Growing kiwi from seeds

The homeland of the kiwi is China, which is why it is sometimes called the Chinese gooseberry. In nature, this liana reaches seven meters in length and grows in the subtropics, but this does not mean that it will not be possible to grow it at home and keep it as a houseplant. Yes, you will need to make an effort and carefully care for the plant, but there is a chance that even at home you will be able to achieve flowering and fruiting. Next, we will talk about such a process as growing kiwi from seeds at home.

Growing kiwi from seeds: preparing for planting

If you wanted to grow something exotic at home, then growing kiwi from seeds is just great for an experiment. The process is not very complicated, but lengthy and requires attention to detail. You can be puzzled by the search for seeds in garden and flower shops (then you need to look not for kiwi, but for actinidia), but it is much easier to use fruits purchased at the nearest supermarket as planting material. The name of the variety in this case will remain a mystery (it is unlikely that the supermarket staff will have this information), but it does not matter. And it is important to choose the ripe fruit that is not damaged and does not start to deteriorate. Have you chosen? Now it is necessary to carefully and carefully clean the kiwi seeds for cultivation from the pulp, since its remnants can lead to undesirable consequences (rotting, mold). This can be done in two ways.

• Peel the fruit, mash it with your hands or with a cutlery and pour water over the resulting gruel. Stir it all periodically, change the water, and collect the floating seeds.
• Cut the kiwi into pieces and carefully separate the kernels from the pulp. Wrap them in cheesecloth and rinse under running water until you wash off any remaining pulp. Instead of gauze, you can use the finest strainer, and the water should be warm.

After you've rinsed the grow kiwi seeds, spread them out on a cloth to dry for a few hours. For planting, you will need 20-30 seeds, since not all of them can sprout. Next, when the seeds are dry, we proceed to the stratification process. Mix dry seeds with moistened river sand, wrap it all in cotton cloth, and refrigerate it in the vegetable compartment for a couple of months. Once a week, kiwi seeds for growing should be turned for 15 minutes to ventilate and, if necessary, additionally moisten the sand. After the end of stratification, the seeds must be planted immediately, they cannot be stored. But before planting, to speed up the process, the seeds are germinated. On a cotton cloth (or cotton pad) moistened with warm water, gently spread the seeds (at a distance so that the roots do not intertwine during germination), cover with a glass or a bag and place in a bright and warm place. At night, remove the shelter for airing, and during the day, return it to its place, make sure that the fabric remains wet. The seeds should begin to germinate in about a week and a half. The best time to plant kiwi is early spring. This means that you should start stratification immediately after the New Year holidays, in early January.

Growing kiwi from seeds at home: planting

When preparing for planting, first of all, you need to think about the ground. For growing kiwi from seed at home, ready-made soil for vines, as well as citrus trees, is suitable. But if you wish, you can prepare the soil yourself. For this, peat, sand, humus and turf soil must be mixed in equal parts.The root system of kiwi is vulnerable, so it is necessary to thoroughly disinfect the soil by spilling it with a solution of potassium permanganate, and then steaming or calcining in the oven. Also treat the container (not high, about 12 cm) in which you will plant the seeds with potassium permanganate. Pour expanded clay at the bottom, the drainage layer should be at least 2 cm, then pour prepared soil and water it (it is better to do this by spraying). And then with tweezers or using a toothpick, evenly spread the germinated seeds on the soil surface and sprinkle with a layer of earth (literally 3-4 mm), but do not tamp. Spray again, cover with foil and place the resulting "greenhouse" in a bright and warm place. Do not let the earth dry, ventilate and wipe off condensation from the film daily. Seedlings should appear in 10 days, perhaps in two weeks. Increase the airing, and when the small kiwi grow up to one and a half centimeters, remove the film completely.

Seedling picking

In a month, the seedlings will grow to about 8 cm, they will have 2-3 true leaves, which means that it is time to cut them out into separate “apartments”. The root system of kiwi develops very quickly, and if young plants are not planted in time, then there is a possibility of damage to them, as the roots will grow and get confused. Prepare pots (no more than 10 cm in diameter), wash and process with potassium permanganate. Further, as usual: drainage, soil is obligatory (you can take less peat, but more sod land), and carefully removing from the general container, transplant the plants one at a time. Do not forget that kiwi is a liana, so you can immediately put supports so that in the future you do not damage the roots during installation. For the first 2-3 weeks after picking, protect the seedlings from direct sunlight, and when they adapt to a new place, you can put them on the windowsill. If daylight hours have not yet reached

10-12 hours, then you can increase it with a phytolamp. When the seedlings are still growing up, and they already have seven or eight real leaves, then they need to be transplanted again, this time for a permanent place of residence - in a spacious pot.

Growing kiwi at home from seeds: care

Usually, all experimenters reach this stage without problems, and then difficulties begin and for many flower growers the plants die. Very often, the cause of death lies in the drying out of the earth and in the excessively dry air in the room. As we said at the beginning, this is a tropical vine, which means the moisture of the soil and air is extremely important for it. Place containers with water next to the plant, evaporating, it will humidify the air. Water regularly, but do not forget that balance is important in everything - waterlogging of the earth leads to the development of diseases and rotting of the root system. In the spring, during the growing season, feed the plant with organic fertilizers 2-3 times. If in the summer you take kiwi out to the balcony, be sure to bring it back at night, since in case of a temperature drop, the plant can get sick. It also does not tolerate drafts. Keep kiwi away from cats! For some inexplicable reason, they gnaw the leaves with appetite, and if they get there, then the roots of the plant. With proper care, you may be lucky and the plant will bloom in 3-4 years.

It is important to know that there are male and female plants, so to get fruit you must have at least two vines for cross-pollination. Yes, growing kiwi from seeds at home is exotic, and perhaps after reading this material, you will doubt: will it work? Don't worry, you will definitely succeed! Prepare kiwi seeds correctly for growing at home, create a comfortable environment for the plants and sooner or later you will definitely try the kiwi fruits from your windowsill.