I know I should have trained my hardy
kiwi to verticals with branching horizontals from the start, but I
was unclear on the concept. This is the third year I've had these
three plants, two girls and a boy. Last summer, one of them gave 5
fruits. The pics show the plants kind of mashed together because I positioned them to keep each other warm over the
winter; I'll move them shortly. Two days ago I pruned small, weak
branches and also eliminated some that would cause a lot of shade.
I've tried to maintain them so every single leaf gets sun.

Last summer, they all sent up super thick verticals with buds only every 2 ½ to 3. They're about 3//8” in
diameter; much thicker than any other branch. Should I leave
everything as is for now? Or should I cut off everything but the thick verticals? Or are they mainly for support? Because in containers,
heavy growth is mainly pruned because it takes up room and support is
provided by the trellis bolted to the planter box. Or are the thick verticals essential to fruiting? What is that little twig with the
buds really close together?

Thanks in advance !