Pruning blueberries is typically done in the winter when the plants are dormant. It is a bit of a balancing act. Prune too much and you get lots of new growth and very large berries but not very many of them. Prune too little and you get dense twiggy bushes with almost no new growth. This twiggy growth is weak, produces small berries, and no new wood for future crops.

Blueberries are ideally pruned every single year.

You want to encourage the plant to produce a moderate amount of new growth every season which will result in consistent future production. Many times, blueberries are pruned infrequently and are pruned hard every few years. This is undesirable.

If you prune your bushes hard, they will produce a lot of new growth which is great, except that all that new growth is the same age and will get old at the same time. The result is that you get very inconsistent production. Pruning in a way that causes the production of tons of new growth creates a temporary fruit slump the following season. Then the canes all come into peak production and get old at the same time. Removing all these canes when they get old and unproductive would result in practically cutting the bush to the ground. Obviously not ideal.

So how do we prune blueberries for optimum consistent production?

Start by removing anything dead, damaged, or that is too low and going to be laying on the ground when carrying fruit. Once you have done that, remove weak spindly growth from the base. These are often shoots that sprouted in late summer. Also remove old, unproductive canes. These are the canes that have little to no new growth on them. They are often very twiggy.

If necessary, thin the canopy to allow airflow and light inside. If your plant tends to overbear fruit resulting in small berries, you can also thin some of the small fruiting branches that are loaded with buds. This will encourage the bush to put more energy into producing larger fruit.

Lastly, if your bush has enough shoots and you prune yearly, remove the 2 oldest, least productive canes. If you strive to have a bush with 8-10 canes and you remove the oldest two every year, you completely rejuvenate your bush every 8-10 years. This helps keep your blueberry bush young and productive.

What if your bush is old and does not have any new growth?

On old, neglected bushes, you should cut about 1/3 of the oldest canes down to the ground. This will encourage the plant to send up new shoots in the spring. Next fall you can remove more of the older canes resulting in a rejuvenated bush in a few years’ time. Simple as that!

Blueberries really are one of the quickest, easiest things to grow and prune on our farm. So if you’re like most people who have never pruned their blueberry bushes, we encourage you to go out and give it a try this winter! You will likely be rewarded with the delicious results for many years to come.

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The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post How To Prune Blueberry Bushes first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

Kiwis are a little bit more confusing to prune than some plants. Fortunately, they are vigorous and grow so rapidly, they are very forgiving. If you screw up and prune them wrong, you might get less/no fruit this year, but by next year no one will ever know.

Exactly how you prune your kiwis is going to vary a little bit depending on what kind of trellis you have them growing on, however the same principles apply regardless. Both hardy kiwis and fuzzy kiwis are pruned similarly. They both fruit on the same kind of wood.

As we have mentioned before, knowing what wood your plant fruits or flowers on is critical to both knowing when and how to prune.

A lot of plants fruit on either new wood, or old wood. Not both. New wood is defined as wood that grew this season. Old wood is wood that grew last season or before. Kiwis can’t make things that easy for us. They flower on new wood. But only new wood that is growing off of 1 year old wood. So, shoots that grew last summer are going to produce the shoots that flower the coming spring. Shoots that grew 2 summers ago will not grow fruit on the new wood that sprouts.

Another caveat to pruning kiwis is that you prune male and female kiwis differently. You also prune them at different times of year. Female kiwis are pruned in the winter. Male kiwis are ideally pruned in the spring immediately after flowering. Additionally, you lightly prune both sexes in the opposite seasons.

Note: If you don’t have fruit and don’t know what your kiwi vine genders are, you need to look at the flowers when they are blooming. Males and females have very distinctly different looking blooms and are easy to tell apart. Males have a large cluster of stamens only. Female flowers have a pistil and possibly a few stamens. If you don’t have fruit and don’t know what your kiwi vine genders are, you need to look at the flowers when they are blooming. Males and females have very distinctly different looking blooms. Males have a large cluster of stamens. Female flowers have a pistil and a few stamens surrounding it.

Since male kiwis are a little bit more straightforward to prune, let’s start with them.

Later, we can apply the same principals to pruning our female kiwis. Typically, kiwis are trained to some kind of horizontal cordon similar to grapes. There is one main shoot going up to the top of the trellis, or in our case pergola, and a couple branches that are your permanent structure. We aren’t going to go over how to train this structure here, but if you are unfamiliar with how to do so, please refer to the years 1 and 2 sections of our grape pruning article.

Male kiwis are mainly pruned in the spring/early summer. After the male has finish blooming, we want to remove all of the wood that flowered back to our main cordons. Leave stubs so that there are buds to sprout new growth from. Over the summer your male kiwi will produce tons of new growth from these buds. Yes, it might seem scary to remove essentially all growth from your plant, but kiwi vines are very vigorous and it will grow back with a vengeance.

Over the winter just lightly prune your male to remove very twisted or wild shoots. In the winter you want to leave as much growth as possible to maximize your pollination potential. Pruning your male kiwi this way and at this time will maximize the number of flowers and minimize the weight and space the male takes up.

Your female kiwis are mainly pruned during the winter after the fruit has been harvested.

Start by removing anything that is twisted around itself or other vines. Then you want to thin out your vines. The goal is to remove old wood, but you need to leave enough 1 year old wood to get fruit. Ideally you will have new shoots growing off the main cordons or near the main cordons. If that is the case, leave that shoot and remove the wood past it. If you do not have enough shoots like that, thin your shoots that fruited this year and leave them. Plan to thin/remove them the following year.

After your kiwi has flowered and set fruits, you can trim the fruiting shoots a few buds past the fruit. This will encourage your shoots to send out side shoots rather than continuing to grow the fruiting shoot. This is what you want as those side shoots are the ones you want to retain for next year. Taking a few minutes to do this at the same time you prune your male kiwi should make your winter pruning easier.

When pruning kiwis you will be removing the majority of the wood.

It may seem like a lot, but that is what you want to do. If you leave tons of excess shoots your vine will put more effort into growing leaves and shoots and less effort into producing flowers and fruit. There is no sense in keeping old wood that will never fruit again. Removing it will allow you to maximize the amount of fruiting wood present.

Hopefully this helps to take some of the mystery out of pruning your kiwis. Don’t worry if you don’t get it exactly right the first time. Vines are extremely forgiving. Observe the results of your pruning, learn and modify as needed next season.

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The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post How To Prune Kiwi Vines first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

The first thing that is important to know is that brambles, which are perennials, produce biennial canes. This means their above ground portion lives for only 2 years. Most brambles produce canes one year, set fruit on those canes the following year, and then they die. So we need to keep this in mind as we are pruning. One year old canes are called primocanes, two year old canes are called floricanes.

Brambles do best in beds where their outward spread can be contained by mowing or edging. Additionally, most do best with a trellis to help support them. This is particularly true of black berries and black raspberries. If you do not contain them, they will quickly create a briar patch that is difficult or impossible to prune and pick.

Let’s start with red raspberries.

Red raspberries are very straightforward to prune once you know what kind you have. Red raspberries are split into what are called primocane and floricane varieties. Primocane varieties produce a large fall crop on the current season’s growth. They will produce a smaller floricane crop on the 2^nd year canes if allowed to. Floricane varieties only produce fruit on the second year canes.

If you do not know what type of raspberries you have, there are a couple ways you can make this determination. Firstly, your primocane varieties are mostly the fall raspberries; whereas floricane varieties are the summer varieties. You can also observe your plants this season to see whether this year’s canes set fruit or not. If you are still in doubt you can cut your plants to the ground and see if they produce fruit the following season. If they do they are a primocane variety.

Because primocane varieties produce their large crop on 1 year wood, they are easiest managed by simply mowing them to the ground during the winter. If you wish to harvest a floricane crop from them you will need to manage them like floricane varieties. Most people don’t bother though. Floricane varieties will produce a better summer crop.

Floricane varieties are the summer bearing raspberry varieties.

These plants do not produce fruit until the cane’s second season. Thus, you cannot mow them down in the fall. To prune these berries you must go through and remove all the dead canes by hand. In the winter use pruners to selectively trim the canes that have previously fruited down to the ground. Once you have done that you can thin out any damaged, spindly or overly densely spaced canes.

When you are done pruning, you should have good spacing between your remaining canes. This will allow airflow, provide space for the new canes to grow up, and make it possible for you to find the fruit to pick. If you have a very dense overgrown raspberry patch that hasn’t been cared for in many years, you are probably best off to mow the patch to the ground. Then start pruning them yearly when they regrow.

Blackberries and black raspberries are a bit more difficult to prune.

Unlike red raspberries, black berries and black raspberries grow very tall, long, floppy canes that tip root. Therefore, trellising is particularly important for these varieties. You can see an example of an easy, inexpensive trellis in the photo below. It is simply T-posts on the corners with several strands of flexible wire strung between them to hold the vines upright.

Blackberries and black raspberries are more clump forming in growth habit than red raspberries and benefit from some summer pruning. There are very few primocane varieties, so you will almost always have to manage them as floricanes.

The principle of pruning these varieties is the same as floricane red raspberries. In the winter you want to go through and trim out all the old dead wood that has fruited. And again you want to thin out any weak or damaged, or overly dense growth. You only want to leave canes that are going to produce quality fruit. Get rid of any that won’t, and make way for the new canes to grow.

Where pruning blackberries deviates from red raspberries is that their canes also need top pruning.

Ideally, you start this process in the summer. Otherwise you will have a giant mess of new tip rooted plants all over your yard. During the summer months top your new blackberry canes at a reasonable height. We usually try to do so at about 4’ high. Ideal height for you will depend on your trellis. The topped canes will produce side shoots. You can top these side shoots also if needed to keep them from drooping down and touching the ground. Doing this will help keep the plants more manageable and will help maximize your fruit production.

In the winter while you are pruning you want to do the same thing. Tip back all the side shoots to about 6-8” from the main stem. These side shoots are where the fruiting shoots will sprout. You want to leave several buds to grow fruiting shoots, but not so many that they are weak and likely to break.

Following these guidelines you should be able to keep your brambles manageable, productive and easy to pick.

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The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post How To Prune Brambles–Your Blackberries and Raspberries first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

Persimmons ripen all at the same time. Obviously, you can only eat so many at that time, so you must either waste or preserve the remaining persimmons. Hoshigaki is an ancient food preservation technique used by the Japanese people to preserve persimmons for use during the winter months. Additionally, while astringent persimmons are not edible straight off the tree, after being turned into hoshigaki, they morph into honey sweet treats.

By making hoshigaki, none of the persimmon harvest goes to waste. Hoshigaki can be stored for months and months. Plus, drying persimmons this way requires no refrigeration, fancy tools, or modern preservation methods.

If you are one of the people interested in reconnecting with your food. Hoshigaki most certainly meets the definition of slow food. It is relatively labor intensive, and takes a month or two to make. However, just like with vegetable gardening, it allows you time to relax, reflect, and appreciate your food in a way that is often missing in fast food culture. Your months of patience will be pay off with the satisfaction of creating a healthy, delicious treat unlike any other dried fruit you have ever tried.

Making hoshigaki is simple. You will need persimmons, string, a peeler, pot of boiling water and a place to hang the fruit to dry. The only other thing you will need is the commitment of spending a few minutes a day massaging the persimmons.

Step 1: Select appropriate persimmons

It is critical to your success that you select appropriate persimmons for making hoshigaki. Traditionally hoshigaki was made from astringent persimmons. However, hoshigaki can be made from either astringent or non-astringent persimmons. We use Fuyu persimmons to make hoshigaki because they are what we have available, and we find non-astringent persimmons to be more versatile for other uses.

The only type of persimmons that should be avoided are seeded persimmons. So though American persimmons are astringent and plentiful in some areas they should not be used. Persimmons seeds are hard as a rock, and will ruin your hoshigaki.

The persimmons that you use to make hoshigaki should be firm and blemish free. You will be peeling the persimmons, so they must be firm for you to be able to do that. You also should try to select persimmons that have a nice long stem. Ideally they would have a small piece of branch attached as well. That way the string you tie around them will not slip off.

If you do not have persimmons with suitable stems, you can use a skewer to pierce the persimmon just underneath the stem, or a screw jammed into the stem end. You just need to provide something to hang it from. If you do use a foreign object to puncture your persimmon, make sure that you sterilize the object with boiling water prior to stabbing it through the persimmon. If you do not, you may disappointingly end up with a persimmon full of mold rather than hoshigaki.

You also want to make sure your persimmons are blemish free and not bruised. Damaged persimmons will be prone to rotting. Starting with the persimmons least likely to rot will make you more successful at slowly drying them.

Step 2: Prepare the persimmons

Once you have selected which persimmons you will be using for hoshigaki, you need to thoroughly wash and then peel the persimmons. As you are washing, or before you peel the persimmons, you can break off the loose leafy portions near the stem end leaving just the firmly attached portion in the center. Remove all of the skin, you can but do NOT remove the stem end of the persimmon. Removing the skin is what will allow the fruit to slowly dehydrate.

Once you have a bunch of persimmons peeled, you need to tie a string onto each stem. Tie the string tightly. You do not want the persimmon to fall off as you are manipulating them or if they get bumped.

Traditionally, a persimmon was tied to each end of a short string and then they were hung over a bamboo rod. You can also tie a whole bunch of them in a line down a string if that better suits the space available to you. It doesn’t really matter how you do this as long as you make sure that none of the persimmons are touching. They need to have good airflow around them.

Step 3: Scald the persimmons

When you have all of your persimmons tied on strings, it is time to sterilize them. This can be done by dipping them in an alcohol like Vodka, or by using boiling water. We have had good success using the boiling water method.

To use the boiling water method, heat a large pot of water to boiling. Once the water is boiling, dip your strings of persimmons in the water and immediately pull them back out. Allow them to drip dry for a minute and then hang them up where they are not touching anything. You do not want to recontaminate them by setting them on a non-sterile surface after they come out of the boiling water.

Step 4: Hang the hoshigaki to dry

After scalding, you will need to hang your hoshigaki in a location that provides good drying conditions. This needs to be a clean place that they can hang for a month or more as they slowly dry. It can be either indoors or outdoors, and a sunny location is best. However, the only absolutely necessary criteria is that is is a warm, dry location. Do not put them in a very humid location or a cold damp basement as that will cause them to rot and mold rather than drying.

If you have selected a good location for your hoshigaki, they will form a dry, kind of leathery skin and shrivel considerably in the first week of hanging. If your hoshigaki has not done this you need to move them to a better spot.

Step 5: Massage your drying hoshigaki

Once your hoshigaki has formed a leathery skin, it is time to start massaging the persimmons. This must be done very gently at first. Do not squeeze them hard enough to burst through the dry exterior. As they continue to dry you can massage them more forcefully. Gently massage each persimmon briefly every day until the persimmons have fully shriveled and are fairly firm. The massaging process helps to break down the interior of the persimmon releasing the sugars and turning it into the unique hoshigaki texture.

The amount of time that it takes to transform a persimmon into hoshigaki can vary depending on how drying the environment is. It will likely take 4-6 weeks, maybe longer. You will know they are completely dried when they fail to continue to shrink.

As the hoshigaki age, they should produce a highly prized, white sugar bloom on the surface. This bloom is also an indication that your hoshigaki is nearing completion. However, if you are using a non-astringent persimmon to make hoshigaki and a bloom does not appear, do not despair. With or without the bloom the dried fruit will be delicious. We think that astringent persimmons are more likely to produce a sugar bloom than non-astringent varieties.

Once they are dried they can be left to hang or can be taken down and stored. If thoroughly dried, they can be stored at room temperature. However, they will last the longest in the refrigerator or freezer.

How to use my hoshigaki

You can start to use the hoshigaki before they are completely dry if you wish. Do some taste testing to determine what texture you prefer. Earlier in the drying process they will have a texture similar to a prune. As they get drier they will become less sticky and more chewy in texture.

Hoshigaki can be used like you would any other dried fruits. They are delightfully sweet and fruity flavored, almost like eating a chewy candy. They can be eaten alone as a snack. You can chop them up and put them in granola, use them in ice cream or in baking. Try substituting hoshigaki chunks for raisins in salads and other dishes. Because hoshigaki is so sweet, they pair well with strong or bitter flavors. Add thin slices of them to a cheese plate for your next gathering. Or try pairing them with goat cheese, pear and onion on a pizza.

We hope this has inspired you pick all those extra persimmons to try your hand at this ancient food preservation technique!

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Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post How To Make Hoshigaki—Preserving Food Like Our Ancestors first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

Most homeowners who plant fruit trees do so without realizing that these trees require a massive investment of time and money in spraying pesticides and fungicides repeatedly throughout the season. Without this most crops fail. To get the perfect fruit you see in the grocery stores, commercial growers might spray a crop 25 times or more every season.

If you want to grow organic fruit that produces well in your backyard, you should avoid most common fruit trees. Instead, why not try an Asian persimmon tree. Now if you’ve had experience with the American persimmons, don’t tune out yet, keep reading. The Asian persimmon is nothing like the American persimmon.

There are ‘no-spray’ fruits out there

For the savvy, adventurous gardener, there are other edible plants and tree varieties that can be grown that have virtually no pest and disease problems. The persimmon is one of these often overlooked fruits. There are even varieties that are suitable for growing in large containers making them accessible to a broad range of gardeners.

Persimmons are something that many people may not have ever even seen, tasted, or heard of. However, they are extremely attractive little trees you should consider planting. They have large, deep, glossy green leaves that are almost leathery looking. In the fall their leaves turn a variety of yellows, reds, and oranges before falling off.

After the leaves have fallen you are left with the very ornamental looking bright orange fruit hanging. This fruit will hang on the tree well into the winter. It is quite resistant to being frosted making it the last fruit harvested in fall. In our area, we usually pick the persimmons some time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Persimmon trees are small trees similar in size to a dogwood or redbud. They require very little care and virtually no pruning. They are unbothered by pests and diseases, and will set fruit even if they are partially shaded. Additionally, they are self-fruitful. That means that unlike most fruit trees, you only need one tree to get fruit. This makes them accessible to and productive in even the smallest of yards.

With persimmons, planting the correct variety is extremely important!

Beware, there are both astringent and non-astringent persimmon varieties, and there is a night and day difference between the two.

Those who know of American persimmons, the ones native to the southeast USA, are familiar with astringent persimmons. Eating one of these persimmons before it is completely ripe and mushy is something that only brave children do on a dare. They are extremely unpleasant and biting into one will pucker your face and curl your toes before you can spit it out. They are only suitable for use in baking once ripened to mush. The fruits are also tiny and filled with rock hard seeds.

Quite frankly, American persimmons are probably at fault for persimmons being unpopular in this country. Because experience with the American persimmons was so unpleasant, many people who have experienced them are unwilling to even try a non-astringent variety. This is sad since all persimmons are not the same.

Non-astringent persimmon varieties are completely different. They are sweet and delicious straight off the tree. In contrast to astringent varieties, they are perfectly sweet as soon as they have turned a rich orange color. At this point they will still be nice and crispy with a texture similar to an apple. They do not have seeds, and before they ripen past the crunchy stage, they are perfect for fresh eating. If allowed to continue to ripen they will get soft until the inside of them turns gelatinous similar to the astringent varieties.

Picking the correct variety

Though we are typically very pro planting native plants. When it comes to persimmons, we would highly recommend planting an Asian variety instead of the American persimmon. However, Asian persimmons come in both astringent and non-astringent varieties. Thus it is still important to pay attention when purchasing an Asian persimmon to make sure that you are getting the correct type.

We would highly recommend selecting a non-astringent variety to plant. Non-astringent varieties are much more versatile. You also are not required to have perfect timing to know exactly when they are ripe and safe to use vs inedible.

Varieties like Fuyu, Ichi-Ki-Kei-Jiro, and Jiro are some common non-astringent varieties we would recommend. Fuyu is probably the most common one. Starting at a young age, it reliably produces excellent, very sweet fruit that we enjoy eating fresh. They also store well and are well suited for drying and cooking as well. Jiro is also very sweet, but can be more prone to cracking and erratic yields when young. Ichi-Ki-Kei-Jiro is noted as being a small 8-10’ tree that is well suited to container culture.

Hachiya is probably the second most commonly seen Asian variety. Please note that this particular variety is ASTRINGENT. It is not suitable for fresh eating, but it can still be a good choice if you are planning to use them for cooking or ornamental purposes only.

How to use all those persimmons

At this point, you are probably wondering what you would do with the fruit from a persimmon tree. After all, what good is an edible plant if you have no practical use for it. Because persimmons are uncommon in this country, this is a problem many people with a persimmon tree face. We rarely see them featured in recipes so have no idea what to do with them.

Fortunately, they are actually quite versatile. A quick google search for persimmon recipes will net you a variety of things to try ranging from salads, to main dishes, to desserts.

As we mentioned before, while crispy, they have a texture similar to an apple and are excellent to eat fresh. If you have never eaten a persimmon before, this is where we would recommend starting. Try eating one as a snack, or try substituting persimmons for apples in a salad. They are also perfect in a winter fruit salad featuring other winter fruits like apples and kiwi.

Once you have tasted them, you will have an idea of what sorts of other flavors they might pair well with. For example, you might try cooking pork chops with persimmon rather than apple slices. Or perhaps with kale and goat cheese.

Persimmons can be dried and used as you would other fruit dried in a dehydrator. You could also make a traditional Japanese hoshigaki. Hoshigaki is a slow dried persimmon with a sugar bloom on the outside and a jelly like consistency inside that is perfect for use in desserts.

Uses for very ripe persimmons

Once they have passed the crunchy phase where they are ideal for using fresh, they are still quite versatile. Their soft flesh can be mashed and then used to make cookies, breads, puddings and other baked confections.

Persimmons freeze well, and you can make ‘instant persimmon sorbet’ by freezing overripe fruit whole. Additionally you can freeze persimmon puree for later use. Upon defrosting, it will be similar in texture and consistency to jelly. This ‘jelly’ would be perfect for swirling in ice cream or using in thumbprint cookies.

We hope we have made you hungry enough to inspire you to try out a new fruit. Persimmon trees would make a wonderful addition to any no-spray homestead or garden!

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Please remember

The information provided is for general informational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith, for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. We make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on this Site. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of professional advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. View full disclaimer here.

The post The No-Spray Fruit Tree You Should Start Growing Now first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.

Those of you in zone 7 and above can potentially grow fuzzy kiwi (like those sold in the grocery store). Gardeners in both northern and southern portions of the United States can grow hardy kiwis, also called kiwi berries. Hardy kiwi plants produce slightly larger than grape sized miniature kiwis. These kiwis can be eaten whole and are green, smooth skinned, extremely sweet, and are perfect for snacking.

Kiwis are grown on twining woody vines. Hardy kiwi plants in particular can be quite ornamental and are sometimes grown purely for their ornamental characteristics. Kiwi vines are large and grow rapidly making them perfect for covering a pergola or arbor as they will quickly fill in to give you shade.

Hardy Kiwi

First we are going to take a look at hardy kiwi.

There are two species of cold hardy kiwi, or kiwi berries, commonly grown. The hardy kiwi, Actinidia arguta, and the Arctic kiwi, Actinidia kolomikta. Arguta type hardy kiwis are most commonly grown for their fruit. There are many many different arguta varieties, with Anna being one of the most common. Hardy kiwi vines have bright, glossy green leaves, and reddish wood. In the spring the plant will be covered in pretty white blossoms, that will be replaced by hundreds of little kiwi fruits if they get pollinated. Kiwi fruit size up quickly in the spring, but do not ripen until late summer or fall.

Arctic kiwi vines are the most cold hardy kiwis.

They are generally considered inferior to Actinidia arguta in terms of their fruit, yet they are still capable of producing tasty slightly smaller fruits. However, this vine is even more ornamental than hardy kiwis. It brings some pretty amazing pink and white variegated foliage to the table. These vines are often grown as ornamentals rather than for production. If you are interested in growing Arctic kiwi exclusively for its ornamental value, choose male cultivars as they have the most variegated foliage. If you want fruit you will need both a male and a female though the females have less showy foliage.

Fuzzy Kiwi

If you live in warmer portions of the United States, you are fortunate enough to be able to grow fuzzy kiwis. Fuzzy kiwi vines look much different than their hardy relatives. Fuzzy kiwis have large, almost round leaves, that can be as large as a dinner plate. Plus, the young vines are fuzzy. Fuzzy kiwi vines are larger, and somewhat less ornamental than hardy kiwi vines. However, they usually reach fruiting age more quickly than hardy kiwis. And of course they produce the large kiwi fruit we are all familiar with.

Fuzzy kiwi plants, and cultivar information is much more difficult to find than it is for hardy kiwis. Hayward is the most commonly grown fuzzy kiwi. However, it is important to note that unless you live somewhere like California, it is probably not the best choice. Fuzzy kiwi require a very long growing season to be able to ripen their fruit. Varieties like Hayward are typically unable to finish ripening before frost in cooler zone 7. Additionally, it can be prone to having the stems crack in fluctuating spring temperatures which will cause the stem to die. Thus, a variety developed in Canada, Saanichton, is probably a better choice than Hayward for most east coast growers.

If you are in the deep south, you will have enough season length to ripen the fuzzy kiwis, but you start to run into trouble with insufficient chilling with varieties such as Hayward. Hayward has high chilling requirements, and will fruit poorly without sufficient chilling. For those of you with low numbers of chilling hours, you will need to look for a low chill variety like Vincent.

Kiwi culture

In our experience, kiwi vines are relatively self-sufficient and care free once they get established. They like a nice sunny location and require well-drained soil. They are not tolerant of sitting with wet feet. In our experience, they are virtually unbothered by pests and diseases meaning they are a perfect choice for an organic garden.

One thing you should keep in mind when planting kiwi is that younger, smaller vines are less cold hardy than older vines, and are particularly susceptible to dying over the winter. You should protect young vines over the winter for a year or two until they can get established and develop some size.

It is also a good idea to locate the vines in an area that doesn’t get blasted with south sun in the winter as this can make the plants more prone to getting winter injury. One of the biggest problems with kiwi vines is that they can break dormancy too early in the spring and get freeze damage. Keeping the trunk cooler can help prevent this problem.

Equally as important as location is the trellis.

As we mentioned before, kiwi plants are large woody vines. They require a large, sturdy trellis such as a T-trellis or a pergola to grow on. If you are growing them for fruit your trellis is particularly important. A good trellis will facilitate easy pruning and fruit harvesting.

In addition to a good trellis, kiwi vines will require yearly pruning. Most likely you will also need to do some occasional summer pruning as well. They are not a plant that you can skip the pruning or they will quickly become overgrown. It is a good idea to make sure you are willing to commit to an annual pruning before planting a kiwi vine. Don’t let a fear of trellising or pruning deter you, we will discuss these topics in other articles.

Most importantly, fruit production requires 2 vines

You need at least 2 vines to get fruit, a male and a female. While there are a few self-fertile or semi-self fertile kiwi varieties available, most kiwi vines are either male or female, and without one of each you will not get fruit. Even the ‘self-fertile’ varieties typically benefit from having pollination partners. They will have improved fruit set and size if cross pollinated.

When you go to purchase kiwi vines, typically the plant description or nursery will be able to tell you which male vine is suitable for pollinating the female varieties you desire to grow. You can grow 6-8 female vines for each male if the vines are located next to each other.

If you are getting kiwi flowers but failing to get fruit, you should check to determine if you have both male and female flowers present. The male and female flowers look quite different from each other and are easy to tell apart.

Unfortunately, getting both male and female varieties is often a huge problem for gardeners. Kiwi vines are often mislabeled and mixed up by growers. Since kiwi vines take several years to produce flowers and fruit, it can be years before you find out you have either 2 male or 2 female vines instead of one of each.

Now, to clear up some confusion that is often seen around kiwi pollination

We mentioned above that 1 male will pollinate 6 females. You may be wondering if you can grow 2 or three different species (eg. one of each hardy, arctic, fuzzy) of kiwi using one male to pollinate all of them. The answer is no, probably not. Unfortunately flowering time for hardy and arctic kiwi fail to overlap and thus they cannot pollinate each other.

Hardy kiwi males cannot pollinate fuzzy kiwis either. Though their bloom time may overlap, their pollen is too small to be able to pollinate fuzzy kiwi females. However, fuzzy kiwi males can pollinate hardy kiwi females but only if their flowering time overlaps. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee they will do so.

Unless you are sure the plants you have will flower at the same time, it is a good idea to plant a suitable male for each species of female you wish to grow. That way you won’t wait 3 years for fruit only to realize that you need to plant a new male and wait another 3 years because their flowering doesn’t overlap a sufficient amount to get pollination.

Later this year we will look at how to train and prune a kiwi up onto a t-trellis so that you can harvest all this delicious fruit. Properly trained and pruned kiwis can be as beautiful as they are productive. We hope this has encouraged you to consider planting this unique fruit in your garden!

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The post Kiwi Vines: A Tasty Fruit Every Gardener Can Enjoy first appeared on Snowdrop Farm.