I have had one ISSAI harky Kiwi for 4 years. It survives each winter, starts to grow each spring, gets evere spring frost damage, and then starts to frow again. I've never had a single flower, and I have no "old" wood. I just get new growth from the base every season. Has anyone had any success with any hardy kiwis in zone 5 ?? Has anyone had success with ISSAI ??

-- Michael Shafer (shafers@netscape.net), February 04, 2002

Answers

I am in zone 5, and will be planting Arctic Beauty this spring. So have no practical knowledge to share; but check out www.doityourself.com . At the bottom of the home page in the yellow box choose outdoor. From there you may choose fruit, and then kiwi. Will tell you how to prune ect. I am thinking the Issai is not hardy to zone 5 even though it is listed as such in the garden catalogs. So you may need to start protecting it when you know a cold spell is coming at ya in the spring. Good luck.

-- Lacey (cddllt@webtv.net), February 04, 2002.

I've got some hardy kiwi, but they are only a couple of years in the ground. I have done some research, though, and am sure that they won't bear fruit if they get knocked back by spring frost.Have you tried putting remay (spelling?) over them for the frostie mornings?

I'm in zone 7 of the western gardens "bible", and don't know which zone five you're referring to. Regardless, we have the same situation, with sudden spring freezes. My worse problem so far is Bambi...

-- joj (jump@off.c), February 04, 2002.

Depending on how you train the vines you can stack square bales of hay on both sides of the plant to provide insulation, like a sandwich.

-- Thumper/inOKC (slrldr@yahoo.com), February 04, 2002.

All kiwis (hardy or not), come as male & female plants. You must have two to get fruit on one (can have 1 male for up to 8 females). But since you have never had any flowers, you may have a male, so no fruit possilbe. But then (as an earlier poster said), it may have been the frost as well.

Good luck

animalfarms

-- animalfarms (jawjlewis@netzero.net), February 04, 2002.

I have a boy and a girl planted in '01 under two feet of snow at present in zone 3. call me an optimist. ask again in 3 months...

-- B. Lackie - Zone3 (cwrench@hotmail.com), February 05, 2002.

Have tried kiwi in Zone 5 (SW Iowa) think it was ISSAI anyway it lived for a year or two and that was it. Suspicion is that this is just another example of something the sellers say will grow in Zone 5 when the reality is that there is very little chance it will make it.

-- fred (fred@mddc.com), February 05, 2002.

the Issai is suppose to be a self-fertile strain. I am under the impression that Kiwi can be pruned and trained to grow somewhat like grapevines. Have not read anything, where they die back every year. Anyone else know?

-- Lacey (cddllt@webtv.net), February 05, 2002.

Just went on another search-googled, growing kiwi. the ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-facts/000/1426.html (heading was kiwifruit and hardy kiwi Hyg-1426-93) I believe it has answered my question. Should not die back....cold snaps can be deadly for Kiwi. This site recommends that in colder areas you may be able to grow in a 5 gallon bucket for a year and then transplant after a year once it is established. So protection will probably be necessary where you are.

-- Lacey (cddllt@webtv.net), February 05, 2002.