Hardy kiwi "Chang Bai Giant" (female)

Actinidia arguta - hardy kiwi

''Chang Bai Giant" (female)

Dioecious plant! Female and male plants are required.

Height: 8 m

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

Crown: vine

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

Fruits: very large berries, 4–5 cm, slightly flattened, with green, smooth skin, very tasty. Ripen gradually from the end of IX. The weight of one berry can reach 20 g

Foliage: leaves broad, oval, dark green, larger than those of other A.arguta varieties, lighter underneath, with red hairs, turning yellow in autumn.

Winter hardiness: slightly lower than Actinidia kolomikta, frost hardiness to -28⁰C

Growing conditions: A very vigorous, deciduous vine that can reach even 30 m in height. Trunk diameter 10–15 cm with light brown bark. Young shoots are light grey or light brown, attaching themselves to supports by twining around them. Dioecious plants that produce fruits – berries with a kiwi flavour, rich in vitamin C. It is recommended to plant in a sunny location protected from prevailing winds. Requires fertile soil. Plants are planted 2 m apart from each other, at the same depth as they grew in the container. Does not tolerate dry air or dry soil. Fast-growing, may suffer from spring frosts. Plant together with "Weiki M" (male).

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

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