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Training and Pruning Kiwifruit plants
Build a strong structure like the T-bar trellis system.
First / Second Growing Season
- One male plant to every 5-7 female plants. Plant 5 metres apart.
- Encourage single trunk to top of structure
- Remove growing tip and allow 1 bud to grow each way, these are now your main leader.
- Terminate this leader at each end once they have reached the end of the structure. Depending on planting time this will probably happen in the 2nd growing season.
- At all times prevent leader from winding on to the wire as this will eventually cut in and may kill the leader.
Third Growing Season
- Buds will break from the leader and form your canes.
- Tie canes down to wire at 40cm spacing along leader.
- Remove surplus canes. In subsequent seasons canes will develop from where these ones have been removed. These will become known as replacement canes.
Fourth Growing Season
- Fruiting spurs will develop on the main leader and one year old canes in spring then flower and carry fruit in the autumn.
Female Winter Pruning
- Prior to fruiting in the first 3 years
- Remove dead, diseased and tangled wood
- Prune to desired formation as described in season 1-3
- After fruiting
- Remove all fruited wood
- Replacement canes form close to the main leader to be tied down.
Male Winter Pruning
- Remove dead and declining wood.
Female Summer Pruning
- This is done to maintain order, spacing and light access. This may need to be carried out twice to maintain order.
- October / November
- Remove unfruited shoots that are not required for next season. Making sure the plant is not too crowded.
- Remove erect water shoots to two or more buds. These are not required because of their erect growth habit. This will retain a growing point for replacement canes or spur wood.
- Also shorten any shoots starting to curl and tangle.
- December / January / February
- Prune canes to maintain a manageable length. This will depend on the structure you have built.
- Remove tangles and again restrict the vine to its allocated space.
Male Summer Pruning
- Once the male plant has flowered and the fruit has set on the female, cut the male canes back to remove the flowered wood.
- Remove excessive vigorous wood or wood growing vertical.
- Maintain structure and make sure light is allowed into the spur growth for future growth and flowering.
- Remove tangles.