Kiwi berry

Established kiwiberries are hardy in the lowlands of Germany, Austria and Switzerland and need no protection. Only in the first two years in position, cover the root zone with leaves or bark mulch. When the plant starts into growth in spring, protect the young shoots with horticultural fleece if late frost threatens; put containers against a sheltered house wall and wrap the pot.

Cuttings (recommended method, true to type): In June, take semi-ripe shoot tips 10 to 15 cm long with 2 to 3 buds. Cut the base at an angle and lightly nick the bark to expose tissue able to form roots. Insert the cuttings two thirds deep into a well-draining substrate (e.g. coir compost or a sand-peat mix 2:1) and keep them moist and bright but out of direct sun, ideally covered with film or a propagator lid. If a gentle tug on the cutting meets resistance and new shoots appear, it has rooted. You can then move it on the following spring. Alternatively, hardwood cuttings about 15 cm long work, which you take in late autumn or early spring before growth starts.

Layering (simplest method, true to type): In spring or summer, bend a flexible, healthy shoot to the ground, fix the middle section into the soil with a stone or wire staple and keep the spot evenly moist. After a few months, roots form at the buried nodes. You can then separate the new layer and plant it in the desired position.

Sowing (true to species, not true to variety): Stratify the seeds cold for 4 to 8 weeks (in the fridge in damp sand). Soak them in lukewarm water for 24 to 48 hours before sowing and sow in March to April shallowly in fine substrate (light-germinating seed, only press down, do not cover). Keep the temperature between 18 and 24 °C; germination takes 6 to 8 weeks. Note: plants grown from seed flower only after 6 to 8 years, fruit quality varies greatly and you cannot predict the sex. For kiwiberries that come true to variety, therefore prefer cuttings or layering.

Important for pollination: Kiwiberries are dioecious: there are male and female plants, and only the female ones bear fruit, but they need a male plant for pollination (one male pollinates about six females). With cuttings and layering you deliberately propagate a plant of known sex; with sowing, the sex is a gamble. The variety ‘Issai’ is a self-fertile exception and manages without a pollinator plant.