Summer Protection for Young Kiwi Plants.

There seems to be a high mortality rate for young kiwi plants, so here are a couple of techniques to increase their survival rate. In the wild, they are naturally protected from the extremes of late frost and hot sun by the forest edge micro climate they are used to. However, in your yard they need some tender loving care so here is a picture of what I do for each of them that first summer.



Any sort of shade cloth will work, but it should block at least 50% of the sun from June through September (in the northern hemisphere). This cage doubles as a frame for a frost protection sheet the following spring, but should be removed before the vine gets too entangled on it. Since they need to get established the first year and grow as much as possible, they should not be pruned much. The leaves capture energy which is stored in the crown, roots and stem. Then during their second year, a very strong vertical shoot will appear from the crown and become your main stem.

Also, notice the heavy mulch to keep the soil cooler, preserve moisture and help prevent weeds. The weeds can be totally blocked quite easily for a couple of feet around it by putting down a continuous layer of corrugated cardboard under the mulch.

They should never be allowed to get dry either, so if you don't have a drip irrigation system set up, you can use a 5 gallon bucket with one nail hole close to an outside edge.



Rainwater is obviously better, but if it has not rained for a week, set the bucket near the plant, and fill it with water so it will drip for the next hour or two and soak the root zone.



The plant in the picture above is in its 3rd summer, but I'm still using this bucket irrigation system until I can design a proper one. For this picture, I pulled back some of the mulch to reveal the cardboard weed barrier.

Good luck this summer, and please let me know how your plants are doing. Photos are welcome!