Yeah zespri is clearly a winner when it comes to yellow kiwi. I have sowed few zespri seed hoping to do something like you(graft on to my sunchine) but what time is the best to graft for kiwi wine ? I was told summer time ?
So, Actinidia deliciosa will pollinate A. chinesis if blooms overlap? I don’t think there are any golden females or males available to purchase at this point, is that right? Everyone is grafting or growing from seed? If there’s a reliable fuzzy male that overlaps, that would simplify things.
I know I asked you about Jenny on another thread. I’m planning on getting one next year…would its bloom overlap a sunshine grafted or seedling zespri? I want to see if it can pollinate.
1 Like
Yes, fuzzy kiwi will work if bloom periods overlap. Fuzzy will also work for hardy kiwi, but most fuzzy males are too late for either hardy or yellow kiwi. Jenny (which is really a male that also makes small fruit) should also work as a pollenizer, but I don’t know how late it blooms. Probably similar to other fuzzy kiwi. It should work for fuzzy kiwi females.
I think available options for yellow kiwi are very limited. If you want yellow kiwi, it may be best to grow some seedlings from SunGold fruit. They are precocious and should bloom in 2-3 years from seed. They can also be used as rootstock for grafting if you can get some scion material.
2 Likes
Thank you for all the information. That’s really cool that sungold will fruit so quickly. Do you cold stratify in the fridge for a month or more?
If the fruit has been in cold storage for a while you may not have to stratify, but I think I stratified for about a month in damp seed starting mix.
2 Likes
@kiwinut Do you know if fuzzy kiwi will graft to hardy kiwi? A google search claims yes, but I’d like to get a second opinion.
Hardy kiwi will graft with fuzzy or yellow kiwi, but grafts are usually short lived, maybe one or two years. For a long lasting graft, you would need a hybrid interstem or another species compatible with both. Arctic kiwi are usually compatible, but trunk thickness and vigor are very different.
Have you actually tried it? Did none of them survive? I’ve got a bunch of hardy that I want to get rid of, but would rather convert them to fuzzy.
I have not tried it. Fuzzy kiwi are not hardy for me, so there would be no point grafting them. There is a published study out there that I have seen where lots of grafts were made in an attempt to develop better rootstocks for ‘Hayward’ and followed for 7 years. Most grafts failed within a year, but some would occasionally last longer. I don’t think any grew that well on arguta roots. I would only try it as a temporary way to get the scion on its own roots by layering the new growth, so it could help in getting new vines established faster.
2 Likes
I graft mine in early spring before bud break and i get close to 100% takes with dormant scion. I started seeds in late fall then planted in the ground around late april and had graftable diameter scion on about half of the seedlings after one summer of growth.
1 Like
Re timing for grafting fuzzy kiwi
Last spring I grafted 6 yellow kiwi scions (from Really Good Plants - Marta) onto a vigorous male Matua, two years in the ground.
I waited till Matua’s leaves were 1/2 size- I think I remember this timing from @scottfsmith 's recommendation from years ago. The weather here at half leaf size was relatively warm. I was happy that 5 of the grafts took.
3 Likes
sorry what do you mean by 1/2 size?
I actually just grafted golden onto Hayward early last month… got two takes with Soreli, and nothing else (albiet, I’m not the most deft with a grafting knife). One of those two has since shriveled up and died, but I suspect that was from moving it into my greenhouse just before it got hammered with some freak hot days. The other is still growing its first leaves, but is grafted on an in-ground plant so its begun slowing down from the weather.
3 Likes
1/2 size leaves are about 3” across.
Full size leaves are about 7-8”’across.
2 Likes
Marta https://reallygoodplants.com has selected yellow kiwi scions for sale starting Dec 12th.
I purchased several last year and clef-grafted them onto my fuzzy Matua male. They put out a foot of new growth. Very easy!
How long does the scionwood store in the fridge?
I was looking into kiwi but im kinda in a cooler zone 9b up the river there are some beautiful kiwi plants but my cuttings from them didnt work . is there a cold hardy one we barly get up to 75 f and july is around 70 f half the month 65 is common winters never below 40f for more then a day or 2 .
Last year I purchased the scions in December, wrapped them in parafilm, and stored in refer till a warm stretch in May when the leaves were about 1/2 size. By then sap was flowing so I made 2 slits below the graft to prevent graft site from getting flooded. I was worried that I had waited too long to graft. But 5 out of 6 grafts took.
1 Like
I’m not sure about these yellow scions’ cold hardiness since this will be their first winter. The Matua male they are grafted to, as well as nearby Saanichon, have made it through cold winters with a low of 7F.
I’ve planted my kiwis alongside a rock wall and have mulched them with a rock base. For me, with highs rarely above 80F, the limiting factor is not enough summer heat.
2 Likes
Noticed you bought a yellow male, but do you know if the green males flower close enough to pollinate the yellow females?