I know there are many different varieties of Hardy Kiwi. Which ones are the best flavor? I'm in zone 6b / 7. Are all male pollinators the same? I'd like to try a few varieties. Can they be rooted like figs? If you have some to trade for figs, PM me.

I started growing some Aaron, sadly they are just more trouble then they were worth for me in my climate and I replaced them with grapes. It's been awhile, but I do remember that not all males are the same, however, each make male can service upto 8 females. 

This will be my third year attempting to grow them. They just haven't been very vigorous and my male plant did not make it the first winter. It's tricky because they supposedly like full sun but I think at a young age too much sun kind of slows growth. I read if you have to much heat concentrated on the roots it might slow growth for young plants. I planted clover underneath the plants in late summer so hopefully that helps them this year. (Not to mention it will fix some nitrogen for the vines). As far as pollinators, different ones can bloom at different times so the key is to find the ones that match blooming times of the females you select. I wish I could offer more advice but I have yet to see fruit or even blooms for that matter. (Only been through two growing seasons)

I grow hardy kiwi(actinidia arguta) and super-hardy kiwi(actinidia kolomikta).   They both evolved in a forest environment, that's why they like 'cool feet' and don't do well in exposed locations especially when getting established.   Males of each specie will pollinate females of that same specie, there is 'Issai' which is self-fertile but insufficiently hardy for my location.   They are all easily rooted from summer cuttings, and a. kolomikta is easy with dormant wood as well.
Varieties I have are 'Meader Male', 'MSU', 'Anna', 'Ken's Red' for argutas, then 'Arctic Beauty', 'Red Beauty', 'September Sun', 'Kroplodanaya' for a. kolomikta.
The fruit are smaller than fuzzy kiwi, but delicious!
Aaron, let me know if you want some cuttings.

Zone5figger How long should it take from cuttings to fruit? I guess I should concentrate on the hardier A.k.

2-3 years for the kolomiktas to fruit, argutas can take over 5 years to begin bearing and are much more rampant growers as well.
Another plus with the kolomiktas is that they have very ornamental foliage, variagated leaves of green, white, and pink.

My mother, with a very green thumb, tried to grow them way back in the 80s.  She had them for a couple years, they did OK but no fruit, and then we had a year with overnight temps in the high 20s/low 30s and that was the end of that.  Froze them to mush.  She thought they were also more trouble than they were worth.  Now, maybe with a greenhouse...

The ones I am looking for are Hardy to zone 3. I know they grow North of Harrisburg PA and there is a nursery in Portland OR that grows them but doesn't ship. Anyone live near Portland?

Hi,
I have a "hayward" female, but may get rid of it.
The problem is you're supposed to remove the fruits before they are ripe because here they won't ripen before frost and frost would destroy the fruits.
So, then I should store them in the basement until they ripen ... Such a shame I didn't know before I bought.
My direct neighbor had males, but he removed them ... Hopefully in the vicinity someone is growing a male . I've seen some kiwis not far away.
I bought the plant with 2 fruits 2 years ago - so cute - , and haven't seen a flower since.
Kiwis are apparently slow to anchor, but once they are ready they can take 8 m2 - 4m*2m and one has to keep on chopping long young stems to expose the fruits to the sun.
So not really the easy plant I thought it was ... The plant is still there for now. I'll let her one more year as last year she showed signs of taking off .
As for sun, they bare strong sun hardly. Last year here, the sun was hitting hard end of July, and most kiwis had leaves burned - with toasted edges. I saw someone throw some thick netting
upon his kiwi, supposedly to provide some shadowing to the leaves - his kiwi is a monster...
Mine got some leaf burn, but still managed to grow a bit more ... There is still hope ...
I had to cut a young stem and put it in a pot. The attached leaf stayed green until winter wame... I'll see at spring time if it comes back .

Aaron,

Try Edible Landscaping of Afton Virginia, One Green World of Molalla & Portland Oregon, or Raintree Nursery of Morton Washington.  All do mail-order and have websites.  Hardy Kiwis (Actinidia arguta) are easy to grow if you start right before planting, build your trellis stout, and don't plant them in full sun!  They can take 3-9 years before first bloom with each sex having a mind of its own.  Patience is key!

Unlike it is advertised, Issai probably isn't self-fertile.  Don't waste your time with it.

Happy Growing,   kiwibob, Seattle

Visit my website:  http://sites.google.com/site/kiwifruitsalad2

Thanks KB

I HAVE  'Issai' which is self-fertile ??


SLOW TO GROW SO FAR

My issai i very slow growing. I also have Anna and Cordifolia and they are both growing like crazy. My Anna is blooming in only its third year suppose thats a good start. Kind of irrelevant however as my male kiwi is in rough shape.

I was at Lowes and bought 10 Issai off the bargain rack for $3,  didn't know anything about Kiwi and, had I done my homework, probably would not have bought them.  I am going to keep five and sell five.  Dr. Creech at Stephan F. Austin university is running a program down there with some success.  There were Kiwi orchards in South Carolina grown by peach farmers, I don't know if they are still there.  I am going tom plant them at the end of my grape line and use the same wire for them.

This is probably a waste of time but people thought growing Almonds and Olives in Texas was a waste of time as well, seems to be working in some areas.  At my age it might be too long of an experiment, at least they are a pretty vine to enjoy for a while.

OBTW - I also bought 10 blueberries and 21 fig trees at the same price.  They were marked as "Ischia" on the hanging tags and "Magnolia" on the trunk bands, definitely not Magnolia.  Any living fig tree is worth $3.