Non-blooming female kiwi vine

Discussion in 'HortForum' started by Jenny Victoria, Jun 6, 2019.

  1. Jenny Victoria

    Jenny Victoria Active Member

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    I have a male and female kiwi vine. Both have been in the ground for 6 years and were a year old when planted. The male has been blooming anually for 3 years and is covered with blossoms. The female has nevedr bloomed. The male plant is more vigorous than the female but both plants are in the same soil, get the same fertilizer, water etc. How can I tell if I in fact have a female kiwi vine (it was bought as one) and if so how can I get it to bloom? Hope someone can help. Thank you.
     
  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Can't tell without the flowers. Otherwise maybe you got sold a seedling in the one instance - one which hasn't reached sexual maturity yet.
     
  3. pmurphy

    pmurphy Contributor 10 Years

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    Not sure if it's the norm but I found that most of my males would start to flower at least a year or two before the females (if purchased at the same time and age). But if they have been in the ground for 6 years the one just might have been a very young plant - I still have one vine that after about 6 years has never flowered (supposed to be a male) nor grown any bigger than when I bought it until this year when it suddenly double in height in just a couple of months (it went from 4ft to over 8ft) so we'll see what happens next year.

    But the one thing to look at is how close are the two plants and is the female being overshadowed by the male?
     
  4. vitog

    vitog Contributor 10 Years

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    I agree with pmurphy's last comment. Kiwi vines will not flower at all if they do not get enough sunshine. If the male and female vines are planted close together, the male plant should be pruned heavily every year, especially during the growing season, to allow the maximum amount of sun to reach the female vine. Also, be careful about pruning both vines: I've read that flowers are produced primarily on nodes 6 to 40 of last years growth. Make sure that the leaves associated with those nodes are receiving plenty of light.
     
  5. Jenny Victoria

    Jenny Victoria Active Member

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    Thank you for the responses. Both vines are growing over an arbour. The male planted on one side and the female on the other. They are about 4 feet apart. This year the female is throwing up a very strong thick shoot which you can almost watch growing taller. The male plant is very rampant and actually does not get as much sun as the female. The female gets about 8 hours at least of sun a day. I guess I shall just have to be patient and give it another year. The female is growing plenty of leaves but they are smaller than the male.
     

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