Hi all, I’ve grown hardy kiwi (Geneva (F), Ananasnaya (F), and Vitikiwi (an Issai variety), all with Weiki males. Those wanting to grow hardy kiwi for commercial purposes, I suggest finding Geneva-3 varieties…they are the sweetest varieties available, but nurseries don’t have the distinction of Geneva-3s.
This new kiwi that I hear can grow on the east coast ( Saanichton) is very interesting to me. If anyone can clone green cuttings for me via an aeroponic cloner, I am willing to pay for them. Kiwis (hardy or otherwise) are very simple to clone from green cuttings via aeroponic cloners. As for the male pollinator for the Saanichton, what options does one have?
My pilot project of the hardy kiwis was in zone 5b, at 1,750 m elevation (5,740 ft), with a very humid/rainy climate. I would be interested in growing the yellow kiwis if possible too…but I don’t know if it’ll survive till -25 C (-13 F).
I seriously doubt that Saanichton or any of the yellow kiwis can survive in zone 5b. They might hang on and resprout from the roots, but likely would rarely fruit without some serious protection. Most of the yellow kiwis are hardy to around -20 C (-5F), but I would not expect much more than that under the best conditions.
I may have some hybrids ready for testing in 2-3 years, that are (hardy kiwi x yellow) x yellow. The F1 hybrids are less hardy than either parent, but I’m hoping some of the backcrosses will be hardier than the yellows.
@Kiwinut, do you have any pictures of your yellows (chinesis) x argutas? I always buy the Zespri Gold kiwis @ our local supermarkets here in SoCal, they are much much better than the green (fuzzy) kiwis. What hardy kiwi variety did you cross with?
The problem with the hardy kiwis (argutas) is that the skin contains calcium oxolate (which is also the source of many of the vitamins/minerals of the kiwiberries), but that skin leaves a minor (unpleasant) aftertaste…after you savor the sweetness. Currently there is no official “commercial” variety of the fruit, which is not good…considering all the combinations that could be tried and perfected for a more superior variety.
The hardy kiwi parent is Kens Red. The hybrid is not nearly as vigorous as the yellows, but it is a fertile female that produced a fruit with many seeds. Fruit was about 35 grams with smooth green skin. Unfortunately, I did not get to taste it before the heat got it.
Ken’s Red argutas are a nightmare to manage. They fall off the vine @ different times and are just a headache in general. It would have been better if you could breed with a Geneva variety kiwiberry… They are both vigorous and delicious, with a normal shape (not the elongated types).
Do you have a picture of the inside of that berry? I’m curious to see if it took on the yellow or not.
The fruit dropped and shriveled in the heat before I was able to collect it. I had it bagged, so I would not lose it. The flesh was yellow but I’m not sure if that was due to the drying, or the actual color when ripe. There are reports of a couple of similar hybrids that had green flesh, but there are too few to know if green is dominant. Smooth, green skin does appear to be dominant.
Those look interesting. Keep us (me) updated on them. Did it look like they would need peeled? What provided pollen?
I too am looking to expand my kiwi collection if you get a chance to propagate a few. Will pay for it all.
If that cross is successful you should be able to sell its rights for a good bit of money.
While on this topic, as a future (God-willing) commercial kiwiberry grower, I was looking at using ALL of the byproducts of kiwiberry plants, aside from the fruit. There is a lot of wood generated in the vines, that need to be pruned every winter vigorously. I was thinking this wood could be minced and then pelletized, offering sustainable burning capabilities for heating ovens (during winters).
Also, the leaves of actinidia arguta have beneficial chemicals in them that are anti-inflammatory. People in Korea use them in recipes, but you can also draw oil out of the leaves, or dry them to make a tea out of them.
So aside from the fruits, any grower can utilize the other aspects of argutas to their benefit. It’s a great fruit, but just wish these varieties can get commercialized.
@Kiwinut, if you feel you have something good going with your hybrid, please let me know if we can purchase some softwood cuttings to propogate. There is an industry yearning for the best kiwiberry varieties that all growers can get behind (think Hayward for fuzzies or Sungold for yellows in NZ). We need the same type of “standard” for kiwiberries.
@HYEMP3KING, this hybrid is definitely breeding material only. It’s not very vigorous, so not much wood. I will be getting some dormant wood to graft in a couple of other places to make sure I don’t lose it.
Ideally, it needs to be back crossed to a tetraploid A. chinensis male. I have two seedling males that I have determined are triploid. They are fertile, but not the best choice, since most offspring are aneuploid. I’m trying to locate a tet male, but there may not be any in the USA, unless the AU Tiger turns out to be a tet. Everyone should be growing some Sungold seeds, so we can fix this ;-).
And Saanichton is quite cold hardy. I’m growing it for 6 years in Silver Spring MD in zone 7a. We have two very cold winters with temperature at some nights below 0 F°! It survived and is fruiting every year.
And the biggest plus: squirrels are not interested in fuzzy kiwi fruits. They destroy smaller hardy kiwi crops.
That is so good to hear. I am starting about five categories of fuzzy Kiwi in Ellicott city, but they’ve only survived last winter which was very mild by our standards.What else are you growing in this area? I have figs, persimmons, goumi, Che, And I have less success with other things such as plums and pears.
Good evening,
Yes, it sounds familiar. So far I had zero success with peaches, my plums are not in a sunny enough spot. I had some fruits on pluot trees, but many were damaged, apparently by weevils.
I have one apricot tree and it is producing a little bit of apricots. They are tasty and, unlike peaches, insects do not destroy them. Even squirrels so far did not eat them. Not sure - why
This summer I somehow got a lot of fruits on a six year old Leprechaun Dwarf Nectarine tree. I did not thin them out - that was a mistake. One large branch broke, it also began dropping fruits. I managed to pick a lot of half-ripe fruits and to make preserves (jam).
The easiest fruits to grow in our area are definitely persimmons. They are my favorite.
I also have figs and goumi. I have Che, but it is located in semi-shade area and not producing. That is my main problem: our yard is too small and only half of it is sunny.
Fuzzy kiwi vines seem to become more cold hardy with years. Their trunks are really thick and woody now. They require heavy pruning every winter (a lot of work) and during the summer grow with unbelievable speed.
Another vine type which I like even more are muscadines. I began to grow them six years ago as well. It turned out, they are fully cold-hardy for our area, do not have any diseases (no spraying is necessary), insects do not damage them. Fruits are wonderful - in my opinion. They have seeds, skins are tough, but aroma is unparalleled. They are producing reliably every September, we just eat all of them fresh.
They do require full sun to produce. Racoons, chipmunks and birds might be an issue. But I so far I managed to keep most of the fruits. Birds are deterred by LED Christmas lights. I’m using some sprinklers to deter animals… Anyway, muscadines are my second favorites after persimmons. All you need to know about growing muscadines is on Ison’s web site and their YouTube channel.
We just bought 2 or 3 muscadines. We are in z6, so not really hearty here without some sort of protection or mirco climate. I think I might just over winter them in an unheated hoop house that I have some hardening off boxes in. They should be fine in there until spring.
It might be a good idea. Established muscadine vines, especially with “wooden” (what is the right term?) should be more cold-hardy.
Also, planting near the south-facing walls makes wonders.
Scott thanks for posting about Saanichton. I had one nursery recommend this to me. They are about the usual store sized fuzzies right?
So kiwi usually isn’t on grafted wood? If not then you’re right, places like Fruitwood and Edible Landscape have plugs for $7-8, so ~$16 plus shipping. Other places have larger vines for $20-25 ea., so $65 or so for a male and female shipped.
Probably isn’t worth the extra money and shipping just to jump ahead 1 year on growth.
