While
Kenya has an ideal tropical climate for kiwi fruit farming, many people do not
have the information necessary for the successful growing of this fruit. Even up to the year 2021, the
ones that we buy today here in Kenya are mostly imported from Italy, India and
China.
Fruiting Kiwi plant |
Wouldn’t
it be great to produce our own kiwi fruits? Well we are glad that a good number
of farmers are interested and have put efforts towards growing them. These
interested farmers have sent us some common questions; you probably have the
same questions too, so we have compiled them here and given you the answers. We
would like to see you grow your own kiwi fruits too so here is what you need to
know:
1. In which climate does kiwi fruit grow?
Kiwis
will thrive in cool or cold climates of the Kenyan highlands where temperatures
sometime fall below 10℃. So if you are in the central highlands of Kiambu,
Nyandarua, Meru and Nyeri, the Rift Valley highlands around Eldoret, Kericho, Bomet
and Nandi hills or the western highlands of Kisii and areas near Kakamega forest you are in the ideal zone. The plants also need a lot of water to thrive so the
high amount of rainfall in these regions is a blessing.
2. Which type of soil is good for growing Kiwis?
Loam soils that are well drained and containing a high amount of organic matter are the best. Like most
fruit trees, kiwi plants do not tolerate too much water in the soils. If your
soils are a bit compact and water takes a bit of time to drain off, you must
plant the vines on raised beds to direct excess water away from the roots of
the plants. Soil drainage can also be improved by digging a large hole (about 3
by 3 feet wide and 2 feet deep), mixing the top soil with a bit of sand and well
composted farmyard manure then fill the hole with the mixture and plant you vine
in it.
3. Where do I get Kiwi fruit seedlings for planting?
The
best source of these seedlings is a well established fruit tree nursery like Richfarm
Kenya. You can reach them on 0724698357 to make your order for seedlings. A seedling will averagely cost about Ksh 300 each.
However, if you have
a friend with an established kiwi orchard, you can produce your own seedlings
through cuttings. Just cut off a soft wood shoot of a vine with about 3 leaf
nodes. Remove the leaves, dip the bottom end of the cutting in a rooting
hormone and plant it in moist but well drained soil. The cutting will develop
new roots and shoots and you can transplant it when it grows enough leaves.
Kiwi Fruit seedling by Richfarm Kenya |
You
can also grow seedlings from seeds but we discourage this method because the resultant
seedlings usually have inferior characteristics compared to the mother plant
and take too long to mature – about 3 to 5 years.
4. Is the kiwi plant a vine: do I need to support it?
Yes,
it is a climbing vine and for that reason, you must provide a support for it.
The support is nothing complicated; in fact, they are supported the same way we
support passion fruit vines using poles and a wire at the top. To allow the
vines enough space to creep, plant them with a distance of at least 3 meters between
the plants and train the top 2 branches to creep in opposite directions.
5. How long does it take for a kiwi plant to produce fruits?
It
should take you at most 2 years from the date of planting to harvest your first
fruit if you develop your seedlings from cuttings. However, seedlings developed
from seeds take very long as mentioned above; up to 5 years.
6. How can I tell if a kiwi plant is male of female?
Some
varieties have separate male and female plants and you can distinguish them by
looking at the flowers. If all the parts at the center of the flower are yellow
and covered with tiny grains of pollen, then that is a male plant. If the
center of the flower has a white part called stigma, then that is a female
plant. The stigma at the center of the flower is sometimes surrounded by parts
that look like the anthers of a male flower but without pollen. Remember, if
the variety you have has separate male and female plants, you will need at
least 1 male for every 6 to 9 female plants in order to have a good fruit setting.
However,
some varieties such as the Actinidia Deliciosa 'Solo' and Actinidia Arguta
'Issai' are self fertile. That means the trees have flowers with both the male
parts (Anthers) and the female part (Stigma). For such varieties, all the trees
self-pollinate themselves and bear fruits.
7. Why is my kiwi plant drying up?
Often
farmers panic when they see the leaves on their plants drying up and falling
off. They think that the plant is dying but that is not usually the case. Kiwi
plants are deciduous by nature: that means they lose their leaves during the
dry season. Ordinarily, the vines will regenerate new leaves at the onset of
the next wet season.
8. How many vines can I plant in an acre?
You
can plant 340 vines in one acre. The spacing required to achieve that is 2
meters between the lines and 6 meters from plant to plant. Remember to make
your lines run from east to west to ensure all the vines get sufficient
sunlight throughout the day.
9. What is the price of kiwi fruit?
Some
retailers sell at Ksh 100 per fruit which is obviously very high. During the
high supply season, the fruits are sold at 30 bob a piece in the wholesale
market and retail at 50 bob a piece.
What makes kiwi fruit farming in kenya such a potential high income business opportunity is because this fruit is a high value crop. With the necessary structures, you do not need a lot of space to grow kiwi fruits.
Since you are here, you are probably looking for the best agribusiness idea to invest in. You can head to our Farmers Resources Page to download our free farming guides (pdf). We would also suggest you consider mushroom farming. We have written this article, How to make money with mushroom farming throughout the year 2021, to give insights into the mushroom farming business.
13 comments:
Its not so difficult to cultivate kiwi fruits after all
Thanks for this information.
Do you have experience? If yes, I would love to learn from you. Watsup +255 767919791
Would like more information on this farming and where to source seedlings.
Where can j buy kiwi fruit,,am in homabay
Divine farm check Facebook
Where can I get Kiwi seeds?
Is there market for kiwi fruit in kenya?
Where can I buy seedlings in nyeri
Very informative. I would like to do the Kiwi farming. I'm at Migori county, Uriri sub-county within the sugar belt of Sony Sugar, Awendo. Essau Opondo.
I hv but Whatsapp me vie 0714500357 or call it
Whatsapp me vie 0714500357
Niko nanyuki 0714355139 Whatsapp me
Post a Comment