Actinidia kolomicta - Manchurian kiwi

“Adam” (male)

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

Height: 6m;

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

Crown: climber.

Flowers: white, fragrant, blooms at the beginning of VI.

Foliage: green; on male specimens the leaves have white and pink blotches.

Deciduous climbers with stems that attach themselves to supports by twining around them. Dioecious plants that produce fruit – berries with a kiwi flavour, rich in vitamin C. They require fertile soils. Plants should be planted 2m apart from one another, planting them at the same depth as they grew in the container. They do not tolerate dry air or dry soil. Fast-growing, they may suffer from spring frosts.

Care:

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

Training: Do not prune in spring while the plant is leafless, as it will bleed sap and normal growth will be 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 pruned to achieve the desired shape of the actinidia crown. Mixed shoots are pruned, leaving no more than 30 cm in length.

Protect from cats (they are very fond of the whole plant).