Practicum Week 4: Kiwi Pruning

The hardy kiwis on the Organic Farm at the Evergreen State College are desperately overgrown and unmanaged. Since it would be really difficult to try to untangle and properly trellis the vines, what I would do is prune the male all the way back to two or three vines—just enough flowers for fertilization of the females. The male has overgrown and begun to encroach on the females, which will affect fruiting eventually.

According to Burnt Ridge Nursery—propagator, grower, and seller of hardy kiwi—it is very difficult to kill hardy kiwi by pruning if you prune during when the plant is dormant. Pruning in the spring, after it begins to push buds, is bad for the plant’s circulatory system and the cuts will not heal properly.

What I would do:

• Prune males after they’ve bloomed (late May, early June)
• Males can be left as long as they are not entangling the females
• Use heading cuts to bring the males in
• Attempt to untangle cut male vines from female plant
• Prune females only when the plant is dormant
• Assess needs: how much fruit do you want over the next few seasons?
  • If proper trellising is the main priority: prune the females way back except for the cordons
  • Retrain the female cordons to the trellis properly
  •  If fruit is the main priority: prune accordingly (see below)
• Prune back anything that is curling back on itself or twisting in anyway
• Prune any second year growth (will not fruit again)
• Prune anything that is dead and diseased (scrape test; if its not green get rid of it)

RESOURCES:

Growing Kiwifruit

UGa Minor Fruit