I have a Grape Kiwi that seems to be doing well. Can I use it as a pollinator for regular size Kiwi (female) plants? Or do I need to get a male plant too?
Do Kiwi Vines Need Pollination To Produce Fruit? | FAQs | Arts Nursery Ltd Usually you need the same species to pollinate your kiwi. AFAIK, there are hybrids, like the golden kiwi, but obviously hybridization is not so effective to produce decent harvest. They have to flower the same time, even this can be difficult to achieve with two different species.
I have had both fuzzy and grape kiwis, and at one time the male grape kiwi died. The female grape kiwi continued to fruit, presumably pollinated by the nearby male fuzzy kiwi, but possibly less prolifically. This shows that there is some pollination compatibility between the two species, but that offers no certainty that this particular grape kiwi will pollinate a fuzzy kiwi. I presume that the grape kiwi under discussion is either a male or self-fertile variety. My male grape kiwi was Actinidia arguta.
My Grape Kiwi is self pollinating and produced a lot of fruit last year. I was hoping it was genetically close enough to large Kiwis to be able to pollinate them too. On another note, is it possible to graft large Kiwi onto Grape Kiwi? Male and female?
Mike, is your grape kiwi is the variety Issai? I have that variety, and I see that it is blooming at the same time as my male and female fuzzy kiwis. So, I think that there is a chance that Issai will pollinate the fuzzy kiwi. On the other hand, asking that question in Google provides a negative answer.
I do not know which variety it is. At the time I bought it I did not even know there was such a thing as grape kiwi, nor did I know about male and female fuzzy kiwis. I just bought a kiwi and stuck it in the ground. At first I thought something was wrong because the fruits were so small.
Mike, to be safe, I suggest that you buy a self-fertile fuzzy kiwi; Jenny is the only one I'm aware of. It seems to be available at Phoenix Perennials, and I think I've seen it at Gardenworks in Burnaby. I don't know if if it is available on the Island, but Phoenix can ship it.
Well I guess I really need to do a little more research into Kiwi. I had no idea large self-fertile Kiwis existed. I just learned they needed male and female a couple on years ago. Thanks for that advice, I'll see if I can find one. I will also see if I can get cuttings and try grafting. I don't have a lot of places for growing vines. When is the best time of year for grafting Kiwi?
It depends slightly on grafting method, But usually early spring is the best time for whip and tongue grafting, that should be one of the most successful method for kiwis.
