I got a Jenny kiwi for my husband last year, because he loves kiwis. I was told it is hardy.
It put on a ton of growth and then we got a 22 Fahrenheit dip and the whole kiwi appeared to die. All the leaves shriveled up and all the vines looked dead.
I see new growth and also dripping fluid from the little nubs on the old vine growth. It looks to me like it is waking up.
I’m a little worried because we have a storm coming and I don’t want it to freeze again while it is waking up. Should I put a tarp over the little greenhouse to keep water from getting on it and then freezing? The greenhouse does not control temperature at all so it will not help and it has a shade cloth roof so water can get through.
Unfortunately this is an issue with kiwi in many areas. They will get more resistant to late freezes as they mature and get more massive. Bud break will get later and there will be latent buds in case the first flush gets frozen.
I would not do anything unless a really hard freeze is eminent. There isn’t enough growth yet to worry about. If you have to cover it with a tarp, place a light next to it as a heat source.
Thank you, I think it looks like it will dip down to 30 at 2 AM for a short while, maybe it will be OK. I seem to remember the jenny kiwi not sustaining any damage until 22F for a stretch but then it was colossal looking damage.
I’m glad I didn’t assume it was dead and dispose of it.
What do you think of Hardy Kiwi? I have some on order, Ken’s Red, Issai, Anna and a male. I know Issai is supposed to be self fertile, but I’ve never tried any of them, only fuzzy kiwi from the grocery store. Are they more likely to handle 22F better?
Hardy kiwi leaf out even earlier. They will eventually adapt even better than the fuzzy kiwis, but the spring frosts will be an issue for several years. The freezes only affect the new growth. The older wood is very tough, and they have plenty of secondary buds to push new shoots.
I have killed more hardy kiwi starts than all other plants combined. 6 or so in my attempts to get one growing, I think it is too hot here for them or not wet enough. I’m very close to giving up on this plant and likewise trying hardy kiwi fruit
