Nice report, Bob.
Always good to hear first-hand reviews of varieties.
I got a couple a. kolomikta 'Red Beauty' on a 2 year vine this year; small but tasty.

Awesome fruit! I tried Kolomikta but they did not do will in the intense Colorado sun. I am thinking to give hardy kiwi a try now. I got some from Costco a few days ago and they were very good.

I really like how they don't get attacked by bugs or fungus- completely no spray (so far). I haven't even noticed much in the way of losses to animals, other than in the first few years when there were only a handful total (it's easy to notice one missing then...).

The only part which is high maintenance is chopping them back to not take over the entire area, a task not to be underestimated. I planted them a bit close to each other and other plants too close to them. I'm planning to move some gooseberry bushes which have been completely enveloped by the kiwi.

I fed some to my wife earlier tonight and she was horrified that I was thinking of making jam out of the small ones. She said they are too good to eat as is. I think her opinion could change if we start getting the same production out of the other vines. In addition to the above, I also have younger vines of Cordofolia, Chico, Rossana, and Jumbo.

Mine don't get much shade, other than a bit in the early morning. But full sun here is probably a lot less than full sun where you are. Maybe you could try an area with some afternoon shade and mulch them heavily.

You are lucky if you can find them in Costco- I haven't seen them there. They've only shown up a few times at Whole Foods, usually for $5-6 for a half pint (more than $0.60 per kiwi berry).

Here's a pic of the Issai on the vine (10/17).

Thanks for the post Bob we have a very difficult time growing kiwi here so it's nice to see some. What do you get for rainfall there?

From the Weather Channel, we average about 53" per year (about 4.5" per month, evenly through the year). From the local airport, we've gotten 35" this year, which puts us on pace for 43. While that is lower than the average, I checked back and 4 of the previous 6 years were under 40", so it isn't that unusual.

I checked a random zip code in Kansas and it seems like a lot of your rain falls during the growing season (the graph forming a peak at summer, as opposed to our flat line). In the 6 months from Apr-Sep, the average was 25" (compared to ~27" for us), while the rest of the year only gets 11".

I water the kiwi only rarely. Maybe twice a summer when we hit a long dry spell. Even then, it is just 10 seconds each with the hose as I pass by. Everything is well mulched with wood chips though, so the moisture should be pretty constant.

Bob,
Kansas is a tricky place to grow kiwis. We are just coming out of a severe drought in my area that went on for years which wiped out my kiwis , strawberries etc. It's nice to see lush green grass again. It killed scrub trees in the field that were 30+ feet tall. The annual drought is in July and August when typically no rain falls and temps hit 100 degrees on a regular basis. I know other parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and many other locations have much more challenging conditions. Our rainfall is typically 30 inches or so give or take 5 inches. The wind in Kansas dries the ground out quickly. Next time I grow kiwi I am putting them right beside the pond so the drought cannot crack the soil down to their roots again. We had cracks over 2' deep in the ground this year but no rainfall shortage. In the spring and fall we at times have to much water.

I got a few handfuls of kiwis from my kolomikta emerald and Viktor kiwis. Before they are soft they taste terrible, so I just squeeze each one before picking them. Then they are nice and sweet. Birds and bugs don't seem to bother them. Mine have survived quite dry conditions, as well as subzero conditions of St. Paul, MN, area, with no special care other than deer and rabbit protection. I haven't even pruned them yet, as I was away from home for large portions of three years caring for my late father. Now I have some Siberian argutas on order for next spring.
Northwoodswis

This is very encouraging to me. I live in western RI on the coast (zone 6a) and I have a two story porch that I was going to put some 6" metal fencing on to act as a lattice for the kiwi and plant some next spring. Too Bad I don't live closer to you and grab a cutting this year to try and start a new plant from! If you don't mind I may write down your name in case I have questions for you later on.

-JD

It appears these little guys are great for the wetter parts of the country then. I agree that the taste is wonderful -- much better than fuzzy kiwis.

Unfortunately for me, they do not do well in more arid climates. Both Arguta and Kolomikta vines have done horribly here in N. NM even in shade. They are probably the thirstiest fruiting plants I've ever tried to grow, and very susceptible to late frost damage⦠Milehighgirl, don't waste too much time with these!

Bob, I would also wait until they wrinked. Some varieties still didn't taste all that great at that point (at least to me). The one hardy kiwi I really liked was Kens Red, but it died on me.

In my climate I can grow the fuzzies and I prefer them, in particular the yellow fleshed ones. But Kens Red is as good as any fuzzy.

Scott

fabaceae_native,

It's good to know your experience. Do you think soil might have something to do with it?

I wonder what the native climate is like for arguta. Anyone know?

milehighgirl,
I watered these twice a day every day for years and they died for lack of water. I grew 2 Anna females , Dumbarton Oaks, and a male Actinidia arguta. They could be easily grown beside water in an elevated location that would be watered from the bottom. They are very cold hardy. I learned a lot from the first time I tried it . It was like taking care of pets accept they required a lot more attention. I also grew them in filtered sunlight because when they get in the direct sun it scorches them. Anna is as tough as they come so if your going to try it that's a good female to start with. The drought we had was so bad I could water for an hour and the surrounding soil would still have cracks in it. I kept them alive through the first part but like a pawpaw in the end they wanted more water than I had to give.

Here is a link that might be useful: Anna

This post was edited by ClarkinKS on Thu, Oct 23, 14 at 5:29

Clark and Fabaceae,

Well I really appreciate all the feedback. I do want to give pawpaw another try so I will concentrate on them and forget about the kiwi.

MHG, I've read that hardy kiwi are from northern China and Japan. I'm not sure, but I think the climate would be a lot like ours in the north east.

JD, I'm definitely not an expert- just getting started with them. I was able to propagate some from cuttings last June (I've read dormant cuttings don't work well). Now, a year and a half later, they look about like what you would get from a nursery. Rather than starting from cuttings, I'd suggest getting some nursery plants- Rolling River Nursery is a great source. Later, let me know if you want some scionwood to graft some more varieties.

Scott, I've had lots of bad ones, but none were ripe enough. From the nursery descriptions, they were all supposed to ripen earlier than mid-October. Some of them I've been sampling 1-2 per week since the start of September. When did you pick yours? If you picked them earlier, even a wrinkled surface may not have been enough to make them taste good. You've got me looking forward to Ken's Red, though it is taking it's time.

How much different are the kiwi you grow from the ones in the store? I like the hardy kiwi a lot better than the store-bought fuzzies, even before considering that I don't need to peel them. But, if home-grown fuzzies are great, I should at least give them a try.

Here's a pic of what they look like when I eat them. I think the wrinkles is what made some people hesitant to try them...Most of these were 21-23 brix, with one at 24 and one of the smallest ones at 14 (not sure what happened with it). Note- none of these are the biggest- I've already finished most of them :)

Bob, I don't remember when I was picking them as it was quite a few years ago. But I tried them at all stages. Thats why I learned to pick them later, the later I picked the better they tasted.

Scott

I have anna kiwi vines and they made fruit for the first time this year. Harvested about 2 cups. The vines are about 12 years old, but I retarded the fuiting by incorrect pruning. This past winter I pruned a little more appropriately. Next year I hope to do evern better. They were very tasty.

As for as propagation, I have tried many times in various ways to propagate hardy kiwis from cuttings. I have always been unsuccessful, but after talking to an acquatance who has had success, I believe that I know how to be successful. Take the cuttings from this years growth in the summer. Create a milk-bottle greenhouse in order to controle the humidity; use a good potting soil; use root harmone, keep damp in the shade. It takes 8-12 weeks to get enoungh roots to remove from the greenhouse.

I'm remembering that I had bought Wiltpruf to try on my pawpaw. I wonder it it would help kiwi in an arid climate.

My emerald and Victor kolomiktas ripened September 12th through October 8th in 2014, after a very brutal winter. Both varieties tasted the same. I only picked them when they were already soft, and none made it to the house. They are growing on a woven wire fence in rather poor sandy soil and get afternoon shade. They have received no special care other than very infrequent watering and deer and rabbit protection, no pruning, and are not rampant at all so far. Nor have I seen many of the pink leaves like the pictures in catalogs show. No insect, disease, or bird problems so far, so I consider them a very carefree fruit to grow. We are located east of St. Paul, MN, on the state line. The plants I received from One Green World were at least a year or two ahead in size than the four September Suns I bought from Gurneys. I highly recomment One Green World, and I have ordered three more kiwis from them in 2015. Their packaging is the best of any nursery I have tried. The reason I stick with Gurneys is their lifetime guarantee, so if something isn't as hardy as it is cracked up to be, I am not out my money. They replace or refund with no questions asked. Northwoodswis