A Detailed Guide to Wild Kiwifruit Planting Techniques and Management Methods

Wild kiwifruit is hailed as the “king of fruits.” It generally grows in the mountains, in a purely wild environment, with no pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, and no swelling agents. So, are you clear on wild kiwifruit planting techniques?

1. Wild kiwifruit planting techniques

1. Plot selection

Kiwifruit likes warmth and moisture. For cultivation, choose a site that is sheltered from the wind and faces the sun, with deep soil and close to a water source, and with a slope generally not exceeding 30 degrees. It is best not to plant in valley depressions, narrow basins, hilltops, or wind gaps. For orchard establishment, choose a mountain slope site with convenient transportation, loose soil, good drainage, high humus content, and slightly acidic or neutral soil on a semi-sunny or semi-shady slope.

2. Sowing and raising seedlings

Seed collection and treatment: In September to October, collect fully mature fruits. After harvesting, pile them to rot and soften, or crush them and rub-wash them, rinse out the pulp and skin with water, dry them in the shade, remove impurities and clean the seeds, dry them in the shade in a ventilated place, put them into a fine gauze bag, and hang it in a cold room for storage. Three months before sowing, carry out sand storage treatment. Soak the seeds in 40 degrees C warm water; after the water cools to room temperature, soak for 24 hours, then mix in fine river sand 10 times the seed volume. Keep turning them for germination promotion at about 5 degrees C for 40 to 50 days. When 1/3 of the seeds have cracked open, they can be sown.

Sowing and field management: It is best to sow in spring when the ground temperature at a depth of 5 cm is 10 degrees C. Because kiwifruit seeds are very small, sow them together with fine sand by broadcasting. The sowing rate is 1.5 to 2 grams per sq m. After sowing, spread a layer of fine sandy soil or humus as cover, just enough that the seeds cannot be seen, with a soil cover thickness of 0.3 to 0.5 cm, then cover the bed surface with rice straw and provide shade. Water with a sprayer to keep the bed surface moist. After seedlings emerge, shade the seedbed with a shade net.

3. Cutting propagation

Softwood cuttings are generally taken in early June. Select new shoots that have grown well in the current year, cut the fully developed portion as cuttings, each about 15 cm long, retaining 2 to 3 buds, and remove the lower leaves of the cuttings. This is generally done in a greenhouse, in a seedbed covered with plastic film, or in the open field. Insert them into a seedbed with fine sand as the substrate, with a cutting depth of 5 to 6 cm. Keep the cuttings moist in the field. After insertion, provide shade immediately. After 1 month, they can survive and take root.

4. Planting and tending management

Planting can be done in spring or autumn. Because kiwifruit is mostly dioecious, pollinator trees should be arranged at planting, and the ratio of female to male plants is best at 8:1. Before planting, the soil preparation depth is generally 25 to 30 cm. Dig planting pits 30 cm wide and 35 cm deep, with a plant and row spacing of 2.5 m × 1.5 m. Place the seedling into the planting pit, fully spread out the root system, backfill with mature soil, irrigate thoroughly twice, then cover with soil and press lightly and firmly. In the same year, when the newly planted young tree buds and new shoots begin to grow, carry out the 1st topdressing with quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer urea. The 2nd topdressing is in late July, applying phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, or also human manure and urine, to promote full maturity of the branches and vines and plump buds, which is beneficial to fruit development. Kiwifruit likes warm and moist conditions. Generally, irrigation can be combined with fertilization. Irrigate with antifreeze water before winter, and carry out spring irrigation after thawing, which can meet the needs of its growth and fruiting.

5. Training, pruning, and fruit thinning

Training and pruning can be carried out in summer and late autumn. Kiwifruit branches and buds grow vigorously, and training and pruning are both important for increasing yield and extending the fruiting life. Mainly use trellis training. For plants 1 to 2 years after planting, mainly cultivate 3 main vines; for plants in the 3rd year after planting, mainly cultivate fruiting branches. Through pruning, make the fruiting mother branches on the side vines and their fruiting branches evenly distributed. After 3 to 4 years of cultivation, the branches and vines can cover the trellis. Irrigation and fertilization can be carried out in spring or autumn.