original arbor, I'm thinking of putting a glider under it.

Four months of growth, tertiary structure.

any idea what this is? it doesn't look like a hardy kiwi to me

The fuzzy thing is a fuzzy kiwi, actinidia deliciosa. I prefer fuzzy kiwis, they produce more, larger, and tastier fruit, and fruit sooner. They should be hardy in your zone. The problem with it being unknown is it could be a male. Also the deliciosa and the arguta may not pollinate each other since the bloom may not overlap.

Willis is not a highly rated nursery so its not surprising that so many died. Avoid them.

You need to remove all that grass competition and put down some mulch to minimize weeds. It makes a big difference for small young plants.

Don't over-fertilize, once kiwis get going they grow like crazy. In the first few years use a cup of 10-10-10 per plant, or similar. I use a handful of organic 5-5-5 on each of my plants.

In terms of varieties, I like Ken's Red a lot. You already have that one. Make sure you get two males if you have that many kiwis, if one dies you don't want to miss fruit for 4-5 years waiting for the new male to get going. Arguta can take many years to fruit, my Myers Cordifolia has not fruited in 10 years. Kens Red took eight years for me. I would recommend getting a Saanichton fuzzy and a fuzzy male, and keep your other fuzzy and it can either be another female or a backup male. Saanichton has been my most reliable fuzzy kiwi, every year I get many fruits. Harvest them in November and put them in the fridge until February.

Scott

I planted 2 hardy kiwi this spring and one is doing great and is already about 5 feet tall but the other is small and very thinly vined. I also don't know which is the male and which the is the female. I had help planting them and the tags came off before I had a chance to see what went where, so now I have no idea which sex I should get to replace the vine that isn't thriving. I don't have room for more than two when you consider the adult size. Is there a difference in growth between male and female? Is the difference between the smaller and slower to grow vine a sex thing? Any suggestions?

Scott, Good advice to get a back-up male. I got two female kolomiktas and one male and the male died. I know it was my fault as it was in a pot and I missed watering it during a particularly bad heat wave. So now I need to buy one more and then also pay the shipping. Thankfully the females will only have a year up on the male. Worse is that I may be tempted to purchase something else while I'm at it. Ugh!

Is it possible to propagate kiwi through air-layering?

Tethered, its pretty much impossible to tell without flowers. Either wait and see or buy one of each to hedge your bets. If one of the varieties was Issai it is probably the weak one, it is a much slower grower.

MHG, I believe kiwis can be air-layered but I have never done it. Rooting green cuttings is the most common and reliable method. I use grafting myself, I have a bunch of roots I graft varieties on to. They are very easy to graft.

Scott

Hardy kiwi air layers easily. One of mine did it on its own while still in a pot. After I planted in the ground, I buried one shoot, and dug it up as a new plant the next season.

Alex

I have two female and one male hardy (anna I believe). I planted them 8 years ago and moved then two years ago. This year I built a strong trellis, but have yet to see any fruit. I want to plant a fuzzy or two. Can they cross polinate?

Hi spladle160,

I am planning to buy kiwis from willis orchards. I want to see how your plants are doing. Did you have fruits? I never tried non fuzzy ones. I am thinking which one to plant.

Please give me some advice.

Thank you,

I'd suggest Issai and Ken's Red. Issai because it is small, compact and tastes great. It also bears very quickly and can set some fruit even if your male pollinator doesn't bloom. Ken's Red takes a long time to bear, but I have heard that it is the best flavored. Mine (planted in 2011), should be ready this year, as it flowered last year.

Here's a thread where I described my harvest last year.

Also, I'd recommend against Willis. They have a horrible reputation. Instead, Rolling River Nursery and Whitman Farms have sent me great kiwis. I don't see Issai at either of them at the moment, so you may want to try one from Stark Brothers, which should be much better than Willis.

Hi Spadle 160! How are your kiwis doing? I'd love to read updates from you and even see pictures if possible! Have a good day! :)