Kiwi vines, actinidia kolomikta

Anyone have any luck with rooting kiwi cuttings? Would love to know how to start from a cutting if possible, as I REALLY really want one or 2 of these, and if cuttings are possible, I am hoping to get some from people that already have established vines. Any advice would be great! Thanks! If this isn't possible, can anyone recommend a site where I might get one? I really hate the idea of mail order, but will if I have to, I just want to make sure that it is a good company to deal with.

Kolomikta's can be difficult to establish, needing some shade when young. Arguta's are much more vigorous and easier to establish. Try to get cuttings about pencil thickness, 8-10" long with a heel (section of harder wood). Scratch bark just above heel and plant deep with just 1/2 of top leaf above the soil( remove growing tip and other half of leaf). Be sure to mark which end of cutting is toward growing end, as is not always easy to tell with kiwi due to vineing nature. Kiwi have a tendency to keep growing without developing roots, dooming the plant to failure w/o them. Best bet is to get mail order. One Green World has a nice selection. Really, if you have no experience with kiwi, you may want to start with an arguta or possibly Issai (which is a self fertile hybrid). I can supply some cuttings of some arguta's if you are interested in trying them - d-mail me, but you are more likely to have success mailorder. Keep in mind that it will take years before you have fruit, even if you do mailorder.

This message was edited Jul 27, 2009 10:20 PM

Thanks for info! Will Dmail you.