Actinidia chinensis as a houseplant - optimal conditions for growing

The garden plant actinidia chinensis, known to many as kiwi, is perfect for growing indoors. With proper care, kiwi will not only decorate the interior, but also bear fruit every 3-4 years. The fruit that can be harvested from the tub-grown actinidia is not very large, but tastes good and contains many vitamins.

Description of the plant

Chinese actinidia is a climbing vine with small pubescent leaves that have a slightly reddish tint. In a plant grown in a garden, shoots can grow up to 6 meters, and in a room, the length of the shoots must constantly be adjusted by pruning.

Kiwi is a dioecious plant. If the goal of growing is to produce fruit, then cross-pollination must occur. To do this, in one room you need to keep two plants: one with male flowers, the other with female flowers. It is possible to distinguish them only when the first flowers appear. When growing kiwi from seeds, the first flowering occurs only after 6 years. When planting a seedling, the first flowers may appear after 4 years.

Distinctive features of flowers:

• the female plant has single flowers, with large stamens and a large pistil;
• in the male, the flowers are collected in inflorescences, in one brush there can be about 15 buds; the stamens are small, and the anthers are yellow.

There are no other differences. One male plant is enough to pollinate 10-12 female plants. Flowering time is early May. The buds are white, and after a while after blooming, they acquire a delicate creamy color. The aroma emanating from flowering is reminiscent of the smell of a rose.

The fruits are oval in shape, the skin can be green or green-brown. Depending on the variety, there are both pubescent fruits and smooth-skinned fruits. Fruits are harvested unripe in autumn - they ripen quickly in room conditions. Leaving them on the branches until fully ripe is not recommended, as this greatly weakens the plant.

Creation of conditions for growing and care

The best place to grow kiwi would be a heated veranda, an insulated loggia or a room with large windows and the ability to regulate the power of heating devices in winter.

Lighting should be bright throughout the day, additional lighting will be required in autumn and winter. In summer, in hot weather, actinidia should be shaded from the burning rays of the sun. If the windows face south, then it is advisable to hang blinds on them, with which you can reduce the intensity of lighting. Under the bright sun, not only leaves, but also the bark on the shoots can get burned.

The soil in the pot should be constantly moist; between waterings, the top layer of the soil is allowed to dry, but not more than 1-2 cm.

Kiwi loves humid air. It should be moisturized constantly, using any of the convenient methods:

• install wide containers with water nearby;
• spray the plant 2-3 times a day;
• apply a humidifier.

Features of the content in the winter

Chinese actinidia is a deciduous plant. So that in winter time it does not throw off its leaves and does not lose its attractiveness, special conditions must be created:

• with the help of illumination, daylight hours must be increased to 14 hours;
• the temperature in the room should not rise above + 24 ° С;
• the frequency of watering and humidification of the air should not differ from the conduct of these procedures in the summer.

The only drawback of keeping in such conditions is that without a dormant period, the kiwi will not bear fruit.In order for the actinidia to rest, the tub with the plant must be moved to a room where the temperature is maintained at a lower temperature than in living rooms. The plant will shed foliage until spring, and care at this time needs to be changed a little:

• the room temperature must be maintained from + 1 ° С to + 10 ° С;
• air humidification at this temperature is stopped;
• watering is carried out moderately, the time interval between waterings is increased;
• additional lighting will be required only in spring, when the buds begin to swell and the first leaves appear.

Planting rules for actinidia

Actinidia is grown in large tubs, stable containers or pots. The initial volume should be 10-12 liters, a transplant is carried out every 3-4 years. The final volume of the tub is 50-60 liters. It is impossible to plant immediately in a large container due to the fact that the soil, not filled with roots, will acidify.

There should be holes at the bottom of the container to drain excess water, and you will need a tray to collect it. A layer of expanded clay or pebble drainage is poured onto the bottom of the container. The soil mixture can be purchased ready-made, or you can do it yourself: thoroughly mix 2 parts of ordinary garden soil, 2 parts of peat and 1 part each of sand and humus.

Important!

Peat must be present in the soil mixture, because actinidia grows well only on acidified soils.

If the root system of a kiwi seedling is open, then before planting, the roots must be placed in a bucket of water for 2 hours. A root growth stimulant can be added to the water. When planting, the root collar is deepened by 3 cm.

A bamboo or metal support for shoots must be installed in the pot. Poles about two meters long are placed around the circumference of the container. In the first few years, 3 poles are enough, later after transplanting 4 or 5 of them will be required. Every 50 cm, the support is intertwined horizontally, using a strong wire for this.

Forming creepers by pruning

When growing Chinese actinidia in the garden, only sanitary pruning is used. In the conditions of a room, formative pruning is indispensable; it begins to be carried out from the first year of planting.

1. In the first year, the main central stem is formed. It is wrapped around the support, and when it reaches the desired length, it is pinched. Lateral shoots are left only by those that grow at the level of the horizontal support. If there are several such shoots, then the largest ones are chosen. All others are removed, and the newly growing ones are pinched as soon as they appeared.
2. In the second year, the side shoots begin to release twigs. In the middle of summer, these branches are shortened, leaving only 2 buds on each. Everything that will grow in the future during this year is immediately removed.
3. In the third year, shoots should appear from the two buds left, flowers will form in their lower part and fruits will be tied. After the fruits, 5 leaves are left, everything else is removed.
4. In autumn, after harvesting the fruits, these branches are shortened, leaving the 2 lowest buds.

Once every 5 years, indoor Chinese actinidia will require anti-aging pruning. It is carried out in autumn, leaving two lower buds on the lateral shoots growing from the main stem.

Plants with male flowers are pruned in the same way as plants with female flowers.

So, Chinese actinidia as a houseplant will surely please exotic lovers. Kiwi does not require complex care, you just need to choose the right place for its cultivation and take into account the recommendations of specialists.