I've had a similar experience with these plants, although mine never made it out of the gallon container yet, and I'm on my second female
:-(

I thought both of the current plants were goners again so I took half-hard cuttings about a month ago (with about 3 nodes each), dipped them in rooting hormone and potted them up in my little greenhouse (but shaded). I also covered the pots with plastic bags with vent holes.

So far, each cutting shows one or two swollen green leaf buds, but nothing more. Supposedly you can take cuttings in mid-to-late summer and root with bottom heat (hence the greenhouse idea....).

I am in Sunset 16/17, about 3 short blocks from a bay. I thought I might get away with sun (so many conflicting comments on these plants) but as you say, the leaves just seemed to burn up in nothing flat.

I moved both plants into absolute shade and they have started to push out a few small leaves, but I have to say I don't hold out much hope. When the second female arrived it was very robust with many large leaves. I can't understand how anyone can get these apparently fragile things to grow. It's very frustrating.

In such a hot zone, why don't you plant some of the warmer weather type kiwis, rather than the Arctic Beauty. Arctic=cold. The kolomitkas (i.e. Arctics) are doing fine here with no brown leaves, withering or any such problems in zone 4a, but it is the only kind that is recommended for so far north. Northwoodswis

In my case the reason to shy away from the deliciosas or argutas is lack of space. The kolomikta is less vigorous (but who knew how much less!!!!!!). I just don't want to constantly battle with the plants.

I may be in zone 9b, but the climate is very mild. The average summer high is 70F. I got the kolomikta for several reasons: precocious, less vigor, more intense flavor.

Update on my arctic kiwi:

My kiwi plants that I thought were dying are starting to leaf out! So now I wonder if the reason the leaves fell off was not necesarily because of too much sun, but because arctic kiwis have a short vegetative cycle. Here we have a long frost free season (Feb-Dec) but very mild summers. So now the question is if this new growth will have time to harden by mid-Dec.

My two cuttings eventually dried up, so no joy there :-(

My plants, like yours, have some leaves now (not as large as when they had first arrived), but I have them in the shade of an overhang. They might get a sliver of late afternoon sun for about an hour. All the leaf growth is near the base of the plants.

Like you, I live in a very mild climate. This summer we have seen the sun only perhaps 15 days, and not always all day. One would think the plants would grow under those conditions. Most of our sun comes in the spring and fall.

Anyway, soon I suppose they will drop their leaves and go dormant. If they survive, I will put them under shade cloth next season. Don't know how I could grow them on a trellis that way, though.

Always an adventure.

Can a large older Kiwi vine be dug up and moved to another yard. I have a friend who has one that bushes out 10 ft wide, she wants to get rid of. It puts out a lot of fruit, or should I just take cuttings of new growth as soon as the last frost passes. I have a greenhouse I could start a cutting in, but would rather have a producing vine.

If it were me, I would try both, since she wants to get rid of it anyway. If one croaks, the other might survive.