Edible Landscaping in Afton, VA (zone 7a) has multiple varieties of Kiwi established. They fruit heavily, and the sell them as suitable f...Read Moreor zones 7-9.
despite the fact that other vines grow abundantly here in my South Florida garden (jasmines, passifloras, sweet potatoes), kiwi is suffer...Read Moreing for some reason and refuses to grow. The leaves look dried and half-dead, new growth in a year is almost none. There is no insect infestation of any kind, the plant just doesn't like something. I wish it talked to me!
One of the plants in the pot (they sell as male+female) died so I have no idea whether I'm left with a female or a male plant... I just will try to amend the soil and see if it makes any difference. I already tried a sunny spot according to instructions on the plant, which my kiwi didn't like at all; when I planted it in semi-shade it took, but then went back into a miserable state of being. I just hope I figure out the mystery before it's too late....
There's a plant growing on a fence in the Arnold Arboretum (Boston Z6a), though I don't know how old it is.
It used to be ...Read Morecalled "Chinese gooseberry", but it couldn't be successfully marketed under that name in the USA during the Cold War. A marketer for the New Zealand growers tried calling it "kiwi fruit", and the rest is history.
The hardier species (A. arguta, A. polygama, A. kolomikta) have fruit that's just as tasty and doesn't need to be peeled.
Santa Barbara, CA (Zone 10a) | July 2010 | negative
Here's another plant that didn't make it in our area. I'm not sure why exactly, but suspect our soil was too alkaline and dry, as the oth...Read Moreer Californian said.
I don't actualy grow this plant but a neighbor 1/8 mile down the road has 6 vines and they are HUGE! It fruits profusely producing at le...Read Moreast 50 lbs a vine. The taste is something you can only dream of.
Kiwifruit are delicious. Or Chinese Gooseberry is what we used to call them in New Zealand before the growers made the fruit more commerc...Read Moreial.
Cut lengthways and scoop flesh out with spoon. Eat there and then or add to a fruit salad. Or leave fruit whole and peel away the fuzzy skin, slice into rounds and add to the top of a creamed sponge cake - wow, now that was a huge piece of New Zealand culture when I was growing up.
I can't imagine these plants will grow, let alone fruit in dry and drought conditions, maybe in pots if you keep the water up to them.
Here some people call it "chinese strawberry", and it was its commercial name before they started calling it Kiwi. It´s similar to a str...Read Moreawberry in taste (well... not entirely, but one can associate both tastes). The only weird thing is the fuzzy peel that has to be removed. I personaly like to cut the fruit in a half and eat the pulp with a spoom without peeling it. Also gives a good touch to fruit salads. Not my favorite fruit, but I give it a OK.
Our balance up to this moment is rather negative since we live in the desert-like area and are impatient. I was hoping to get fruit from ...Read Moremy 3 females (& 1 male) Vincent vine but so far only got nice wild growth (new fuzzy pinkish shoots are very nice). I am also careful not to prune it in spring as that would produce a lot of sap drip.
I have fought several adversary conditions
a) time - literature says that one has to be patient for about 5 years b) water - kiwis need abundant water and that is a problem east fo San Diego - every year our plants suffer a drought shock (without giving us a proper timely warning). ALthough we water them often in a sudden heat wave or after a little bit of watering delay their leaves droop, dry at the ends and finally drop off. THis happened this year and we successfully revived the vines. c) snails - young plants when first planted were almost destroyed by snails (fat least cats whom literature warns against are not fascinated by our kiwis) d) soil is rather alkaline here and on top of that, COlorado river is also fairly salty - combination of these factors may also cause some of the dry tips problems which we used to assign to lack of humidity. So far, in the 3rd or 4ht year I saw one (1) whitish female bloom and that was it, 2 years later no more sighting.
Well, I will add acid to the soil, more water and hope. WOuld be curious to hear about success of other people. :-)
Edible Landscaping in Afton, VA (zone 7a) has multiple varieties of Kiwi established. They fruit heavily, and the sell them as suitable f...Read More
despite the fact that other vines grow abundantly here in my South Florida garden (jasmines, passifloras, sweet potatoes), kiwi is suffer...Read More
There's a plant growing on a fence in the Arnold Arboretum (Boston Z6a), though I don't know how old it is.
It used to be ...Read More
Here's another plant that didn't make it in our area. I'm not sure why exactly, but suspect our soil was too alkaline and dry, as the oth...Read More
I don't actualy grow this plant but a neighbor 1/8 mile down the road has 6 vines and they are HUGE! It fruits profusely producing at le...Read More
Kiwifruit are delicious. Or Chinese Gooseberry is what we used to call them in New Zealand before the growers made the fruit more commerc...Read More
Here some people call it "chinese strawberry", and it was its commercial name before they started calling it Kiwi. It´s similar to a str...Read More
Our balance up to this moment is rather negative since we live in the desert-like area and are impatient. I was hoping to get fruit from ...Read More