permaculture

[Elfpermacl@aol.com]

Miekal wrote>>
I think I'll sidestep the discussion into the extra dimensions of our
permaculturation, by throwing yet another question into the messageheap.

My 3 year old actinidia kolomikta has flowered & set some fruit. No
males around.  Is this immaculate conception, or is it that a male
pollinator increases fruit set? 

miekal
_____________________________________
Dreamtime Village
http://www.net22.com/dreamtime/index.shtml<<

Kiwis are incompletely gender specific so you could have either of two
situations.  The fruit could be parthenocarpic (fruiting, but without seeds
due to no pollination) or the vine may have produced a few male flowers.  Some
species change from "male" to "female" due to age (The famous example being
Cornus mas) or other circumstances.  Some mulberries, for example, can be
predominantly male or predominantly female.  I've seen squashes produce all
male or all female blossoms due to environmental circumstances.  Etc.  Since
there ARE self-fruitful kiwis, you vine probably has a few male flowers.  

Why on earth would you bother to grow just a female kiwi anyway?

For Mother Earth, Dan Hemenway, Yankee Permaculture Publications (since 1982),
Elfin Permaculture workshops, lectures, Permaculture Design Courses,
consulting and permaculture designs (since 1981), and annual correspondence
courses via email.  Copyright, 1998, Dan & Cynthia Hemenway, P.O. Box 52,
Sparr FL 32192 USA  Internships. YankeePerm@aol.com  

We don't have time to rush.

A list by topic of all Yankee Permaculture titles may be found at
http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/ypc_catalog.html
Elfin Permaculture programs are listed at the Eastern Permaculture Teachers
assn home page: http://home.ptd.net/~artrod/epta/eptahmp.html