Kiwi plants, Actinidia spp., are commonly thought of as trees but they are actually vines. A. arguta or hardy kiwi, and A. kolomikta or variegated kiwi are hardy in U.S
Kiwi plants, Actinidia spp., are commonly thought of as trees but they are actually vines. A. arguta or hardy kiwi, and A. kolomikta or variegated kiwi are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zone 8; while A. deliciosa is hardy in zones 8 and 9. The vines are dioecious which means there are both male and female vines. Vines should be pruned at various times during the year to keep them healthy and to restrict their size.
Kiwi vines should be pruned right after planting. Plant them in early spring after all danger of frost has passed. Use sharp hand pruners to trim the vines back to one 6- to 12-inch long vigorous shoot. Space the vines 18 to 20 feet apart with multiple rows spaced 10 to 12 feet apart when trellising the vines on a single-wire trellis; space 15 to 16 feet apart when using a double-wire trellis. Set the wires at a height of 6 feet or higher.
Pruning should be done once each week as the vine grows. Select one strong, vigorous shoot to keep as the main leader. Prune away any side shoots at the base. A 7-foot long stick or bamboo stake should be inserted into the ground behind the kiwi vine. The main leader will grow up the stick to the trellis wires. The top 2 to 3 inches of the main leader should be pruned off when it reaches the trellis wires. This will cause the leader to grow side shoots. Train the side shoots to grow in either direction along the trellis wires. They will become the cordons or primary vines for fruit production. As the fruit-producing lateral shoots grow from the cordons, maintain a distance of 8 to 12 inches between them. Keep the healthiest shoots and prune off the smaller shoots.
Every winter the cordons should be shortened. Retain 20 to 30 inches of new cordon length each year. On female vines that have produced fruit, trim each fruit-producing lateral shoot back to five to six flower buds on young vines and six to 12 buds on older vines. Lateral shoots that have been producing fruit for two to th