How to Prune a Kiwi Vine

Overview

Kiwi plants are fast-growing, woody vines that can be trained along a raised arbor to manage their growth. Kiwis must be carefully pruned. Proper pruning will help to maximize the amount of fruit they will produce. Without pruning, the vine is much more likely not to fruit at all. The lateral method of pruning is preferred by commercial growers and will provide the greatest yield on vines that have been arbor trained.

Pruning Your Kiwi Vine

Step 1

Encourage lateral canes to grow from the main cordon vine by training them across the arbor. Space lateral canes every 24 to 30 inches and remove all other canes.

Step 2

Cut these lateral canes to about 4 feet in length or to just beyond the outside of the arbor, during the first growing season.

Step 3

Cut the laterals again, in winter, when they are dormant, to a length that has about 8 to 10 buds.

Step 4

Allow the laterals to fruit at the bud junctions during the second growing season.

Step 5

Cut new canes that form from the buds on the trimmed laterals to a length that has 8 to 10 buds on each cane, during the second growing season.

Step 6

Cut the laterals back to leave one fruit-bearing cane on either side of the lateral closest to the main vine, during winter.

Step 7

Allow the canes to fruit at the bud junctions during the third growing season.

Step 8

Cut the secondary canes resulting from the buds on the canes left from last season to a length of 8 to 10 buds during the third growing season.

Step 9

Remove any laterals that have fruited twice, from the main vine, during winter.