Archive for countrytalkandtips.myfreeforum.org ........................ smallholding, crafts and country life ................................................... IN IRELAND .......................................................
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blowin
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how should you prune Kiwi fruit vines ?Does anyone know ?
I planted a couple in the polytunnel about 18 months ago and after a slow start they suddenly put on a huge amount of growth and shaded out the veg beds beneath .
I need to do something soon but I can't find any info on recommended pruning techniques . Any thoughts ? Cheers 
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blowin
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Well I still haven't been able to find out either but can tell you that you will need to do something or they will take over the whole tunnel ( up to 20 ft tendrils in one year ) . I cut them back quite hard as you would wysteria . Will let you know whether I have killed them off or have encouraged fruiting shoots as intended .
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blowin
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Pleased to report that hard pruning of the main tendrills -- to about 10 ft length -- and side shoots to 6 leaves , done late last year , did not kill the vines . However , pruning back further early in spring doesn't appear to be a good idea because the cut stems drip sap for several days so I didn't do much of that.
We actually have quite a few flower buds for the first time this year  but they seem to all be on the female plant , with only 2 or 3 on the male .
Seems to me that the 3rd plant , which was described as self-fertile , is actually a male and a female grafted onto the same rootstock . Does anyone know if that it correct ? Anyway , some of the tendrils have plenty of flowers whereas others have none so I guess it is . Presumably the males are slower to mature ? Some might say that is true of many species !
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blowin
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Have just discovered that the gardening books tend to call these things by their older name " Chinese Gooseberry " , which explains the apparent lack of info on the subject .
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