Actinidia kolomikta: planting and care, description of varieties, pruning and reproduction with photos

For lovers of the exotic, breeders are trying as much as possible to adapt plants to the climate of different regions. Sometimes the results are positive, sometimes negative, it all depends on the plants. Actinidia kolomikta are familiar to summer residents as fruit and ornamental plants. Care for them depends on the purpose for which they are grown.

Botanical description of variety

Tree-like liana, whose shoots reach 2-5 cm in diameter. Its lashes reach a length of 15-20 m, depending on growing conditions.

Feature of the plant in the changing color of foliage:

While the plant is growing, they are bronze in color.
Then change to green.
Before Actinidia begins to bloom, the color of the tips of the leaves changes, they turn white.
After flowering, it changes to shades of pink, yellow, purple and reddish.

Blossom begins at the age of 5, the period is long, about 20 days. The flowers are white, slightly pinkish on the back side.

After flowering, actinidia begins to form ovaries, from which dark green berries will appear. Their length is 3 cm, they taste very pleasant, sweet, with a delicate aroma.

The ripening period is at the end of August or mid-September.

The downside is that the berries crumble very quickly.

Actinidia is a family with 70 species. They differ from each other in some features.

What is the difference between male and female

Like all dioecious plants, actinidia kolomikta has a male and female type of vine. The difference between individuals lies in the structure of flowers.

In order to get fruit, gardeners recommend growing several plants of different types.

If a flower has many stamens and no pistil is visible, the plant is male. The pistil, surrounded by stamens, indicates that the female type of actinidia is in front of the gardener. Pollination requires pollen from the male plant.

Varieties and their characteristics

Before deciding to grow vines on the site, you need to carefully study the characteristics of the varieties and choose the most suitable one. The view must meet all the necessary requirements that the gardener imposes on him.

Dr. Shimanovsky

Features of the species in high frost resistance, the plant can withstand -40 ⁰С. The plants of this variety are self-fertile, but to increase the yield it is required to grow a male type of plants.

Liana needs supports, distance between plants 1.5 m, to buildings and structures 2-2.5 m. Foliage has a pink tint, which changes to yellow, reddish or dark pink by autumn.

If the plant has enough sunlight, the shade of the foliage is richer and brighter.

The berries are small, weighing only 3 g, their length is 2.5 cm. Their taste resembles something between an apple and a lemon. The fruits fall immediately after ripening.

Pineapple

A variety known to summer residents for a very long time, the height of the bush is 7 m. It gives the first fruits only in the 7th year. Fruit weight 2 g, length 3 cm. The berry tastes very sweet, with a pronounced pineapple taste. Partially crumble, some fruits remain on the bushes. After cleaning, they are stored for a short time.

Pineapple actinidia has a high winter hardiness. It grows very fast and has particularly decorative foliage.

Adam

Male type of plant, used by gardeners to decorate the site. This is due to the fact that when planted in a sunny place, the color of its foliage will be much richer than that of the female. Its height reaches 4 m. The plant is resistant to low temperatures and diseases characteristic of the culture.

The flowers are small, but the peculiarity of the plant is not in the flowers, but in the color of the foliage, which changes from white to pink during the season.

Gourmet

Liana grows up to 6.5-7 meters. The support wraps around counterclockwise. Flowers in appearance resemble a lily of the valley, have a pronounced smell. Flowering lasts almost a month.

Fruits are large compared to other varieties. The weight of actinidia Gourmand berries is 5 g, length 5-6 cm. Its taste is richly pineapple, sweet and sour. Resists cold and disease.

Moma

Lianoid shrub reaches a height of 4 meters. The fruits are green, small. The taste contains pineapple notes. Flowering is plentiful, the ovary is formed annually, the fruits do not crumble. The ripe fruit is stored for a short time.

Marmalade

Lianoid plant 3-4 m high. Fruits are cylindrical, weighing 2.3 g. Sweet in taste, with pineapple aroma. Be sure to install supports along which the plant will trail.

Resistant to diseases, does not require special care. For pollination and increased yields, a male plant is grown in close proximity.

September

The fruits of this species are large, the weight reaches 17 g. The taste is sweet, the aroma is pineapple. Ripens in the last decade of September. Hence the name of the actinidia variety kolomikta.

Liana reaches a length of 20 m. Fruiting occurs in the 2-3rd year after planting. The plants are virtually maintenance free, with high field he alth and frost resistance.

When performing all the methods of agricultural technology, up to 20 kg of fruits are harvested from one plant.

Fragrant

The variety of Fragrant actinidia is universal, as the fruits are used for making jams, preserves, compotes and consumed fresh:

fruits are large;
weight 3 g;
taste standard, sweet and sour;
aroma is pronounced, nutmeg;
creeper height 3 m.

The plant is practically maintenance-free, even a beginner can grow it on the site.

Vitacola

The peculiarity of this species is that the fruits ripen in clusters of 3 pcs. Which is unusual for any other variety of the female type. The height of the creeper is 4 m. It ripens in the second decade of August, fruits weighing up to 4.5 g.

Fruiting begins at 3 years of age. The berry crumbles heavily when ripe. Since it ripens unevenly, it is better to harvest every 3 days.

Which areas are suitable for cultivation

The success of planting directly depends on the growing region of the vine. Actinidia kolomikta is able to grow and bear fruit throughout Russia and other states. In the Urals, its cultivation is not something exceptional. It is important to choose a variety that is resistant to the climate of the region, and the plant will delight gardeners with a bountiful harvest.

In the suburbs, gardeners are experimenting, selecting varieties that are frost-resistant, productive, undemanding to the composition of the soil. Each summer resident has his own priority indicators, which the variety must correspond to.

Methods of reproduction

To independently propagate exotics on the site, you will not need anything other than standard techniques. Actinidia propagates by layering, cuttings and seeds. It will not be difficult to choose a convenient way for yourself.

Seeds

Berry seeds are obtained from a mature fruit, they are carefully selected into a bag of gauze or cloth and washed under running water. Then dried and prepared for planting.

Seeds from creepers germinate very hard, so they are pre-prepared. Spread in gauze, a piece of bandage or nylon, soak for 4 days in water. Then they prepare a container with sand, water it, and bury the seeds there. Keep in a warm place for 45-55 days. Periodically ventilate, once a week they take it out of the sand for 5 minutes.

When the specified time passes, wrap the box and put it in the cold for another 2 months. Do not water. After that, they are kept at a temperature of + 12 ⁰С, periodically watering. After 25 days, the seeds will begin to crack.

Take a small container for planting, fill it with a nutrient mixture. Lay out the seeds and sprinkle with a layer of earth. Waiting for shoots.

By cuttings

For harvesting cuttings, you need a 2-year-old side branch of actinidia. The cutting should contain 4-5 buds. One side is cut straight, the other obliquely. To stimulate the appearance of roots, the blanks are wrapped with a damp cloth.

Keep like this for about a week, after white stripes appear on the oblique cut, planted in the ground.

Layers

To propagate in this way, you need a 3-year shoot. It is added dropwise to the ground in autumn to a depth of 10 cm. Watered with a root growth stimulator, covered with mulch.

In the spring, free from mulch and allow sprouts to appear. For a whole year, the layering feeds along with the mother bush. Only then is it separated with secateurs.

Conditions for successful growth

In order to get a harvest, actinidia kolomikta needs to create suitable conditions. Subject to all requirements, the plant will surely please its owner:

The right choice of location, as close to natural as possible.
High requirement for humidity, to preserve it, the trunk circle is covered with mulch.
You can not overmoisten the soil, the close-lying root system will begin to rot.
Sandy soil is not favorable for growing actinidia.
Be sure to equip a support, without it the vine will not be able to grow.
Management, implementation of standard agricultural practices.

Fulfilling these points will allow you to grow a he althy and strong plant.

Choosing the right place

The decorative appearance, fruiting and growth of actinidia depends on how well the place for growing actinidia is chosen.

Soil composition

You should not even try to grow actinidia in sandy soil, it is better to plant it in fertile, breathable soil. Liana prefers light or medium loam.

Temperature conditions

The optimum temperature for the development of vines is average. The scorching sun harms her, but even in the shade she does not feel well. It is necessary to choose a place where the sunlight is half the day.

Timing and planting technology

It is difficult to unambiguously answer this question. The planting time in each region is different, it depends on the climate of the growing area. Approximately early spring or fall.

The bed is prepared in advance, the pits for planting should be large, 5050, a drainage layer is laid on the bottom. A layer of earth with humus is laid on top. Leave for a few days.

Seedlings are installed in pits, sprinkled with earth up to the root neck. The earth is rammed with hands, watered abundantly. Distance between plants 1-1.5 m.

Features of caring for actinidia kolomikta

Proper care is the key to success. Fulfillment of all requirements will lead to an increase in yield. Standard agricultural practices, done correctly, allow you to grow a beautiful plant that produces useful fruits.

Irrigation

Moisture-loving actinidia kolomikta requires frequent watering, but do not flood the plants, as the vine may die. It is best to use sprinklers by spraying plants in the morning.

Loosening and mulching

After each watering, you need to carefully loosen the top layer. This will keep moisture in the soil and provide oxygen to the root system.

Mulching will protect against rapid drying of the soil and the emergence of weeds.

Fertilizer and top dressing

Feed actinidia with mineral fertilizers 3 times per season:

spring;
during budding;
after harvest.

Fertilizers are applied strictly under the roots of plants.

Shaping a bush

The first time actinidia kolomikta is cut at 3-4 years of age. Removing excess shoots will increase yields. Proper pruning is essential for the plant.

Liana is cut in summer or autumn. It is not recommended to do this in the spring.

To improve fruit quality, a rejuvenating pruning is carried out once every 10 years, leaving only 40 cm from the root.

Disease and pest control

High plant immunity and proper planting technique will save actinidia from diseases. But when the first signs of the disease appear, it is required to immediately remove the affected areas, and process the bush.

All about flowering and fruiting kiwi

The flowering and fruiting of kiwi directly depends on what variety the summer resident grows. Early varieties bloom in late May and ripen in mid-August. Averages in early June and late August. It all depends on the climatic conditions of the growing region.

Properly selected variety and place for planting actinidia is half the battle. Difficulties will not arise even for beginners.