Kiwi fruit: benefits and harms for the human body, calories, recipes. Kiwi - what kind of fruit, how does it grow in nature and in culture? In what conditions are kiwis grown?

An interesting question to which many do not know the answer: how does kiwi grow? We offer to look at the photo.

Confidence in the benefits of this fruit, pushes to try to grow it at home. It is worth learning more about the growing environment of kiwi and the necessary conditions.

What is kiwi

The birthplace of kiwi is Actinidia, where it grows on a tree vine. This fruit is usually referred to as fruit, but it is a berry and is popularly referred to as Chinese gooseberry.

The fruit stands out for a gentle pleasant taste. The plant blooms with small flowers similar to a rose. Kiwi is covered with velvety skin, under which lies an emerald-colored flesh, with small soft bones. The berry will come to the aid of a sick heart, in the fight against excess weight and high blood pressure.

Despite the outward similarity of all fruits, they come in several varieties:

Hyvard has a large size and juicy flesh;
Abbot loves high humidity and gives high yields;
Monti contains a high amount of potassium and vitamins C;
Bruno is in greatest demand due to its high productivity, good transportability and other indicators.

Where grows

Despite the demanding kiwi, many countries are engaged in its cultivation. The largest percentage of the crop falls on New Zealand. There are about 3 thousand farms that grow fruits for export.

Some countries also grow kiwi, but often for local consumption. These include: Greece, Chile, Iran, Italy and China. In the United States, only California and Hawaii can boast of these fruits.

Benefit

Due to its high content of vitamin C, kiwi is used in the treatment and prevention of many diseases. The benefits of one berry are comparable to a bucket of apples in the content of vitamins and minerals: vitamin A and B, the enzyme actinide, quinic acid, magnesium, calcium, potassium and phosphorus.

During pregnancy, the use of the fetus in food saturates the body with calcium and magnesium, which are necessary for the proper development of the baby. In China, the berry has established itself as a means of prevention against cancer. This is due to the content of ascorbic acid, which inhibits the development of cancer cells.

How to choose

In order to get the most out of kiwi, you need to learn how to choose it correctly. When buying, pay attention to the following indicators:

bright fruity aroma;
the skin should be smooth and elastic;
ripe berry should be soft to the touch;
shriveled peel indicates a loss of moisture and most nutrients;
there should be no spots or cracks on the peel.

Bringing a kiwi home, put it in the refrigerator. There he can lie for up to 4 weeks. If you purchased an unripe fruit, put it in a sunny place and after a couple of days you will get a ripe healthy berry.

Growing at home

In order to get aromatic fruits at home, follow the following instructions:

The seeds of ripe fruit are removed and washed under running water.
The shift is immersed in clean water for a week until they germinate.
After germination, the seeds are transferred to a damp cloth and covered with a glass or a jar, creating a mini-greenhouse.
When the first spine appears, the seeds are transplanted into the ground.
The first grown leaves indicate that seedlings need to be transplanted with a large capacity.
Pots are placed on the sunny side and carefully monitor soil moisture. If weak seedlings are found, they are immediately removed.

Kiwi requires abundant watering, especially during the flowering period.

Breeding methods

When growing kiwi, seeds and cuttings are used. For growing by the seed method described above, it is necessary to prepare the soil from a nutrient substrate mixed with sand. However, the fruits obtained from seeds can be very different from the mother plant, having lost variety characteristics.

The vegetative method involves the use of green cuttings harvested during the plant pruning period in summer. Cuttings with several buds are suitable for cutting. For the lower cut, an angle of 45 degrees is observed, while the upper cut should be even and 10 mm above the kidney.

Note: a fogging installation should be provided in the greenhouse.

Next, the cuttings are placed in water, covered with a damp cloth and left for a day. To root the seedlings, they prepare peat soil with a layer of 30 cm. Cuttings are rooted to a depth of 3 cm, at a distance of 7 cm from each other. Strictly observe the level of humidity (at least 95%) and soil temperature (at least 3 ° C).

Waiting for the harvest

Subject to proper care and all the rules, the result will be positive. However, patience is worth it, because the first berries will appear no earlier than three years. The worse the conditions, the longer this period.

Keep in mind that kiwi is dioecious and therefore you will need male and female plants to produce fruits. Growing with the help of cuttings will allow to fulfill this condition even when planting. The seed propagation method will reveal the sex of the seedling only during flowering, that is, not earlier than after three years.

Despite the difficulties that you will encounter, the result will justify all your efforts and patience. And you can be proud of a self-grown exotic fruit.

See how the kiwi grows in the following video:

Kiwi varieties that grow well in temperate climates and withstand frosts up to 30 degrees are bred. Therefore, more and more gardeners are planting kiwi in personal plots. The best time to plant a kiwi is spring and summer.

Summer planting of actinidia involves mandatory shading and abundant watering throughout the entire growing season. But plants under 3 years old can to plant and in the fall before the onset of cold weather, as a rule, it is September-October. It is important that kiwi take root in the open ground before frost, then the seedling will winter well.

Kiwi is planted so that 10 female plants account for at least 1 male. Varieties of actinidia dioecious, that is, not requiring a pollinator, normally grow and bear fruit in a single copy.

Kiwi is grown on acidic soil. Clayed dry soil is not suitable for actinidia, but groundwater is not desirable in close proximity to the root system. Earlier we wrote about.

Kiwi is a tall plant, for several years liana grows to 20 m. From each bush, with good care during the period of full fruiting, a yield of up to one hundred kilograms is obtained. Therefore, one cannot do without support.

It can be a wall, a fence, metal, wooden support structures or a special trellis, a gazebo, a pergola. The main thing is that the support should support the weight of branches and fruits.

Kiwi planting

The depth of the pits or grooves for actinidia seedlings is a bayonet spade. Width is 30 cm.
At the bottom of the pit, pour a layer of vermiculite, crushed stones, bricks or expanded clay, since the plant does not tolerate standing water.
Sprinkle the seedling with earth without tamping.
Water abundantly.
Mulch with sawdust.
Protect the plant with a cut-off 5-liter plastic bottle or mesh with agrofiber.
Drive 3 pegs-guides along the perimeter of the pit. Kiwi will trail along them.

The distance between the seedlings is maintained in the range from 1.5 to 2.5 m. Until the plant takes root, it protect from direct sunlight. To ensure the proper development of the plant, it is planted in fertile soil with humus and wood ash, and mineral fertilizers are added - superphosphate and ammonium nitrate. It is not allowed to use chlorinated fertilizers for feeding actinidia.

Kiwi Care

The root system of the kiwi is superficial, so weeding and digging the earth around a kiwi seedling is extremely undesirable. Mulching trunk circle actinidia necessarily!

Fertilizers are best applied in liquid form or sprinkled under a layer of mulch. Actinidia not drought tolerant a plant. The first few years, garden kiwi is regularly and abundantly watered.

Frost-resistant Actinidia

Actinidia colomict - the most frost-resistant variety. It grows like a vine, winding around a support, or in the form of a stunted shrub.
Actinidia argument differs in large sizes. The length of its trunk reaches 25 m.
Actinidia polygam - the most valuable medicinal plant. In terms of vitamin C content, it is far superior to known plants.
Carpathian Straton Valentine is a new variety of frost-resistant kiwi bred by Ukrainian breeder Heinrich Straton.

Bloom

In April - June (depending on the variety), actinidia is covered with creamy white or pink flowers with a wonderful aroma. Abundant flowering lasts 2-3 weeks. Female and male plants differ in the structure of inflorescences. Male inflorescences are characterized by the presence of anthers of yellow (actinidia colomictus and polygamum) and black (argument) color.

Pollination occurs with the help of wind, as well as insects - bumblebees or bees. Pollination of dioecious varieties is possible only if the male and female lianas are of the same variety.

After flowering, the ovary is formed in the female flowers. The fruits are harvested in August-September. They have an oblong shape, yellow-green or light orange in color and have a pleasant pineapple smell. The peel of the fetus is smooth or pubescent.

Formation

Actinidia can and should be formed. Here are a few options for palmette creepers. The formation will take several years.

Top dressing

Fertilizers are applied to the soil according to a certain pattern.

Fall:

humus - 2-3 kg / sq.m;
superphosphate - 40-50 g / sq.m;
potassium salt - 10-15 g / sq.m.

In the spring: ammonium nitrate - 20-30 g / sq.m

In hot weather, plants should be watered regularly. The top layer is periodically loosened, mixing with sawdust and peat.

Breeding

Actinidia is propagated cuttings, seeds and root cuttings. The fastest way is rooting cuttings. In early spring, cuttings up to 30 cm long are cut out before placement of sap flow and placed on a nutrient substrate for several buds. Then it is watered and covered with polyethylene.

When 3 leaves appear, the plant is gradually accustomed to life without a greenhouse, and then taken out to the street or balcony. In August, rooted and matured stalks can be planted in open ground.

Kiwi seeds are soaked in hot water for a day (in a thermos). Sown to a depth of 1 cm. Top can be sprinkled with sand. They build a greenhouse made of polyethylene or a can and put it in a warm, bright place for germination. We have patience - the seeds will sprout in 3 months. And the fruits will appear at best in 6 years.

Winter preparations

Unviable shoots are removed in autumn, young shoots are covered with spruce branches or peat. Adult plants tolerate winter weather without shelter, tied to trellises. The root system is carefully insulated with peat or humus.

Kiwi, or actinidia chinese, is a tree-like tropical liana. In which country did this fruit appear for the first time and in which countries does it currently grow? Under natural conditions, this liana grows in the subtropics of the following countries: Italy, Abkhazia, New Zealand, Chile and the Black Sea coast .

This unusual fruit first appeared on the territory of New Zealand at the beginning of the 20th century. After some time, large-fruited kiwi varieties were developed. But few people know how kiwi grows in its natural habitat and at home. Therefore, if someone has a desire to grow this fruit at home, they can familiarize themselves with the information presented in this article.

general description

The appearance of this plant is very similar to a tree, which requires support. In nature, kiwi fruits gather in clusters and ripen at the tops of the shoots. Throughout the season, Chinese actinidia changes its leaf color from green to white, pink and raspberry. The people can also meet another name for this tropical plant - chinese gooseberry. Inside the kiwi fruit is a green sweet-sour pulp with many small black seeds.

Some foodies associate the taste of fruit with strawberries, melon, gooseberries, apples or bananas. The average weight of one kiwi fruit is about 80 g. The fruits are very rich in vitamin C, which, by the way, is more in kiwi than, for example, in lemons or currants. In addition, the fruit contains a lot of potassium, which is also a vital trace element.

Growing Kiwi at Home

How does kiwi grow and is it possible to grow it at home? The cultivation of kiwi at home is very real, exciting and does not require much effort and cost. First of all, to grow kiwi at home, you need to get the seeds. To do this, you just need to buy ripe fruit at any grocery store. Currently, several types of exotic fruit vines are known, each of which can be quite successfully grown at home.

Before you start growing kiwi at home, you must take into account the natural conditions for its growth. Actinidia chinensis is a sun-loving plant. Kiwi needs a certain place of detention on the windowsill on the south side, where there is no cold and drafts.

The process of growing kiwi at home involves several stages:

Preparation and germination of seeds;
Picking received seedlings;
Basic care.

Let us consider in more detail each of the above steps.

Seed germination

First of all, it is necessary to extract seeds from a ripe fruit, after which they are well washed under water from the remains of the pulp. Since kiwi seeds are very small, it is most convenient to wash them with a sieve or gauze. Clean seeds should then be lowered into a glass of water at room temperature and placed in a warm place on the south side.

As a rule, after 1-2 weeks, the seeds open. If this does not happen, then it is necessary to replace the water, preventing rotting of planting material. The opened seeds need to be kept in greenhouse conditions with periodic ventilation.

In water, moisten a cloth and place on a platter. From above, hatching seeds are evenly laid out on a rag. In order to create greenhouse conditions, planting material must be covered with a transparent jar and put in a warm and well-lit room.

The resulting greenhouse effect is able to provide rapid seed germination, literally for 4-5 days. Seedlings that have already sprouted produce microscopic roots. This suggests that they already need to be planted in prepared soil.

The soil for seedlings should consist of the following components:

Peat land;
Sand;
Chernozem.

The resulting substrate is ideal for growing kiwi at home.

Before planting in the ground, a small layer of expanded clay drainage should be laid on the bottom of the pot or planting container. A slightly moistened soil mixture is poured over the drainage. In order to facilitate further picking, seedlings of plants are planted separately.

Seedling Care

When the sprouts sprout, they must be laid out on the surface of the nutrient soil and sprinkled with a thin layer of substrate 3 mm. Tanks with young plants should be placed in a warm place and sprayed from the spray bottle with warm water on a daily basis. Spraying can be eliminated if you equip the greenhouse from a transparent material. Thus, the condensate that will collect under the film will create the necessary humidity for the seedlings.

After the first shoots appear, shelters must be removed. When the seedlings have already grown, and one pair of leaves will appear on it, it must be dived into separate landing tanks of a slightly larger size. By this time, as a rule, plants reach a height of 12 cm. During the dive, the same soil mixture is used that was used for sowing seeds, with only less peat. If you notice unnecessary and unpromising sprouts, then they must be immediately rejected, choosing only the strongest and healthiest. Timely picking is a very important stage in growing tropical vines at home, since the further development and fruiting of kiwi depends on it.

Kiwi Care

In order to ensure full and active growth at home, plants need special care. Therefore, for the tropical vine, it is necessary to create the necessary conditions that will be as close as possible to the natural environment of the growth of kiwi. Let's take a closer look at the rules for caring for kiwi at home:

In conclusion, it is worth noting that such a fruiting plant as kiwi is quite rarely exposed to various diseases and pests, even while growing at home. Despite this, it is necessary to periodically inspect for the appearance of diseases or harmful insects. Such examinations will be useful.

If you organize competent and good care for this exotic plant that will be grown from seeds, then, as a rule, already in the third or fourth year of its life, a kiwi will blossom and begin to bear fruit in your home.

Original kiwi fruits are very much appreciated for their great taste, exquisite aroma, high vitamin content, excellent transportability and long-term storage for several months. This useful and unpretentious plant feels great in the gardens of the southern regions of Russia and Ukraine. You can grow it in indoor conditions or in a greenhouse.

Kiwi - Chinese Actinidia

Kiwi is the commercial name for the fruits of the Chinese Actinidia from the Actinidian family. In the wild, this large woody vine with leaves falling in winter grows in the subtropical forests of southern China. In nature, Chinese actinidia creepers reach 10 meters in length, climbing high into the crowns of trees.

Large wide leaves of kiwi look very unusual and attractive. This liana gives a lot of shade, it is good for landscaping courtyards, pergolas and arbors in the southern zone.

Kiwi - deciduous liana with large leaves

Kiwi fruit is a juicy berry covered with a slightly hairy brownish skin, under which lies a delicious and fragrant pulp. The peel is rough and not used for food; only the pulp of the fruits is edible. Kiwi seeds are very small and numerous, they are not felt when eating, so there is no need to remove them when peeling this fruit. Fruits are oval in shape, slightly larger than a chicken egg, weighing up to 100-150 grams.

Kiwi fruits a little larger than a chicken egg

The pulp of kiwi fruits is beautiful bright green in color, in most varieties it still remains green even when fully ripened, although varieties with yellow flesh have recently begun to appear. It is very easy to distinguish a mature fruit from an unripe one:

unripe fruit hard to the touch
the ripened fruit becomes soft, and its flesh becomes transparent.

For long months of storage and transportation over long distances, the kiwi fruits are harvested slightly immature, while they are still solid. Fully ripened soft fruits are stored for only a few days, even in the refrigerator.

In order for the purchased kiwi hard fruits to ripen faster, they must be folded in a plastic bag along with several ripe apples, tie the bag and leave it in the shade for 3-5 days at room temperature.

Kiwi is an important commercial fruit crop in subtropical countries

Chinese actinidia has been grown since ancient times in the gardens of China and neighboring countries of Southeast Asia, where many local varieties have been created. But this fruit crop received world commercial significance and international popularity only in the last century, when old Chinese varieties were brought to New Zealand. An oriental outlandish liana perfectly stuck on New Zealand land, and local breeders managed to create varieties with especially large fruits, for the promotion of which the commercial name “Kiwi” was invented (in honor of the unique flightless bird, which is a recognized symbol of New Zealand).

Modern large-fruited varieties of Chinese actinidia are often distinguished in a separate form - a delicious actinidia, to distinguish it from their wild ancestors.

Large-fruited kiwi varieties (photo gallery)

The main characteristics of large-fruited kiwi varieties (table)

Kiwi industrial culture regions

Currently, kiwi is the most important commercial fruit crop in New Zealand, in the subtropical zone of the USA and countries of South America, in China, Japan, in many countries of Southern Europe.

A lot of kiwi fruits are now grown in Italy. I had a chance to chat with several Italian farmers, the owners of such plantations. In their opinion, the culture of kiwi is less troublesome and more profitable than grapes traditional for those places: there are practically no pests and diseases in kiwi, therefore, labor-intensive pesticides are not needed at all, the crop is guaranteed to be environmentally friendly and stored for much longer. For planting kiwi, just like under vineyards, you can use uncomfortable areas in the foothills and on the hillsides, and the design of the supports is not very different from grape.

Kiwi plantations in many countries successfully supplant vineyards

Kiwi grows well in the southern part of Russia: on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, in the Crimea, in the south of Dagestan. On the southern coast of Crimea, in Sochi and in Krasnodar, kiwi successfully winters without shelter, in the more northern regions of the liana for the winter it is necessary to remove from supports, lay on the ground and cover.

How does kiwi grow in Yalta (video)

You can grow kiwi in the Black Sea regions of Ukraine. Successfully fruitful amateur plantings of this creeper also exist in Transcarpathia. In Kiev, Chinese Actinidia sometimes bears fruit in some particularly successful years, but freezes significantly during frosty winters. In Belarus and central Russia, kiwi cultivation is possible only in greenhouse conditions.

What is a mini kiwi

In recent years, many garden nurseries have used the name “mini-kiwi” to increase consumer demand for seedlings of other types of actinidia:

actinidia argument
actinidia purpurea,
actinidia colomictus.

Compared with Chinese actinidia, these species are much more winter-hardy, especially colomictus actinidia, which grows and bears fruit without any shelters even in the Moscow Region, Siberia, and the Urals. The size of their fruits is much smaller than that of kiwi, but they are not inferior to them in taste and in the content of nutrients.

Varieties of mini-kiwi (photo gallery)

In my garden on the Middle Volga, for many years, the colomict actinidia vine has been bearing fruit, annually at the end of August yielding a crop of medium-sized berries the size of a grape, with a taste and aroma like real store kiwis.

How the Kiwi Flowers and Fruits

Kiwi, like all other types of actinidia, is a dioecious plant. Male and female flowers are located on different copies. Reliably determine the sex of plants becomes possible only during flowering. Vines of seed origin bloom usually 5-7 years after sowing seeds grown from cuttings and cuttings a little earlier, already 3-4 years.

Female kiwi flowers are arranged in small groups.

Female kiwi flowers are arranged in small groups. They are white or slightly cream in color. In the center of each female flower, a large pestle with an asterisk-like stigma is clearly visible. The stamens surrounding it are underdeveloped, so self-pollination is impossible.

In the center of the female kiwi flower, the pestle is clearly visible, and the stamens are underdeveloped

If too many female flowers were formed and successfully pollinated on a plant at the same time, then the fruits grown from them will be small. To obtain especially large fruits, shortly after the formation of the ovaries, they are thinned out, removing excess ones.

Male flowers do not form kiwi fruits, but are necessary for pollination

Whitish male kiwi flowers are collected in a brush of several pieces on one peduncle. Kiwi is pollinated by bees and other insects, so the flowers are very melliferous. Inside the male flower, numerous stamens with pollen are clearly visible, and the pestle is underdeveloped and does not have an asterisk.

Kiwi male flowers have numerous stamens with pollen, and the pestle is underdeveloped

In Sochi, kiwi blossoms in the second half of May, the fruits ripen from mid-October to early December. Under favorable weather conditions, fruiting occurs annually, but in cold winters flower buds may die, and flowers and buds are often damaged by spring return frosts.

Features of growing kiwi in the open ground

When planting kiwi for every 10 plants of female fruiting varieties (Hayward, Kivaldi, Monti, Bruno, Abbot, Allison, ...) for pollination, it is necessary to plant at least 2 plants of male pollinating varieties (Matua, Tomuri, ...). The distance between the seedlings when planting is at least 2-3 meters.

To grow kiwi, you need support. Trellis is usually installed before planting seedlings. The height of the trellis is 2–2.5 meters; to tie the shoots between the posts, a strong wire is stretched horizontally in 1-3 rows. Formative pruning is carried out in late autumn after harvest, cutting thickening, weak and too old shoots.

For the cultivation of kiwi, trellises are made of poles and a wire stretched between them

Chinese actinidia needs high humidity of air and soil, so plantations are regularly watered. In small garden gardens you can plant plants in light partial shade to protect from the scorching southern sun. It is convenient to plant a kiwi near a gazebo or an open veranda, you get a beautiful shady canopy of green leaves.

Without shelter, adult kiwi plants withstand short-term frosts of -15 ..- 17 ° C, young specimens are severely damaged even at -10 ° C.

In regions with possible winter frosts, for better wintering, kiwi lianas can be additionally covered for the winter:

Cover the ground near the plants with spruce branches or plastic so that the vine cannot rot from contact with the soil.
Remove the vine from the supports and lay on the cover.
Top cover with spruce branches or reed mats.
Cover the insulation material with a plastic film, fix its edges with bricks or sprinkle with earth.

To protect against frost, kiwi can be sheltered for the winter

In case of strong prolonged thaws, shelters must be ventilated. In spring, the shelter is removed and the vines are tied to the trellis.

Growing Kiwi at Home

If you wish, you can try to grow kiwi as a houseplant, although there is no particular sense in this:

fruiting requires the presence of male and female specimens blooming at the same time (pollination is carried out manually with a soft brush);
kiwi - a large vine, taking up a lot of space;
cool wintering with a temperature of about + 5 ° C is necessary for the formation of flower buds;
flowering occurs late, 5-7 years after sowing seeds, and to determine the sex of seedlings is possible only during flowering.

For sowing, you can use seeds from kiwi fruits purchased in the store:

Care for indoor kiwi consists of regular irrigation with settled water, preventing the land from drying out in a pot (watering more often in summer, less often in winter), weekly spraying of leaves with slightly warm spray water and annual spring transplantation. For garter of climbing shoots in a pot, a frame of thick insulated wire is fixed.

How to grow kiwi at home (video)

Many people have an idea about the kiwi fruit thanks to the shops, but few people know how the kiwi grows and what kind of plant it is. We will try to fill this gap through an article by the famous Kuban gardener M.V. Konoplyanov, who is asked “ is it possible to grow kiwi in Russia"Gives an affirmative answer - it is possible!

Kiwi is the main culture, which I devoted at least fifteen years, when it was not yet in the Kuban. I have collected many articles about this culture.

Currently, kiwi is very interested and is studying at my site, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences V.A. Gryazev, who rightly claims that kiwi is the future and will take a leading place among fruit crops. The Americans brought the most frost-resistant variety of kiwi (up to -40 degrees), V.A. Gryazev.

Yes, kiwi does not need an article, but a more substantial book, I hope it will soon appear to the delight of gardeners. Conducting correspondence with almost all corners of Russia, he was convinced that kiwi was grown near Moscow, in the regions of Central Russia and the Volga region, in particular the Volgograd region, and an amateur from Novocherkassk began to harvest this crop much earlier on his personal plot (for the winter, he dug as ).

A few decades ago, kiwi in a cultural form on a limited scale grew mainly in New Zealand. However, in recent decades, industrial plantations have been established in many countries around the world, gradually advancing to the north.

Useful properties of kiwi

A sharp jump in the popularity of kiwi is associated primarily with the high medicinal value and properties of kiwi fruits. A high content of vitamin C is 90-120 mg% (daily rate for an adult), that is, 15 times more than in apples.

In general, doctors and gardeners who grow kiwi in the plots like to say that one kiwi replaces a bucket of apples.

There is a lot of vitamin E in the fruits, which is usually (except for avocados, but twice as much in kiwi) is absent in other fruit crops. The content of vitamin A is also quite high (175-200 mg%). There are also vitamin B1, niacin, riboflavin.

Another difference of kiwi is that in its juice there is as much quinic acid as in citric acid (up to 1000 mg%).

The peculiarity of kiwi fruits is also that they mainly contain minus-epicatehins (and not plus-minus catechins, as in other fruits). According to B. B. Kutubidze and G.P. Sajveladze, this catechin content is optimal for a stimulating effect on the human body.

Kiwi fruits are also appreciated by the presence of biologically active substances in them, including the actinidin enzyme, which in its action is similar to papain and ficin, the presence of which explains the stimulating effect of kiwi fruits.

Kiwi actinidia fruits have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine for various disorders of the body and the treatment of many diseases.

They enhance digestion, prevent the appearance of early gray hair, weaken rheumatic pains, stimulate blood circulation, increase milk production in nursing mothers, they are recommended for hypertension, vomiting and hemorrhoids and as a tonic.

Kiwi fruits are recommended as a preventative anti-cancer agent in China and New Zealand. The active substance is considered to be ascorbic acid and actinidia, which directly or indirectly suppress the activity of cancer cells (due to the formation of free radicals that suppress N-nitroso compounds and enhance the formation of interferon).

Kiwi fruits are very valuable as a dietary product, because they contain a large amount of nutrients per calorie. In addition, they contain many minerals needed by the body: magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, but primarily potassium, which is necessary in the treatment of many diseases.

Eating one kiwi fruit daily, you avoid many troubles for your health, and the child gets good vitality and harmonious development.

The ecological value of this culture is that it is practically not damaged by pests and diseases. Considering that, in addition, it does not tolerate high doses of mineral fertilizers and especially pesticide treatments, the cultivation of this crop not only makes it possible to produce high-quality, environmentally friendly fruits, but also generally improves the ecological condition of the surrounding area.

Under natural conditions, the wild ancestors of kiwi grow in the forests of China, along the banks of the Yangtze, where cold winters and hot summers are a continental climate, where frosts are almost absent in spring. Some authors claim that kiwi is very photophilous. Years of experience have convinced me that this opinion is erroneous: kiwi fruit bears fruit, even being almost 70 percent obscured.

Kiwi as a species formed on forest, well-aerated, humus-rich soil with a low lime content. These conditions contributed to the location of the root system in the surface layer of soil rich in nutrients. When planting in open ground, it is recommended to create windproof landings, taking into account fruit plants, trees,.

These are the biological characteristics and properties of kiwi.

How kiwi grows - growing and caring for fruit

As a fruit culture, a kiwi has a number of unusual, unique, traits unique to it. Firstly, it was cultivated less than a hundred years ago, and industrial cultivation was less than half a century, so it is biologically closer to its wild ancestors.

Kiwi is a liana, therefore it requires support. The growth of shoots does not stop throughout the growing season, and in order to maintain normal growth, appropriate conditions must be observed.

Flowers are laid laterally at the current growth, which is characteristic of only a few fruit crops. Almost every pollinated kiwi flower gives birth, but its size depends on the number of seeds that have set. Kiwi is a dioecious plant.

Kiwi root system is fibrous. Fleshy, with a thick phloem, the roots lie mainly in the surface layer - up to 50 cm. By the 5-6th year, the root system lies on an area of \u200b\u200bup to 5-6 meters in diameter.

At the same time, the proportion of thick structural roots that play the role of a nutrient depot (up to 80% of their total dry weight) increases significantly. These substances are consumed by the plant both at the beginning of the growing season, and in the process of fruit formation and ripening.

So, in the first four weeks of growth, the need for kiwi in the main trace elements is approximately 30-40% satisfied by the reserves of the root system. If it is damaged (by loosening the soil), the vegetative growth of the plant is enhanced to the detriment of fruit bearing and the quality of the fruit.

Kiwi does not tolerate tillage, especially near the trunk, very surface loosening is possible on light sandy soils, where the roots are located at a greater depth. On calcareous soils with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction, one must be especially careful, since the treatment of such soils leads to an increase in alkaline reaction, and kiwi prefers a slightly acid reaction.

Due to the active growth and large removal of nutrients accumulated by the plant with fruits, leaves, shoots, kiwi requires fertilizer.

A number of authors believe that chlorine-containing fertilizers cannot be used, since kiwi does not tolerate them. Calcium-based fertilizers should also be avoided. The culture negatively reacts to high concentrations of nitrogen fertilizers. Physiologically alkaline mineral fertilizers should be avoided, especially on neutral and slightly alkaline soils.

It is recommended to use sulfate forms of nitrogen and potassium fertilizers, superphosphate or complex fertilizers (the recommended formula is 12-12-17), where nitrogen evolution is slowed down. But the best fertilizers are organic (well-rotted manure, peat). They not only rationally supply the plant with nutrients, but also improve the structure of the soil.

Although kiwi can grow and bear fruit on soils with different mechanical composition, high yields and quality of fruits can be obtained only on light or medium-sized mechanical soils, well aerated and rich in humus.

In soils with a heavy mechanical composition, the root system is poorly developed, even a part of the roots comes to the surface due to oxygen starvation. Unacceptable soils and with a high content of sand - due to quick drying.

Kiwi can grow and bear fruit normally even on slightly alkaline soil, but the general norm of its pH should not exceed 7.5, since chlorosis begins to progress with an increase in this indicator.

The root system of kiwi, although it lies in the surface layer, can very effectively extract nutrients and water from the soil. It is proved that a plant having a total foliage surface of 16-17 m 2 consumes up to 100 liters of water per day. Water is especially needed in the first month or two after flowering, which affects the quality of the crop.

At the same time, the roots of kiwi do not tolerate excessive waterlogging of the soil, as this causes oxygen starvation of plants. Thus, kiwi is a plant with high demands on soil moisture.

Kiwi is a deciduous vine and can withstand temperatures of -16-18 ° C (young shoots), -24-30 ° C (adults, breeding from the Hayward variety), but is very sensitive to early spring frosts. This is due to the fact that young grassy shoots formed from sleeping buds at the beginning of the growing season (or not lignified tops of shoots at its end) are very sensitive to sharp temperature fluctuations.

This may affect the size of the crop. The negative effects of exposure to low temperatures can be avoided (weakened) if you do not get carried away with agro-methods that stimulate vegetative growth (use of fertilizers containing nitrogen, watering) to this period.

Kiwi is grown in open ground and in film unheated film greenhouses of a light type. According to French researchers, 25–35 t / ha of fruits were obtained in closed ground more than in open ground. Of course, in closed ground, kiwi is grown mainly in areas with a more severe climate, in Russia - in the middle lane.

Some authors attribute kiwi to subtropical plants, although this is not entirely true. Kiwi is a deciduous culture and requires about 500 hours of freezing temperatures for normal development. Therefore, it is more correct to attribute it to the heat-loving cultures of the temperate zone, such as, for example, etc.

All actinidia are lianas, so in vivo they lack a pronounced trunk. Weaving and intertwining, the numerous shoots of kiwi, which do not have support, form a continuous carpet of leaves and shoots.

However, with the appropriate formation and the presence of supports, usually after 25-30 years, the formation of one or more trunks begins. A fairly pronounced trunk with a diameter of 25-30 cm is formed from the central conductor. It can reach a height of 8-10 m.

Figure 1. Here are examples of 2 types of trellises on which kiwi is most successfully grown

1. Ordinary T-shaped trellis for growing kiwi

2. T-shaped trellis with “wings” (more convenient)

Kiwi shoots are divided into two main types: vegetative and mixed. The first are formed from sleeping buds on 2-4-year-old shoots, perform a supporting function and do not form fruits. The second, also called vegetative-generative, are formed on the annual shoots of the previous year and perform both the supporting function and the fruiting function. There is also a type of generative or fruit shoots that cannot entwine support.

In kiwi, a neoplasm of the kidneys from the cambial tissues of the internodes can also occur. After two to three weeks, callus tubercles appear on the interstitial section, from which buds of the kidneys (usually 4-6) are then formed, and then within 1-3 months - 1-3 buds. These buds can later develop into normal shoots.

Figure 2. Growing and pruning a kiwi

1. Planting a kiwi seedling (one or two seed).

2. The first year of growth - we leave the central trunk - we cut off all others.

3 - 4. Remove all lateral shoots until the tip reaches the upper wire in the trellis - after which leave another shoot of their kidney, which is located just below the trellis, to grow.

5. After the lower shoot has grown, spread them in different directions along the same trellis wire

6. The second and third year of growth of kiwi - the formation of a bush.

With a shoot length of more than 30-40 cm, the top of the shoot begins to spin spontaneously around its axis and wraps the support counterclockwise. Mixed shoots are formed on the shoots of last year. On the shoots of old branches or trunk, they practically do not form.

Flower buds are laid in the sinuses of the first 2-8 leaves. Differentiation of buds into vegetative and generative (floral) occurs in the fall, before the onset of dormancy.

The main pruning kiwi carried out after falling leaves, but not later than the first decade of January. When forming, the most healthy vegetative shoots are left, on mixed ones up to five buds, the fertilized shoots are removed to the kidney of substitution.

Summer pruning (pinching of the ends, shortening) is carried out to improve the quality of the crop and fully bookmark the future crop.

Planting seedlings in a permanent place is carried out taking into account the distance between plants in a row - 3-5 cm. It must be borne in mind that the yield of one kiwi plant reaches 100-200 kg, therefore powerful supports from pipes 1.8-2 meters and 2-3 meters high are necessary row of wire for trellis.

Kiwi propagated, like grapes, cuttings of winter and summer. It should be borne in mind that the winter cuttings must be kept buried in the sand until the soil warms up, only after that, plant a mixture of sand and peat (1: 1) at a 30 ° angle, moisten moderately and slightly protect from the sun for the first two weeks .

Summer cuttings with a shortened one leaf are placed in a greenhouse. At optimal temperature, lighting and humidity, roots form after 3-4 weeks. Excellent results of reproduction - inoculation into a split on seedlings from November to December and a shield in August-September.

Currently, breeders of many countries have obtained dozens of kiwi varieties, the mass of fruits of which varies from 30 to 220 grams. The most large-fruited varieties include K-10, K-12, K-17.

Kiwi fruits not taken from plants are always hard. Usually from October to November (before frosts) they are manually removed from the vines. They are laid out in a cool place with a temperature of 0-8 degrees, where they can be kept fresh for up to one year. They are checked occasionally - soft ones (mature and ready to eat) are taken away.

To speed up the ripening of the fruits, they are brought into a warm room, where they become soft and very tasty within one to two weeks. Given the high nutritional value of the fruit, one per day per person is sufficient.

Slices of peeled fruit are decorated with cakes, salads, drinks, including fine liquor, are made from kiwi, jam is prepared, but how wonderful the fruit is fresh and daily!

When the Sverdlovsk woman wrote to me that she had received the first harvest of kiwi, I realized that there were no boundaries for a purposeful person. According to astrology, the age of kiwi is coming. Well, this culture deserves respect, and thanks to her for coming to us. Kiwi wintering

Corresponding to many amateur gardeners in Russia, I finally became convinced that a culture such as kiwi can grow and bear fruit almost to the northern latitudes. What kind of subtropical culture is it if it is deciduous and frost-resistant ?! The United States has already received its hybrids with frost resistance below -4 degrees. But let's pay attention to those varieties of kiwi that many gardeners in Russia already have.

Wintering of kiwi seedlings

The whole difficulty of cultivating a kiwi is in wintering. It would seem that kiwi is superior to grapes in frost resistance, but inferior to it in winter hardiness - the duration of a period of frosty days. But for breeders it is a matter of time.

A gardener from the city of Novocherkassk and a gardener from the city of Volgograd for many years in winter the kiwi shoots were bent to the ground and covered with earth. In the spring, the plants were freed from shelter. Received annual crops. But this is a very laborious process!

A very interesting case occurred in Volgograd around 1995. WWII disabled person, an amateur gardener, went to the hospital in the fall, lying there until the end of winter. Qiwi in the country in the winter did not shelter. Frosts before the snowfall were mild, and the fallen snow bent the kiwi shoots to the ground and covered it with its coverlet. When the gardener visited the cottage in the spring, he was pleasantly surprised: his beloved kiwi wintered well, although the frosts reached -40 C. It would be worth considering.

But here are some gardeners from the Kemerovo region, residents of the Moscow region, Central Russia adopted the experience of gardeners in the West. Pieces of pipe half an inch thick (a quarter of an inch), 50-70 cm high above the ground, the distance between the stakes 3-5 meters is driven into the ground. The wire is pulled from above. Kiwi seedlings are planted along the wire line at an angle to the earth no higher than 30 degrees. In the spring, a two-meter reinforcement is inserted into the stake pipe, over which the wire is also pulled. It is advisable to direct shoots of the plant during the growing season at an acute angle.

After the growing season, that is, after the first autumn frosts, when the leaves fall, they cut the kiwi, leaving up to five buds (seven maybe) on the unfertilized shoots of the current year, and up to three buds on the well-developed shoots after the last fruit.

The reinforcement with the upper wire is folded until next spring. Kiwi shoots as fast as possible pin to the ground with any hooks (wooden, wire, etc.). Kiwi's bent shoots are covered with any fallen leaves, straw, reeds, sawdust, hay, lapnik, etc. So that the wind does not scatter the shelter, cover with any fabric material from above. It is dangerous to cover with a film, since under the influence of sunny days, the temperature inside the shelter rises, the awakening of the kidneys begins. Well, if snow falls on top of the shelter, then frosts and -50 degrees will not be scary.

In the same way, figs are sheltered in the winter, and many deciduous crops, but planting them at an acute angle is required. In the forties and fifties they used the trench method of sheltering citrus fruits in winter: frosts of -43 degrees were not terrible for them.

Growing Kiwi - A Personal Experience

Kiwi in the village!

Long gone are the days when kiwi fruits were bought as an exotic gift for a visit. Another thing is surprising: why is growing, say, grapes in the north of the Middle Strip already considered the norm, but not kiwi? Imagine a picture: birch, aspen, kiwi, mountain ash ...

This beautiful plant easily withstands frosts of -15 ° and below (in Yalta, for example, in the foothills, it happens under -30 °, and nothing grows and bears fruit). Here is another important point: kiwi does not require chemical treatments due to the absence of pests and diseases. In my opinion, it is difficult to come up with a plant more convenient for a summer resident.

But back to agricultural technology. Three methods are acceptable for the Middle Band. I personally tried everything, and therefore I’m not telling you to be smart. So.

In containers of at least 20 liters. With the onset of frost, I transferred kiwi tubs to the veranda, and for a long time they pleased me with their bizarre leaves and delicious fruits. During the winter, I did not forget to periodically water it. In the first days of November I took off the fruits, and they ripened calmly with me for several months. And if they are placed in a food container with apples, they will become soft and sweet in five to seven days. Container growing of kiwi makes it possible to use your own cuttings for further propagation.

On a trellis with sheltering vines for the winter. Everything here is similar to grape care.

In the greenhouse, where emergency heating is designed in case of severe frosts. In the summer, I removed the side walls of this greenhouse for air access.

Kiwi varieties

There are two varieties in my garden kiwi Hayward (female) and Matuo (male). I grow rootstocks for seedlings from seeds for two years and then plant them with a cultivar. Vaccination methods are generally accepted.

I apply both budding and grafting into the cleft with a green handle, and in the cleft with a dry handle - the choice depends on the specific conditions and the time I have. It must be remembered that kiwi is a dioecious plant.

Only female plants produce fruits, but on condition that their flowers are pollinated by male pollen. By the way, for myself, I do not separately grow “men” - they are vaccinated below on the processes of female plants.

The main advice to amateur gardeners: do not waste time, remove seeds from kiwi fruits purchased in stores, dry, stratify and sow at home in small containers on window sills.

: BLACK CURRANT IN AUTUMN I think black currant ...