit is grown on a veranda or on an uninsulated balcony, care must be taken to protect the creeper from the cold in winter. After pruning, the shoots are removed from the trellises, they need to be wrapped up so that they can safely survive the cold period.
In the spring, after waking up, they will actively produce young sprouts.
Growing kiwi fruit on your own is not as difficult as it might seem. The Chinese gooseberry is not a very whimsical culture, and it is quite possible to create suitable conditions for it at home. This will surprise guests with delicious fruits, which for many still remain overseas exotic.
More information about planting kiwi seedlings can be found in the video.
Category: Growing | Kiwi
Gardener's advice on how to grow kiwi from seeds at home, photo
Kiwi is a very useful tropical fruit containing a record amount of vitamin C and other biologically active substances. Until recently, this exotic fruit was a rarity on store shelves.
Now you can not only buy it in any vegetable department, but also easily grow it at home. Today I want to share my own experience of growing kiwi fruit from seeds; tell how to get high-quality seed, plant seeds correctly and care for seedlings.
Home-grown kiwifruit
Growing kiwi at home is not an easy, but rather exciting, interesting process. It should be noted that the Chinese gooseberry (as kiwi is popularly called) refers to dioecious plants. That is, in order to get a crop of fruits, you will need both a male and a female plant. Kiwi blossoms 3-4 years after seed germination. Then it will be possible to determine the sex of the crop, so I recommend planting as many seeds as possible - 25-30 pieces.
When to plant and how to choose kiwi seeds
Almost all varieties of kiwi grow and develop well in room conditions. But from my experience I will say that high-yielding and early-growing Hayward, Abbott, Bruno are best suited for growing at home.
The optimal time for sowing seeds to obtain highly productive seedlings is from March to May. It is during this period that the highest germination of seeds is observed.
When choosing kiwi fruit for seeds in the store, give preference to a fully ripe fruit. It should be soft, even, without obvious defects and mechanical damage.
We receive and prepare seeds for sowing
When you get home, wash the fruit thoroughly and cut it into two pieces. Carefully remove the skin from one half. Mash the pulp with a fork and send it to a glass or mug with warm water for settling. After 10-15 minutes, rinse the contents of the glass several times - the pulp will disappear, and the seeds will remain floating on the surface.
How to Properly Obtain Kiwi Seeds
Remove the washed bones from the water, put on paper. Then leave in a dry, warm place for 2-4 hours, until completely dry. After this time, wrap the seeds in a damp cloth and place on a saucer. Cover the plate with cling film and send to a warm place for one week.
Thus, you will create a mini-greenhouse for germinating seeds. During this period, dampen the cloth regularly, preventing it from drying out. And at night, lift or even remove the film from the saucer. In a week, if everything is done according to my recommendations, the seeds will give the first sprouts.
Preparing the ground
The next step in growing kiwi from seeds is the purchase of planting containers and soil. It is better to take a long pot - it will be easier to take care of young plants. The soil can be prepared independently from peat, humus, sand and turf in equal proportions, or you can buy it in a specialized store, as I did. In any case, the soil mixture must be disinfected - kept in a water bath for two hours.
Sowing kiwi seeds in flower pots
We sow
Sow seeds in the following sequence:
- Spread expanded clay on the bottom of the pot, a layer of 3-4 cm;
- fill the container with soil and level;
- at a distance of 5 cm, make holes 5-10 mm deep and put 3 seeds in each;
- Carefully backfill the holes with soil.
Pour the plantings abundantly with warm water, cover with a film; - place the pot on the south side window. So you will provide the plants with the amount of light and heat necessary for their normal growth and development.
Lift the film daily and spray the soil with water from a spray bottle. If you do not water, the earth will dry out and the sprouts will die.
Taking care of seedlings
The first shoots should appear in 3-6 days after sowing the seeds. When the seedlings form a real leaf, discard weak and unnecessary specimens. Continue to water the plants twice a week using only settled water. In winter - during a period of slow growth, reduce the number of waterings to 2-3 per month.
Growth and development of kiwi fruit at different stages at home
In order for the plants to have a sufficient area for full development, do not forget to thin them out. It is better to do this at the initial stages, when the sprouts can simply be pulled out of the soil.
