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Kiwi cultivation: soil preparation and planting
In kiwi cultivation, soil preparation plays a fundamental role. A soil with a particularly moist, well-drained and neutral composition will allow you to obtain the best results from the plant. Once you have identified the spot where to plant the kiwi, start working the land a little and fertilize it with mature manure. When working the soil, it is possible to add sand and gravel to improve the draining aspect of the soil. Being a climbing shrub, the kiwi plant must be placed near a support (pergola or row). Note that it is a plant that can only produce male or female flowers for each species, so it will be necessary to plan the cultivation of more species in order to obtain fruit. The recommended ratio is to place 6/8 female plants for each male plant in the ground. Sowing should be done in the fall, inside unheated greenhouses, and new plants can be moved into the ground at a distance of two meters from each other only the following year. Reproduction can also be done by cuttings. In this case, the operation should be carried out in the summer months.
Watering Kiwi Plants
Placed in well-drained soil that can quickly remove excess water without forming dangerous stagnation that can damage the plant, the kiwi should be kept in constantly moist soil. The frequency of irrigation mainly depends on the season, the climatic situations which differ from region to region and the growth status of the plant. The general rule is the same as for many other plants, that is to say only intervene when the effects of the previous irrigation have ceased. At the time of sowing and transferring the seedlings to the ground, it is necessary to intervene with abundant irrigation. Generally it is advisable to create a shower or a misting irrigation system. Me too’ when to water plays an important role. In winter, it is best to intervene in the morning, to avoid problems caused by night frosts, while in the summer season, it is advisable to schedule watering in the afternoon after sunset, so that the plants benefit from its effect all the time. night.
cut the kiwi
The kiwi is a robust deciduous climber, which if it finds the ideal location and the right support, can reach up to 8/10 meters in height. Vigorous pruning, to be carried out in early spring, will allow the plant to reach its strongest and most vigorous period of bud burst. It is important to intervene only when, depending on the climatic zone in which you are, the danger of night frosts is avoided. A new intervention must be carried out during the summer months, during the flowering of the plant, and it will only serve to eliminate the shoots devoid of buds or fruits, in order to ensure perfect penetration of sunlight even in the more internal branches of the plant. In winter, we will have to limit ourselves to intervening on dry and tangled branches,
When we talk about kiwi, we are talking about a plant that is particularly resistant to attacks by insects and pests. For this reason it is very rare to have to intervene in the plant with pesticides. The main events that can damage the kiwi plant occur during severe night frosts and severe thunderstorms. This is why it is important to protect its trunk from the intense cold and to avoid watering in the afternoon of winter days. Another feared danger comes from PSA, a bacterium that penetrates inside the plant causing blackening of the leaves, fruit drop and in some cases even the death of the plant. To promote the proliferation of bacteria we provide humidity and a temperature between 5 and 25°. When the plant is most prone to The attack of the parasite seems to be in the spring, when pruning adds to these ideal conditions, making its branches more vulnerable. If the plant is affected, it is necessary to intervene as soon as possible with specific products, different in quantity and type according to the conditions of the plant, which a good nurseryman will be able to recommend.