Scott thanks for taking your time to start this new fruit forum. I got a some dormant hard kiwis that I trying to root. Has anyone able to root dormant kiwis cuttings?
Tony
Hi Tony,
I just stuck some dormant prunings from one hardy kiwi vine in the ground late last winter, not really even expecting anything, but I had a couple that I’m pretty sure rooted and one that made it all the way through the year. I’m sure there are much better ways to propagate kiwis, but I did have at least a little success with my super easy/lazy approach. Hopefully someone else can give you more useful advice, but perhaps my experience would also be of some interest to you.
Eric
Welcome aboard Tony!
I once tried to root hardy kiwi with dormant cuttings and they failed. Someone sent me some kiwi cuttings this winter and I decided I would try again, this time I am rooting them like figs - wrap in paper towel, put in baggie and leave in area at 85F or so. I just looked and I see some rootlets developing. So I am getting optimistic this will work. I don’t use rooting hormone, just heat and moisture.
Scott
Scott & cousin.
Thanks for the reply. I will try both methodS and crossed my fingers. Scott plz update me down the road with your baggie Result.
Tony
Scott
Can you go over your baggie method for rooting.
I used to do baggie method for Fig but that was 6 years ago. Just didn’t want to miss a step. Thx.
Tony
Tony, just dampen some paper towels and roll up the cuttings in them and put in a baggie at 85F or so. Check periodically for mold, and possibly treat beforehand with bleach or copper to keep it down. The main trick is getting the temperature right. This time I am using my laser temperature gun (which I bought for something else) to measure the temps, you can see the temps at different spots very easily with that.
Scott
I started several last year. Late last winter, I noticed a bad spot on my Chang Bai vine. I’m not sure if it was from damage, or disease (almost looked like bacterial canker, but not sure if kiwi get canker). Anyway, the lower part of the vine near the ground was completely dead, but a scratch test higher up confirmed the plant was still alive. I took several cuttings, dipped them in root stimulator and put them in small pots with potting soil. Almost all of them rooted. I took a couple of the strongest plants and replanted them back in the ground. All were still dormant when I took the cuttings. I did start them in my greenhouse, so they leafed out faster than they normally would have. So yes, you can definitely start kiwis from dormant cuttings.
Thank you all. I am glad to hear some good results of rooting dormant hardy kiwis.
Tony
Oh, and just to add, I had previously read, and my experience confirmed, that cuttings about the diameter of a pencil work best. The smaller ones didn’t root, and I didn’t have any that were bigger than a pencil. I think all the pencil sized ones produced roots. FYI.
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