DD, males don't produce fruit. My guess is there is also a male vine planted in there somewhere which is pollinating these two female vines. Kiwis come in many shapes. I have seen some flattened shapes before, but not in the bigger fuzzy kiwis, only the smaller hardy kiwis. How big are the kiwis, are they store size? Also when do they ripen? The big fuzzy ones tend to ripen very late.

Kiwis are not super hard to grow from seeds but you will not get the same variety. The easiest way I found to propagate is by grafting, but you need another kiwi already growing to do that.

Scott

Oh thank you for your response. These kiwis are coming on now. They are a bit tart, but close to being ripe. The size is a bit smaller than the store type about 1.25" by 2", but they may grow a bit more before they are ripe (I'm guessing). The flatter ones are about the same size around, but shorter like 1.25 x 1.25 I'd say.

The vines are probably 20-25 feet tall and double that along the fence. There are two distinct stems nearly a foot around. Is it possible that there is a portion of the vines that a male has been grafted to? That may be a dumb question as I'm quite ignorant of how they grow and propegate etc.

What about root cuttings? Will they grow more easily? If so, maybe I can graft cuttings after I get some started?

Wow, one foot around, very impressive! I am puzzled about the pollination. I am also a bit puzzled about the fruit size. They are at their full size now, kiwis plump up early, but they still seem a bit big for hardy kiwis yet a bit small for fuzzy (deliciosa) kiwis. They do sound more like deliciosa based on your description. Hopefully kiwinut, our resident kiwi expert, will catch this thread. Here are a couple questions that may help us: are the fruits fuzzy just like the store kind, or not? Are the leaves 3-4 inches and roundish and fuzzy, or thin (1" by 3") and not fuzzy? Do both varieties have seeds inside them?

Dormant root cuttings are very difficult. Supposedly active growth cuttings are relatively easier, but there is a complex procedure that needs to be followed to get them to work.

Scott

Okay, the kiwis are all fuzzy and the leaves are large rounded fuzzy leaves. I'd say about 3-4 inches. Both types have seeds but the longer ones seeds are dark and the shorter type are white. Will the seeds possibly darken as the kiwis ripen?

That means they are almost certainly deliciosa kiwis. We are getting somewhere! I never recall seeing white seeds in my unripe fruits. Still, my guess is they are not ripe yet, because if the fruit is parthenocopic (never pollinated) you get no seeds at all. I also guess that one of the two varieties is perfect flowered, meaning it has both male and female parts. That is pretty uncommon, but there are not many other explanations. It also may be there is a male grafted in there somewhere. In the spring if you look at the flowers at all different parts and compare to online pictures you may be able to determine better what is going on. The male and female flowers are easy to tell apart.

Scott

There are fruiting male fuzzy kiwis, but I don't know of any around in the US. Since these are so old and the fruits are fairly small, they may be seedlings. I would guess that the one with smaller fruit could be a fruiting male, or there is an unknown male somewhere in the area that is pollinating them. Looking at the flowers next spring is the only way to tell. There could be a male grafted on one of them as well. I am not sure about the white seeds. They may just be immature.

Kiwis are easy to root from semi-green cuttings during spring and summer. Just stick a long piece in the ground, and it will likely root if the temps are warm. Root cuttings will also likely work well.

Thank you Scott and kiwinut, for all the info. I'll try to root them in the spring. I'll also check the blossoms and see what's up. These are really some beautiful vines...I hope I can get some going :)

Would kiwis grow,in very humid climate of the gulf coast?I would so much like to grow them. Has any one tried around here?

a quick update...I took cuttings from the kiwis and they are rooting like crazy! One has fuzzy branches and the other has smooth. I'm guessing this is the difference between the male and female...or maybe variety? Anyway, I'll have lots of kiwi plants shortly lol. I am certain that the smooth cuttings came from one vine and the fuzzy cuttings came from the other.

I'm awaiting flowers to see if there is a difference.

Thank you everyone, for your input and help. It's been great learning about them. Hope to have a few nice vigorous plants in the near future, that I can have at home :)

micrideblois - we average 90-100% humidity where we are and my grandmother also had a huge pair of kiwi plants that were lush and amazing in our area. We are a zone 8b and only get down to maybe 15-25 degrees in the winter...but for very short periods. Not sure of your zone, but maybe they would do well for you also. I'm a novice and these kind folks have answered my questions so I'm only guessing :)

DD, the smooth cuttings are probably from an arguta ("hardy") kiwi and the fuzzy ones are from a deliciosa ("fuzzy") kiwi. There is also a chance the smooth cuttings are from a chinensis kiwi -- you will know whether the smooth cutting is arguta or chinensis by the leaf size, the former are thin and shiny and the latter look similar to the deliciosa, wide and fuzzy.

Are you sure you have roots? Often you get top growth but no roots and eventually the top dies since the roots have not gotten going yet.

Scott

Yes, actually I can see the roots. Have a little bit of top growth, but used the plastic bag method that many use for fig cuttings and they have started. Here are some pics.

{{gwi:125126}}

{{gwi:125127}}

Each lower node is splitting and beginning to grow roots. The callus formed on the bottom just like figs get.

I don't believe, from what has been posted previously, that either kiwi is a hardy kiwi...both have fuzzy fruit as original post. And the leaves are fuzzy on both. I'm not sure on the leaf size...I didn't make note last fall when viewing the plants while fruited and with leaves.

Sorry, I did make note of the leaves last year and both were as I posted before. Guess I'm losing my memory :/

Anyway, both were fuzzy and 3-4 inches wide...not narrow and shiny. Just checked again this AM and two more of the above cuttings have 1/8 inch roots coming out from the bottom nodes. The roots are growing quite rapidly. The pics above were taken yesterday AM.

The degree of fuzziness is highly variable, so I do not think you have any hardy kiwi there. From the photo above, the cuttings look more like my A. chinensis than A. deliciosa (all of my fuzzy kiwi have thick bright red hairs on the new growth). However, true A. chinensis did not come into the US until the early 90's, *as far as anyone knows*, so these are probably fuzzy kiwi seedlings.

Do let us know when you get flowers, so maybe we can sort this out.

I agree they are not hardy kiwis and they also look just like chinensis and not deliciosa. I have never seen a deliciosa without the fuzz on the stems and have never seen a deliciosa with it so my guess would be its a deliciosa.

Scott

Thank you, dirtdiggin!I would love to try, but it is strange that nobody seems to do it around, or rather,I do not know any
one ! also ,I never saw plants for sale..

According to my reading research, A. deliciousa 'Blake' is fuzzy kiwi and partly self-fruitful. reference info in the link below

A. deliciousa 'Blake' Â This heavy-yielding fuzzy kiwi bears fruit one year earlier than other fuzzy varieties and ripens one month sooner. It is partially self-fruitful; you'll get some fruit with just one plant but a bigger harvest from each vine if there are several plants. Hardy in USDA zone 7.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blake is fuzzy kiwi self pollinate!!!!

I have kiwi plant at my house, and I like to propagate it by grafting. Could you give me some explanation of this method of propagation. I read that you have experience in this field. Please write all the necessary things that I should do to have success. Thank you.