skip to main content

Fruit & Orchards

Has anyone tried growing a hardy kiwi up a tree

14 years ago

I have a hemlock at the edge of my property that is in the long slow death spiral from wooly adelgid. It's an old mature 70 foot tree that I've now removed all the dead branches. The branches don't begin until about 15 feet up the trunk now.

I'm looking at planting a hardy kiwi vine and really only have the trellis space for about 24 feet, which seems like it would be tight space for both the male and female kiwi.

I was thinking of trellising just the female. The end run of the trellis would be against the hemlock. I could then plant the male at the base of the hemlock and train it up the side keeping it pruned to 12 feet or so. Who knows, maybe it would frighten the adelgids away :).

Does this seem like a reasonable idea and has anyone tried something similar?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

Embothrium
14 years ago
Put it on a frame that will keep it within reach for picking. Cut the hemlock down when it looks like it is on the way out.
firstyear
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, my wife doesn't want the hemlock taken down until it's fully dead. It's forked. When I priced it to have it removed, they wanted $1000, which makes me not want to take it down until it's fully dead either.
Related Discussions
Arctic vs Hardy Kiwi- which would be better to grow up a tree?
Q
Comments (3)
If your in zone 5, that would be a bit too cold for Issai, which is hardy to around -10F. It does leaf out late, but you should be seeing something by now. You can scratch the bark and see if its green underneath. There are some huge arguta vines growing in Maine that are close to 100 years old. A couple are at the College of the Altantic in Bar Harbor, and some others are in the Frenchmans Bay area. These are enormous vines that cover many large trees, yet they don't seem to cause any harm to the trees, similar to grape vines. I don't think you are going to kill any large trees, but the *hundreds of pounds* of fruit will be way out of reach. Arctic kiwi are not nearly as vigorous, and would be best grown in a small tree where you could still reach most of the fruit. However, the Arctic kiwi need a climate without winter warm spells or late freezes, so are usually best in very cold, short season areas.
...See More
Anyone Growing Hardy Kiwi
Q
Comments (32)
I potted them in a 'terra cotta' colored containers and mulched about 2 inches deep and will keep them in filtered sun/partial shade. Used a quality potting mix with slow release fertilizer. Containers have good drainage holes so over-watering should not be an issue and they will get watered when all the other plants get a drink. If they start to show stress, I may plant in the ground but there is a chance that I would need to dig them back up and move them next Spring. Wondering how stressful that would be on the plants vs. babying them in the containers and hoping for the best outcome. During the winter, I will need to store the containers/Kiwi plants in our unheated garage and will throw a handful of snow on them once a month for moisture. This will allow the plants some protections from our brutual winter but also give them the required chill time and allow the plants to go dormant.
...See More
Has anyone tried growing Apothecary's rose in FL panhandle?
Q
Comments (15)
For a substitute for the 'Apothecary Rose', try the 'Portland Rose' (alias 'Portlandica'; but please don't call it 'Duchess of Portland'! No one called it that until the 20th Century). Here in coastal Southern California, it doesn't re-bloom (at least, it doesn't for me), but it does bloom dependably once a year with its big blossoms of a happy bright cerise. The leaves color nicely in the Fall. It's a modest and charming rose which somehow just has a more likeable personality than many of the more ambitious roses.
...See More
Has anyone ever tried to grow a Bay plant?
Q
Comments (6)
They're hardier than you may think. Try to plant against your house for added warmth and protection (especially in zone 6b). I don't grow them in the house because they have died there for me in the past but usually make it outside (based on my own experience mind you in zone 7). Also, they used to grow slowly for me as containerized plants until I discovered that they grow faster in bigger pots (remember they want to be TREES, not cute little herbs). If you doubt their winter hardiness, plant one in a container (for overwintering indoor) and another in the ground (they are inexpenisive enough). Good luck!
...See More
alexander3_gw
14 years ago
If you're interested in trying to save the Hemlock, Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Insect Control is supposed to be effective against adelgid. I used it on a much smaller weeping hemlock, and it worked. It's a systemic treatment that you pout on the root zone. I found it at Lowes.

Alex
Embothrium
14 years ago
Don't let it go so far that it blows over at an unexpected time, in an inconvenient direction. We once had a still-green hemlock go over and punch a hole in the wall of a neighbor's carport. At that point it became apparent that it had been filled over when our lot was developed, took years to fail as a result of this. There was a tube of wood the consistency of mush below the breaking point, surrounded by compacted subsoil. A narrow strip of live wood on one side had been sustaining the whole, albeit poor-looking top.
firstyear
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the advice Alex. I think I'll give that a try in the spring. The trunk is 2 feet in diameter and overall it is quite far from dead. It was infested long before I moved in 2 years ago and I've only had to remove a couple branches from it in that time. The upper half of the tree appear to be quite healthy still.

My plan was/is to anchor one end of a trellis directly onto the tree (there's a post that won't move) and plant the fruting female plant about 10 feet away to run along the trellis. The male non-fruting plant would be planted at the base of another side of the tree and left to run more or less wild up the tree.

I don't have any experience with kiwi's, so I'm not sure if 1) the asthetic will be any good (aka wife factor) and 2) how well the tree and vine will interact. It's my understanding that eastern hemlocks have very shallow root systems, so not sure how well the kiwi would establish. I have rhubarb and a paw paw I planted about 8 feet away this year and both seem to be doing quite well. A foot away may be a different story though.

I guess there's no harm in giving it a go and seeing if it works or not. Worst case, I just buy another male and fit it in somewhere.

Related Stories

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Grow 10 Favorite Fruit Trees at Home

By Marianne Lipanovich

Plant a mini orchard in fall, winter or early spring to enjoy fresh-off-the-tree fruit the following year

FRUIT TREES How to Grow Your Own Persimmons

By Marianne Lipanovich

Sturdy and easy to care for, these trees offer bright fruit through winter — and keeping them in bounds is no sweat

EDIBLE GARDENS Why Grow Quince? For Beauty, Fragrance and Old-Time Flavor

By Marianne Lipanovich

Delightfully perfumed fruit and lovely spring blossoms make this apple and pear cousin worth a spot in the garden

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Grow Your Own European and Asian Pears

By Marianne Lipanovich

Try these trees for their good looks, delicious fruit and wide range of sizes — plus you can espalier them

GREEN BUILDING Green Grows Up: The Many Faces of Today's LEED Homes

By Mariana Pickering (Emu Building Science)

While LEED-certified homes have some common characteristics, the rest is up to your imagination

EDIBLE GARDENS The Enticing Garden: How to Grow Bananas

By Steve Asbell

Sweeten your dining table with surprising flavors of banana cultivars while adding tropical flavor to your garden

GARDENING GUIDES Grow Your Own Privacy: How to Screen With Plants and Trees

By Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Use living walls to lower your home and garden's exposure while boosting natural beauty in your landscape

FRUIT TREES How to Grow Your Own Juicy Plums

By Marianne Lipanovich

Easier than other stone fruits and with a variety of colors to choose from, plums are a versatile garden addition

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Grow a Lush Privacy Screen

By Christine Tusher

No need to wait forever for patio privacy the green way. These 10 ideas will get your screening up and running in no time

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Sea Grape, a Hardy Coastal Delight

By Steve Asbell

Up to the high-tide line or even indoors, sea grape draws smiles for its looks and cheers for its tenacity

Sponsored

Fresh Pointe Studio

4 Reviews

Industry Leading Interior Designers & Decorators | Delaware County, OH

More Discussions

what is wrong with my indoor mango????

13

raise the soil level around a grapevine

2

Identify an olive tree that is nit flowering after more than 15 years.

8

Peach variety recommendations, please

2

No flowers on my apricot tree?

6