Am I crazy trying to grow Kiwi trees in the Phoenix, Arizona Valley. My oranges, lemons and grapefruit do well. What do you think? Thank you, AzSam
I don't think they will like the climate in Phoenix too much. It may be tough to get them through the heat of summer. Kiwis grow on strong woody vines (lianas), not trees. You know you need both male and female plants to get fruit, right?
Yes, from what I have read I see that I need both male and female. I have a side of my house that only gets the morning sun and I can shade it for summer, but the air will still be 110 plus in the worst of summer. Maybe if I keep the direct sunlight off of the plants, do I have a chance. I really do want "a go for it" from the experts. It looks like it is going to cost me about $50.00 to try it. What do you think? Thanks, Sam
Sam, why not join the forum? I can give you some ideas on what to do but I'd prefer you be a member. I am in the warmest part of the San Joaquin Valley and we grow Kiwi here.. Jim
Mr. Shep, I do have a username and password and it says that I am logged on, but I come up as unregistered? I can't figure what I am doing wrong? AzSam
You don't seem to be logged in to the system, that's for sure. Does it say Welcome AzSam in the upper right corner of the uppermost box of the forums? Or is there a login box?
Mr. Shep: I forgot to mention that I do get out to Ripon a few times a year. Actually I am an Arizona transplant, grew up in the Bay Area and Sacramento area. AzSam
Sam, you made it. I know Ripon well enough, I've done a lot of work through the years in Stanislaus county. Even though I may know some of these answers already I still want to hear it from you. Tell me about your soil type. Do you have an idea what your soil and water pH is where you are? I have a side of my house that only gets the morning sun and I can shade it for summer. This will work as even though Kiwi like full sun they may not be all that happy with the kind of intense heat for that many hours in a day that Phoenix can get without some afternoon protection. It has already been established that for you to ensure yourself of having fruit that you will want one male to be a pollinizer for at least one female (you can have more than one female if you like). Where you do plan to buy these, from a retail nursery, from a grower nursery or a satellite grower nursery? It will make a difference as if you are serious about wanting fruit it is better to deal with nurseries that guarantee their plants. Sometime use the UBC BG drop down Search menu, just mouse click it and do a Kiwi keyword search. This will bring up other threads in these forums that have some information about Kiwi for you to read. Once we know your setting, soil type, water situation and source for Kiwi we can move on to the next step. Jim
Mr. Shep, Thank you. I will try and get the soil type and ph numbers as soon as possible. I just took a couple minutes and surfed around looking at Nurseries that sell Kiwi's. They are not abundant like your "regular" fruits are. I eat at least 2 kiwi's each evening and sometimes have a couple in the afternoon. I read several articles about how good they are for you and it is nice enjoying them so much and then finding out how good they are for you. Will be getting back to you soon! Thanks, again, Sam
You may want to look at the Kiwi sources listed in this link and contact some of them about availability. They can help you put together the right mates for fruit production and I can help a little in dealing with your site preparation for Kiwi and how to grow them in Phoenix. We even have some people here in the Central Valley that grow these under shade cloth to protect the vines from intense afternoon sun. You will want to look into or inquire about a possible trellis system or network to help sustain and provide support for the vines. You can ask the plant source about what they use for their vines when you inquire about their Kiwi. CRFG Member Nurseries and Fruit Sources Jim
Well, I thought it might be easier to get the correct information on soil and water, but I am still working on it. Thanks, AzSam
I am wondering if anyone has had success with Kiwi plants in Arizona. I am at 3600 feet elevation and have just purchase 5 Kiwi plants (1 male and 4 female). They are live plants sent in 2 1/2" pots and the advice was to put them in larger pots and get them growing before transplanting them to my garden area. Our temperatures do get hot here (usually 15 degrees cooler than Phoenix). I realize the plants will have difficulty living with the hot winds we get in the summer. I have thought of "sheltering" them under some sort of netting and trying to protect them from the wind also. If you have had success in Arizona growing Kiwi's, please let me know how you did it! Much thanks in advance, Karen
