Trellis for Hardy Kiwi & Berries

sharmila 4/24/2018, 8:43 pm

Will the trellis as described in the Square Foot Gardening book work for growing hardy Kiwi and other berries? If not, has anyone tried different options like the crossbar or t-trellis? What would you recommend?

Thank you.

SQWIB 4/24/2018, 8:48 pm

Too funny! What s coincidence.
I'm actually building one this weekend for my hardy kiwis.

sharmila 4/24/2018, 9:06 pm

SQWIB wrote:Too funny! What s coincidence.
I'm actually building one this weekend for my hardy kiwis.

If you can please post a picture when done Smile

.

**sanderson** 4/25/2018, 12:52 am

Mel's trellis design is very hardy. The nylon netting I installed in 2013 is still in good shape.

SQWIB 4/25/2018, 7:00 am

sharmila wrote:
SQWIB wrote:Too funny! What s coincidence.
I'm actually building one this weekend for my hardy kiwis.

If you can please post a picture when done .

I can post a few pics of the progress on this thread.
I'll post a full build on a new thread when finished.

Here is the post I put in a few weeks ago.
Trellis for Hardy Kiwi & Berries 39224183600_fcc75fe646_b

Trellis for Hardy Kiwi & Berries 39224183600_fcc75fe646_b

**AtlantaMarie** 4/25/2018, 7:19 am

Hi Sharmila. Welcome to our party from Atlanta, GA! Glad you've joined us!

Don't have kiwi, sorry. But we use nylon netting & metal electrical conduit to build our trellising. Works really well!

sharmila 4/25/2018, 8:35 am

Based on all your responses, I'm going with the trellis instructions in the SFG book for my berries as well. I'm in Idaho & this year my SFG project has gotten a bit out of hand. I'm counting on this forum's support to get things done Smile

. Thanks again!

**trolleydriver** 4/25/2018, 8:42 am

sharmila wrote:Based on all your responses, I'm going with the trellis instructions in the SFG book for my berries as well. I'm in Idaho & this year my SFG project has gotten a bit out of hand. I'm counting on this forum's support to get things done . Thanks again!

Good decision sharmila. We are here for you.

**sanderson** 4/25/2018, 11:02 pm

trolleydriver wrote:
sharmila wrote:Based on all your responses, I'm going with the trellis instructions in the SFG book for my berries as well. I'm in Idaho & this year my SFG project has gotten a bit out of hand. I'm counting on this forum's support to get things done . Thanks again!
Good decision sharmila. We are here for you.

+1 Yes, we are here for you.

**Turan** 4/25/2018, 11:22 pm

Hi Sharmila, welcome from Bozeman Montana!

It is too cold in my area for hardy Kiwis, sadly. I did talk to a horticulturist about them once though. He said our issue is our winter thaws and finicky springs. Kiwis break dormancy easily and then the next cold snap kills the buds and/ or them. So he told me, if I did grow them to make a trellis which I could easily detach from its supports and lay on the ground. He said the kiwis have the best chance if laid on the ground so they could be under the snow for all winter. Their natural habitat is deep snow forests in Siberia.
I hope this helps...

Turan

sharmila 4/26/2018, 2:46 pm

Thank you for this different perspective. I guess the lower they are to the ground the slower they will break their dormancy and thus not bloom too soon. This also means I don't have to worry about the trellising Smile

. Really appreciate the thorough response. Thanks much.

**Turan** 4/26/2018, 3:41 pm

I am not sure you can get by with out any trellising, but certainly he was saying they need to laid down for the winter. He even suggested that after the first snow cover to cover them with snow and then hay, but I would worry about mice then.

sharmila 4/26/2018, 9:54 pm

Can Hardy Kiwis be pruned back to the ground like we are supposed to do for some other berries? Removing the vines off the trellis, placing them on the ground - I don't think I'm that disciplined, TBH. Very Happy

**Turan** 4/26/2018, 10:19 pm

Here is a good article on growing them in Minnesota, so that should be useful for us.
https://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/fruit/growing-hardy-kiwifruit/index.html

SQWIB 4/27/2018, 9:41 am

We dont even know what zone you are in so any advice given may not pertain to your area.

**Turan** 4/27/2018, 9:49 am

SQWIB wrote:We dont even know what zone you are in so any advice given may not pertain to your area.

Boise Idaho is listed as zone 6, two whole zones warmer than me. That surprised me. I knew it was warmer, they grow a lot of fruit in the area that I can not, but not that much warmer!

SQWIB 4/27/2018, 12:22 pm

How do you know sharmila is from Boise?
Assuming sharmila is in zone 6 or warmer and the intended plant is a hardy kiwi, there's no need for laying down or removing a trellis.
But I would suggest something pretty sturdy.
This of course is based on research and not experience.

Still working on mine.

Trellis for Hardy Kiwi & Berries 41736482881_f26b13ea73_c

Trellis for Hardy Kiwi & Berries 41736482881_f26b13ea73_c

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Trellis for Hardy Kiwi & Berries 41018983404_5ae45e4918_c

sharmila 4/27/2018, 12:47 pm

Wow, your trellis is awesome Smile

. I was going to check out the extension link you gave me and find out if they have specific instructions for zone 6.

sharmila 4/27/2018, 12:55 pm

I am indeed from Boise.

**Turan** 4/27/2018, 3:38 pm

SQWIB wrote:How do you know sharmila is from Boise?
Assuming sharmila is in zone 6 or warmer and the intended plant is a hardy kiwi, there's no need for laying down or removing a trellis.

THe concern is less about zone than it is about winter chinooks and lack of snow cover causing early breaks from dormancy. The mountain west is infamous for this. So the advice I was given was to remember this is a vine that grows in the woods in an area that gets deep winter snows and fairly stable cold winter temperatures. I did not try it.

I wonder if just growing on the north side of a building will even out the warm spells in the winter?

**sanderson** 4/28/2018, 2:35 am

I'm confused. California, with it's mild winters, has a kiwi industry. This article is old but I still see kiwi farms. Nice shady areas as they mature.

Jan 1990 http://sfp.ucdavis.edu/pubs/brochures/Kiwi/

Trellis for Hardy Kiwi & Berries Kiwi_t10

Trellis for Hardy Kiwi & Berries Kiwi_t10

**Turan** 4/28/2018, 11:53 am

Different species of kiwi, in California they grow the big fuzzy kind that is native to southern China (Actinidia deliciosa ) and can only handle cold to 10*. We are talking about the hardy kiwi native to Siberia and Korea (Actinidia arguta). These have a small, smooth skinned fruit and can handle much colder temperatures, like -40*.
Trellis for Hardy Kiwi & Berries Sofruileg-verger_de_nergi_0

Trellis for Hardy Kiwi & Berries Sofruileg-verger_de_nergi_0

**sanderson** 4/28/2018, 2:47 pm

Learn something all the time. Thanks, Turan

**AtlantaMarie** 4/29/2018, 6:49 am

AH! I had wondered about that too... Thanks, Turan!

SQWIB 4/30/2018, 8:35 am

Finished the Kiwi Trellis

Trellis for Hardy Kiwi & Berries 39992688240_e6db34ac2b_b

Trellis for Hardy Kiwi & Berries 39993415420_eb0f9d9104_b

Planted my Hardy Kiwi

Trellis for Hardy Kiwi & Berries 39992687570_f9998e05cc_b

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Trellis for Hardy Kiwi & Berries

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Post a picture!

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Thanks all of you

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A different perspective - Thanks!

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How about pruning down to the ground?

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That's a solid construction!

Boise, yes

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