North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Hal Love" <lovehd@comcast.net>]

There is no solid method, but it is not impossible to get some rooting. The key is to root the cuttings in a cool environment, while applying bottom heat and plenty of rooting hormone, while maintaining just enough humidity so they don't dry out, but not so much they rot. The temperature at the base of the cuttings needs to be around 80F, and the tops <~65F. This slows budbreak long enough for some roots to develop before the buds break and push shoots that depleat the energy reserves. The success rate can also vary a lot from one variety to another.

 

I have had somewhat better luck by forcing the cuttings to push new shoots in water, then cutting off the green shoots when they get to 3-5 inches long. I leave a heel of old wood about an inch long attached to the base of the new shoots. I then root this as I would any green cutting under mist or a humidity tent. Rotting will be the biggest problem, so a fungicide of some sort may help.

 

Since the dormant cuttings are so difficult to root, I usually just graft the cuttings to an established vine, and then take semi-green cuttings in summer for rooting. You can graft to any Actinidia short term, but long term there are often incompatibility issues. Grafting is best done by using a dormant scion on a new green shoot, not on old wood. Old wood bleeds profusely in spring and is very difficlut to graft. Dormant-to-green grafts heal very quickly in warm weather.

 

Hal

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Justin West

To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Sent: Monday, March 08, 2010 1:05 PM

Subject: [NAFEX] rooting hard wood cuttings of hardy kiwi

 Does anyone have a solid method for rooting hard wood cuttings of hardy kiwi?  Can you describe your experience in detail?
thanks
Justin West
zone 7

---

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