Katie Allen
SOS Food and Agriculture
1/30/18
Kiwifruit Pruning
Pruning kiwifruit is essential to consistent production because it helps to create a strong structure that will sustain the plant for years. In the same way that we covered with apple trees last week, kiwifruit need a structure that allows for the sun to reach as much of the plant as possible and for airflow to move through the branches to prevent moisture build up and the risk of fungal diseases. Because the kiwifruit is a vine, pruning is especially important for training the plant to stand in a way that can support as much fruit as possible.
Because it is the end of January, we will be practicing dormant pruning on the kiwifruit on the farm. We do this in order to beat the sap flow which could potentially weaken the vines.
Since most of the fruit on the plant is produced from 1 year-old canes, it is helpful to remove older shoots as they often do not produce much fruit. In order to remove the older wood and keep the 1 year-old cane, make a cut at a 45 degree angle directly after the replacement shoot (the cane closest to the cordon). This should remove shoots from previous growing years and allow for maximum productivity.
It is important to note that male and female vines should be approached differently while pruning. Because we have two females, the majority of our pruning will involve removing 70% of the plants growth in the last year. The goal of this is to just leave the 1 year-old growth that will fruit more productively. It is also important to ensure that none of the shoots are crossing or tangled with one another.
For the male vine, our goal will be to ensure that it produces as many flowers as possible for pollination. Because of this, dormant pruning is much lighter on male kiwifruit and mostly focuses on removing crossing shoots and keeping the plant manageable.