You may want to try the FRUIT AND ORCHARDS forum

I have a few questions about kiwi fruit production. You wrote that after a few years production began. I've read that kiwi need to be pruned to encourage production, did you find this to be true? Have you got any pointers about growing them? What was it about Ken's Red that you liked?

I've noticed that softwood cuttings tend to dry and wilt quickly. Have you had any luck getting softwood cuttings to recover from dehydration and growing?

~Chills

I did a little pruning, but I think the main thing was waiting for the kiwi to reach fruit bearing age. I let the vines grow as long as they wanted, which was about 10 feet the last season before I tried to move them.

I tasted Ken's Red once, and it had a little different fruity taste than the standard argutas. Maybe a personal thing. I don't know if they are any harder or easier to grow.

I haven't attempted softwood cuttings before, but keeping the humidity high is key.. either by misting or with plastic bags, etc.

-Mark

Maybe we could trade or something. I've got male and female Arguntas (and a Ken's Red female, though I'm not sure which female is KR and which one isn't) My males and females are 8 feet apart, so I (think) I know which is which (assuming they were labelled correctly to begin with.

I just don't know how you would want to attempt such an exchange (as it is summer, and I'm in Michigan and you're in Washington, so any mail exchange would have to risk days in transit).

The female I think is Ken's Red doesn't seem as vigorous as the others, but it just may be its placement around my arbor (it gets a little less sun).

Mine are two and three year old plants. The thickest new wood is about 1/4-3/8ths inch thick.

~Chills

Chills,
I have located a couple of local sources (Seattle) for kiwi cuttings. Thanks for the offer, but I think I will stick with what I can get in town for now.
-Mark

This is from the California Rare Fruit Growers website. See if that helps. I didn't see much but maybe there is enough to help you.

I strongly suggest you do a search for "friends of the trees society" and the "Actinidia Enthusiasts" Journals. I have the most recent somewhere (vol #6, I think, and not overly recent) and its about 200 pages long, including TONS of information along the line of your inquiry.

The website for the journal is:

http://www.nafex.org/kiwi.html

Here is a link that might be useful: kiwifruit information

I have two male and two female plants that I bought at Lowes three years ago. I have never had any blossoms. Is there a fertilizer that they need? What time of year should I expect blooms? I am in northeastern Pennsylvania