The kiwi plants are dioecious. The flowers of the female plants only develop fruit if a suitable pollinator grows nearby. A male plant is capable of fertilizing six to nine female kiwis.
Male and female kiwi plants
The flowers of the male kiwi have only yellow stamens in the middle. The female flowers also have a white style around which stamens are also arranged. The planting distance between the male and female plants is important for fertilization. To harvest fruit, the male kiwi plant should be planted no more than four meters away from one or more female kiwis. Between six and nine female plants can be fertilized at the same time.
Even under optimal location and fertilization conditions, you can expect the first fruits on the grafted kiwi plants in 3-4 years. If you have grown your own kiwi plants from seeds, it can take more than ten years before the first harvest.
In most regions of Germany, the so-called mini kiwis are considered to be reliable. Their fruits are about the size of gooseberries and have a smooth, edible skin. In terms of taste, they are very similar to the large kiwi fruits. However, the mini kiwis are more robust and frost-resistant than the large-fruited kiwis.
Self-fruiting kiwi plants
Monoecious kiwi varieties are also commercially available, which have both male and female flowers on one plant. They do not need a pollinator and can therefore be planted individually. However, practice shows that even with these breeds, yields improve when a male pollinator grows nearby.
tips and tricks
The male plants of the Amur ray pen (also called flamingo ray pen) have very decorative looking large leaves with white or pink leaf tips.