Hortiforum

General Info – Kiwifruit, Fuzzy Kiwifruit, Chinese Gooseberry

Native to the mountains of Southern China, the Kiwifruit, or Chinese Gooseberry, is easily cultivated in a range of temperate climates and produces an abundance of furry, brown skinned fruits with a delicious sweet and tangy emerald green flesh.
Although now widely known as Kiwifruit or Kiwi due to their initial widespread cultivation and export from New Zealand, the Kiwifruit was first cultivated in its native China and was known as the Chinese Gooseberry for its Gooseberry-like flavour. Kiwifruit ripens between autumn and early winter, after many other temperate plants have finished fruiting, thus providing a welcome source of fresh fruit at an otherwise bare time. The sub-acid to sweet fruits have a delicious, juicy green pulp that is eaten fresh and used in various desserts from fruit salads to topping pavlovas. Fruits can also be added to make a healthy juice or smoothie, being rich in Vitamin C, Potassium and Calcium. The common green varieties are often more acidic than the sweet golden varieties, which can also be easily grown at home.
Kiwifruit vines thrives in temperate climates with cold winters and long, warm summers that allow fruits ample times to ripen and sweeten. Most Kiwifruit cultivars require medium to high chill hours, which can make them unsuitable for subtropical climates, although relatively low-chill cultivars such as Dexter, Sweet and Bruno are available and viable choices. In subtropical climates, the related and hardy Kiwiberry is an excellent alternative. Vines prefer an acidic, well-draining but moist loam soil and a full-sun position, sheltered from harsh winds. While they can tolerate some light shade, as they naturally grow in shady areas, they fruit best in full sun and should always be provided full sun if possible. Water vines well throughout flowering and fruiting and mulch well throughout the year. Alkaline or saline soils are not tolerated, and plants should be protected from salt-laden winds. Kiwifruit vines are dioecious, meaning that female and male flowers are borne on separate plants. Effective pollination requires the presence of both male and female plants, with one male plant able to pollinate up to six female plants.
Kiwifruit form a climbing, deciduous vine or shrub, best trained along a supporting structure such as a trellis or arbor to help determine its form and size. Vigorous and lush, Kiwifruit vines can be used to cover walls, fences or pergolas. The foliage consists of large, oval green leaves borne densely, while the flowers are creamy to pale-yellow and sweetly scented. Pruning can be performed in late winter, aiming to cut branches back to two or three fruiting spurs on one-year-old growth. Kiwifruit can also be pruned in summer to manage overcrowding due to the vine’s vigorous nature.
As an excellent season extender for temperate climates, a vigorous grower, and a bountiful producer, a kiwifruit vine is a valuable addition to any temperate garden.

Plant Profile/Properties