How to Grow Kiwi Fruits

By the SoilCommander Editorial Team, under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder · · How we check our facts

On this page
  1. Kiwi Fruit (Actinidia deliciosa)
  2. Quick Facts
  3. At a Glance
  4. Diseases
  5. Pests
  6. Soil & Growing Conditions
  7. Growth Stages
  8. Harvest & Storage
  9. Plan your Kiwi Fruits planting
  10. Growing Kiwi Fruit in another region
  11. Sources
  12. Frequently Asked Questions

Kiwi fruit is dioecious, so a single vine won't set fruit on its own — you need a male vine planted near your female (fruiting) vines, unless you're growing a self-fertile variety such as 'Issai' or 'Jenny'.

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Kiwi Fruit (Actinidia deliciosa)

A kiwi vine growing on its support with flowers — “Actinidia kolomikta flowers” by Gruznov is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

2 sources cited · Verified

Quick Facts

A whole fuzzy kiwi fruit — “Kiwifruit 03” by Judgefloro is licensed under CC0.
“Kiwifruit 03” by Judgefloro is licensed under CC0.
Factor Value
Drainage Fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic soil enriched with organic matter -- roots rot in waterlogged conditions (RHS). PSU gives soil pH 5-6.5 for hardy kiwi and warns roots burn easily, so fertilizer should be applied cautiously.
Lifecycle Vigorous, deciduous, woody climber. Dioecious (male and female flowers on separate plants) -- RHS: female varieties ('Hayward', SOLISSIMO, 'Ken's Red') need a male or self-fertile plant nearby; 'Issai' (A. arguta) and 'Jenny' (A. deliciosa) are self-fertile and need no pollinator. PSU is specific about the ratio for hardy kiwi: roughly one male to six females. Fruit size differs by species: A. arguta gives smaller, smooth-skinned fruit about 2.5cm (1in) long; A. deliciosa gives larger, furry-skinned fruit 3-5cm (1.25-2in) long (RHS).
Edible parts fruit
Documented problems 4 diseases, 4 pests

At a Glance

A gold kiwi variety cut in half — “Cross section of two kiwifruit” by Jedesto is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Cross section of two kiwifruit” by Jedesto is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Actinidia deliciosa Kiwi Fruit Grey mould Phytophthora root rot Honey fungus Sclerotinia blight (kiw… Glasshouse red spider m… Tortrix moth caterpilla… Japanese beetle Thrips DISEASES PESTS

Diseases

A cluster of kiwi flowers on the vine — “Actinidia polygama” by Qwert1234 at Japanese Wikipedia is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
“Actinidia polygama” by Qwert1234 at Japanese Wikipedia is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Fuzzy grey-brown Botrytis mould covering a tomato stem — Rasbak, CC BY-SA 3.0
Rasbak, CC BY-SA 3.0
Grey mould
moderate

Botrytis cinerea

Soft brown fruit decay; Fuzzy grey-brown mould

Named by PSU as "botrytis rot"; recorded against the existing grey mould (Botrytis cinerea) entry.

Phytophthora root rot
high

Named independently by both RHS ("Phytophthora root rot") and PSU ("Phytophthora crown and root rot") -- the strongest-corroborated risk for this crop, both sources agreeing waterlogged/heavy soil is the trigger.

Honey fungus
low

Armillaria spp.

Named directly by RHS (honey fungus).

Sclerotinia blight (kiwi)
moderate

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Named directly by PSU ("sclerotinia blight").

Pests

A kiwi flower among the vine leaves — “Actinidia deliciosa6 R” by Rob Hille is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
“Actinidia deliciosa6 R” by Rob Hille is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Two-spotted red spider mite with silk threads, magnified — Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0
Glasshouse red spider mite (two-spotted spider mite)
moderate

Tetranychus urticae

Named directly by PSU as "two-spotted spider mites" (Tetranychus urticae).

Tortrix moth caterpillars
low

Tortricidae

PSU names "leaf rollers" generically; recorded against the existing tortrix moth caterpillar entry as the common leaf-rolling culprit rather than inventing a separate generic entity.

Japanese beetle
moderate

Popillia japonica

Named directly by PSU.

Thrips
low

Thysanoptera

Named directly by PSU as "thrips" without a specific species.

Soil & Growing Conditions

Kiwi vine foliage and flowers — “Actinidia arguta 0906” by Qwert1234 is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
“Actinidia arguta 0906” by Qwert1234 is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Water: RHS: drought and drying winds cause drooping leaves, brown leaf edges and even complete leaf loss -- consistent watering matters, especially while establishing.

Growth Stages

Kiwi leaves, flowers and developing fruit on the vine — “Actinidia arguta (Montage)” by Alpsdake is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Actinidia arguta (Montage)” by Alpsdake is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Stage BBCH Notes
Planting and support 0 Plant in spring once soil and weather have warmed, in a warm, sunny, sheltered site, ideally against a south- or west-facing wall (RHS). Space 3-4.5m (10-15ft) apart (RHS); PSU gives 10ft for hardy kiwi specifically. Needs a large, sturdy support -- a pergola, archway or strong wires -- given how vigorous the vine is; PSU notes hardy kiwi can gain 20ft of growth in a single season. Prune immediately after planting (RHS).
Framework training 3 RHS: cut the strongest shoot back to 30cm (1ft), remove weaker shoots, then train a horizontal tiered espalier framework on wires spaced 40-50cm (16-20in) apart.
Pollination 6 Dioecious -- male and female flowers grow on separate plants (RHS; PSU). Female varieties (Hayward, SOLISSIMO, Ken's Red) need a male, or a self-fertile variety, planted nearby; Issai and Jenny are self-fertile and need no pollinator (RHS). PSU gives roughly a 1:6 male-to-female ratio as the practical rule for hardy kiwi.
Summer and winter pruning 3 Essential twice a year given the vine's vigour (RHS; PSU). Summer (June on): pinch fruiting shoots back to 4-5 leaves beyond the fruit, non-fruiting laterals to 5 leaves (RHS); PSU gives 4-6 leaves beyond the last flower. Winter (December-March per PSU): shorten horizontal arms by a third, existing laterals to 3-4 buds, and on mature plants renew a quarter to a third of the oldest laterals to about 5cm (2in) from the base (RHS); PSU notes as much as 70% of the wood is removed during dormant pruning.
Fruiting and harvest 8 RHS: fruiting begins 3-4 years after planting. PSU gives a longer 5-9 years for hardy kiwi specifically -- plausibly reflecting grafted cultivar stock (RHS's figure) versus less-selected rooted-cutting stock, rather than a real contradiction. RHS: fruit quite often won't ripen fully outdoors except in long hot summers -- pick before the first hard frost and ripen indoors. PSU: a mature plant yields 50-100lb of fruit (50lb closer to the average); vine-ripened fruit runs about 18-25% sugar.

Harvest & Storage

Whole and halved green kiwi fruit — “Kiwi (Actinidia chinensis) 1 Luc Viatour” by Luc Viatour is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5.
“Kiwi (Actinidia chinensis) 1 Luc Viatour” by Luc Viatour is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5.

When to pick: RHS: fruit quite often won't ripen fully outdoors except in long hot summers -- pick unripe fruit before the first hard frost and ripen it indoors near a fruit bowl at room temperature, which can take several weeks; ripe kiwis yield slightly when squeezed. PSU: fruit harvested early will "after-ripen" off the vine; vine-ripened fruit runs about 18-25% sugar.

Storage

RHS: once ripe, refrigerate for up to about 2 weeks. PSU: fruit picked early and refrigerated will keep in a cooler for up to 2 months.

Plan your Kiwi Fruits planting

Timing for Kiwi Fruits follows soil temperature and frost, not the calendar date. The Global vegetable planting calendar explains the method. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Kiwi Fruit in another region

Planting dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

Sources

The full list of 2 sources behind this guide (Penn State Extension, Royal Horticultural Society) is in the references of our UK guide to kiwi fruits; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What problems affect kiwi fruits?

Our data links 4 diseases and 4 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.

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SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

How this guide is put together

The growing data on this page — planting windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against international horticultural research and extension sources. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.

Vegetable Growing Guides

Crops With the Same Problems

  • Shares Phytophthora root rot with Almond.
  • Shares Tortrix moth caterpillars with Apricot.
  • Shares Japanese beetle with Aronia.
  • Shares Phytophthora root rot with Bay Laurel.
  • Shares Japanese beetle with Grape.

Last verified 2026-09-04

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