Actinidia arguta - hardy kiwi

''Weiki"M (male)

Dioecious plant! A female and a male plant are required.

Height: 8m

Growing conditions in Latvia’s climatic zones: western, central, more rarely eastern zone.

Crown: climber

Flowers: white, up to 2cm in diameter, fragrant, blooms in mid VI.

Fruit: male variety, does not bear fruit. One male plant can pollinate 6-8 female plants.

Foliage: leaves glossy, dark green, with red stalks, about 10cm long, lighter underneath, with red hairs, turning yellow in autumn.

Winter hardiness: slightly lower than Actinidia kolomikta, frost hardiness to -30⁰C.

Growing conditions: a very vigorous, deciduous climber that can reach even 30m in height. Trunk diameter 10-15cm with light brown bark. Young shoots are light grey or light brown and attach themselves to supports by twining around them. Recommended for planting in a sunny site protected from prevailing winds. Requires fertile soil. Plants are planted 2m apart and at the same depth as grown in the container. Does not tolerate dry air or dry soil. Fast-growing, may suffer from spring frosts. Plant together with female varieties of A.arguta.

Care:

Fertilising. In spring, before bud break, apply 30g of ammonium nitrate around the plant. Well-rotted manure may be incorporated. Later fertilise with a complex NPK fertiliser. In autumn, after harvest, at the end of September, fertilise with phosphorus and potassium mineral fertilisers.

Pruning: Must not be pruned in spring while leafless, because it bleeds sap and normal growth is disturbed. Actinidias are pruned in autumn, after the first serious frosts, when the leaves have already fallen. Cut out thin, weak, broken and unnecessarily crown-thickening shoots. Vegetative shoots are cut back to obtain the desired shape of the actinidia crown. Mixed shoots are cut back, leaving no more than 30 cm in length.