How to cut kiwi properly

 Kiwis can also be cultivated successfully in domestic gardens. 

In order for the cultivation to be successful and the harvest to be rich, 

regular pruning and consistent training are necessary. 

This is the right way to proceed when cutting.

With regular pruning, the exotic kiwi can also be grown in our latitudes

You can't get around cutting your kiwi. 

Not to do so would be one of the three biggest mistakes in growing kiwis. 

But if you follow a few points and grow the plants properly, 

your plant will thank you with a rich harvest and a long life. 

It is best to start cutting the kiwifruit right from the planting stage 

and ensure that the kiwifruit is optimally trained on a trellis, for example.

Cut kiwi: This is how it works

Immediately after planting, leave only one main shoot and cut back to encourage branching. 

During the course of the year, attach the strongest side shoots to horizontal tension wires on both sides. 

They are only trimmed when they have reached the end of the climbing aid. 

In the second year, these horizontal main shoots form their own side shoots, 

which you should shorten to about four to six leaves several times during the summer.

These pruning operations occur in the early years of kiwifruit

In the third year, the actual fruit shoots develop on these shoots again. 

In the same year they form flower buds in the axils of the first four to five leaves. 

In summer, you have to trim these shoots so that about three 

to four leaves remain behind the last flower bud. 

Once fruit shoots have been harvested, they will not produce new flowers the following year. 

Therefore, in spring, remove the entire branch section with the removed 

fruit wood and leave only one strong young shoot as long as possible, which has not yet produced any fruit. 

All shoots that form above the tension wires should also be removed regularly in spring, 

so that the long tendrils do not shade the fruit shoots. 

In addition, you should thinn out very dense branches on the horizontal 

main shoots so far that the future fruit shoots get enough sun.

Raising kiwis on a trellis

Kiwi plants have long shoots and develop a considerable weight over the years - especially during the time they bear fruit. 

Pergolas or arbours or sturdy trellis structures with two to three thick wires 

stretched horizontally are suitable as trellis structures. 

For orientation: 

80 centimeters have proven to be the best height for the lowest wire, 

all others are placed at 50-centimeter intervals. 

The least amount of effort is required if you pull kiwis directly against a wall, 

so that the trellis and also the shoots can be easily attached to it. 

Planted on seats, kiwis develop over the years into a dense screen.

A simple wire trellis provides support for less vigorous breeds. When growing, the tendrils are tied up in a fan shape and growth is limited by a strong summer cut when the fruits are just walnut-sized

When cultivating kiwis in pots, the following applies: 

Trim shoots that are too long regularly. 

If larger pruning measures are required, 

carry them out in late summer, as the plants bleed heavily in spring. 

The same applies, of course, to pruning kiwis in the garden.