Planting kiwi at home is easy!

Even inexperienced flower growers can plant this overseas fruit at home. The whole process can be divided into three stages, which do not require special skills or special knowledge.

Step one - preparing the seeds

Seed preparation for planting is as follows. The seeds must be removed with a spoon, then placed in a fine sieve (gauze can be used) and rinsed under running warm water, carefully separating them from the fruit pulp.

Important!

Fragments of pulp should not remain on the seeds, the further health of the seedlings depends on this.

The number of seeds should be determined on the basis that many of them may not germinate. It is best to start germination with 20-30 pieces, leaving the strongest ones as they grow. Growing kiwi from seeds at home does not require much time or money. The main thing to remember is that this plant is a resident of tropical forests. He needs warmth, good lighting and regular moisture (both the soil and its aboveground part).

Step two - planting seeds

There are three ways you can start germinating your seeds.

1. Peeled and washed kiwi seeds are placed in a tank with settled (or boiled) water at room temperature. A vessel with planting material is placed in a warm room, it is possible near heating devices. The most "live" seeds will hatch by the end of the first week, but if germination is delayed, you should replace the water with fresh water and wait a few more days.
2. The second method is similar to the first, but differs in that the kiwi seeds are placed in a napkin or cotton wool soaked in warm water. The water should completely wet the cotton wool, but it should not fill the entire area of ​​the plate. Next, a plate with seeds is tightly covered with cling film and placed on a warm windowsill. At night, it is better to remove the film, allowing the seeds to breathe. In a week, the most active of them will be revealed.
3. The third method is radically different from the previous ones. It consists in sowing kiwi seeds directly into peat without presoaking. Peat should be well and evenly moistened, seeds are sown to a depth of no more than 5 mm. For early germination, it is necessary to create a kind of greenhouse at home. The container with seeds is covered with cling film and placed in a place with an air temperature of at least + 25 ° C. Watering should be done regularly, the soil should not dry out.

Advice

It is better to moisten the soil with a spray gun, so as not to erode the soil and wash the seeds on its surface.

The third step is planting germinated seeds in the ground

When the soaked seeds opened and small roots appeared, it's time to continue growing kiwi in a specially prepared soil. The soil can be mixed at home on your own, or you can buy ready-made soil mixture for vines. The main thing is that it should be well aerated, with a high content of coconut fibers and vermiculite. Seeds are placed in prepared pots in several pieces. In the future, only one, the strongest sprout is left, the rest are removed at an early stage (in the presence of two or three leaves).

Important!

The plant needs to provide a full-fledged drainage system, since the health of the root system depends on it.

A thick layer of expanded clay is poured onto the bottom of the pot, which will become a permanent "home" for the still young plant, which will prevent excess moisture from stagnating at the roots, and will also provide soil respiration.As a material for drainage, not only expanded clay is suitable, but also calcined pebbles, broken tiles, pieces of foam.

The pot with future seedlings is covered with glass, transparent plastic or foil. The best place for such an impromptu greenhouse is the southern window sill in a warm room. Growing kiwi at home requires compliance with a certain temperature regime. Before the first shoots appear, the air temperature should be at least 25 degrees Celsius, bottom heating of the pot is allowed.

The greenhouse is aired daily. The soil is regularly moistened with warm, settled water using a spray bottle. In no case should it be allowed to dry completely. When the sprouts reach 1–1.5 cm, the greenhouse is completely opened.

Home care kiwi

It should be noted that kiwi is a fast-growing vine that needs strong support for growth. In nature, the plant uses nearby trees for these purposes. In indoor conditions, these should be well-fixed nets, artificial trunks and other suitable supports available in the house.

According to the principle of growth, kiwi resembles grapes. In natural conditions, its length can reach 8 meters, in culture - about 3. Starting from tiny seeds, it is difficult to imagine that in the coming years an exotic liana will bear fruit at home.

Important!

Kiwi is a fast growing plant that actively consumes nitrogen. Every spring (at the beginning of the growing season), it is imperative to feed the plant, making up for the lack of essential minerals in the soil. First of all, it is worth remembering the saturation of the substrate with nitrogen. In no case should such events be carried out in the autumn-winter period.

Watering and lighting

Since the kiwi is a native of tropical rainforests, it is necessary to create the appropriate conditions for it to feel "at home." First of all, this applies to high humidity. It can be created using special air humidifiers, as well as by regularly spraying the plant (which is extremely important). A good result is given by placing the pot in a pallet with expanded clay and water.

Drying out the soil is very dangerous and can destroy the plant. With a lack of moisture, the leaves droop, and if measures are not taken in time, they begin to dry at the edges and subsequently fall off. You need to water the plant so that the water completely moistens the soil and goes out through the drainage holes into the pan.

Lighting for a plant, both in nature and at home, needs bright, which is an indispensable condition for the full growth and fruiting of vines. However, direct sunlight can burn the leaves.

Advice

In summer, at home, you should create the effect of diffused sunlight during the hottest hours of the day. Tulle works well for this.

The lack of light has an extremely negative effect on the kiwi - the plant stretches out, the leaves become smaller and brighter, the flowers do not develop, and fruiting does not come.

Planting a kiwi at home is not difficult at all, and growing it is not a hassle. All that needs to be done is to water, fertilize and prune in a timely manner (this process is practically no different from pruning grapes). The plant, in turn, will surely thank you with its vitamin fruits!