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Fruit vine in a pot, will it ever bloom? (Actinidia deliciosa 'Renact' PP #23,457 - self fertilized)
Lena_vs_Deer
Posts: 203
3 years ago I bought a healthy and rather big Actinidia deliciosa 'Renact' also sub labeled as "Sweet and Solo". Supposedly a newer winter hardy self pollinating hybrid. Almost sounded too good to be true ...
Plant however survived, it is indeed winter hardy and not a difficult one to grow. Every year you need to trim it back to 3 new nodes, soil needs to be well draining ( I keep some thyme in a same pot for drainage indication like a canary).
All seems good ... but it's yet to give a single flower.
So I was wondering if anyone ever tied to grow anything similar? Usually you'd need 2 kiwis (male and female). But as mine fails to get any flowers so I can't even see if I was bamboozled and just sold a single gender plant rather than self pollinating
Or perhaps I'm missing something to make it bloom?
Or maybe a pot a bad idea in a first place for vines in general ?
Would be happy to get any input! perhaps there are things that are common for all fruiting vines I'm getting wrong here. It looks great, just no flowers of any kind.
Here are some specs and details that may perhaps shed some light on overlooked issue:
- It is not being additionally fed
- 3 years old since it was potted in this exact pot (it used to grow there when we lived in apartment and now kept on a balcony away from deer)
- no pest or diseases since I bought it
- prolific on leaves and long thin vines every year
- positioned on a balcony in full sun, south-west orientation
- potted in 16 inches (40 centimeter) pot, doesn't appear root bound as there's plenty of lose soil close to the edges of the pot (probed with a stick and pulled it out of pot last winter to take a look), but soil had not been refreshed as it was said that kiwi needs spent soil to grow well.
Plant however survived, it is indeed winter hardy and not a difficult one to grow. Every year you need to trim it back to 3 new nodes, soil needs to be well draining ( I keep some thyme in a same pot for drainage indication like a canary).
All seems good ... but it's yet to give a single flower.
So I was wondering if anyone ever tied to grow anything similar? Usually you'd need 2 kiwis (male and female). But as mine fails to get any flowers so I can't even see if I was bamboozled and just sold a single gender plant rather than self pollinating
Or perhaps I'm missing something to make it bloom?
Or maybe a pot a bad idea in a first place for vines in general ?
Would be happy to get any input! perhaps there are things that are common for all fruiting vines I'm getting wrong here. It looks great, just no flowers of any kind.
Here are some specs and details that may perhaps shed some light on overlooked issue:
- It is not being additionally fed
- 3 years old since it was potted in this exact pot (it used to grow there when we lived in apartment and now kept on a balcony away from deer)
- no pest or diseases since I bought it
- prolific on leaves and long thin vines every year
- positioned on a balcony in full sun, south-west orientation
- potted in 16 inches (40 centimeter) pot, doesn't appear root bound as there's plenty of lose soil close to the edges of the pot (probed with a stick and pulled it out of pot last winter to take a look), but soil had not been refreshed as it was said that kiwi needs spent soil to grow well.
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Here's more side photos from other part of this vine. I feel like that one may had been deceiving since it was a top view.
But then again, this is my first fruit vine ever ... I have no idea what's what with them
Did you get any fruits from it before infestation? My friend had one in her garden for few years with no fruit and then her gardener trimmed it too much and plant died that year. I'm yet to find any testimonies on any kiwi succeeding
Leaves sure look nice though ...
Any attempt to pollinate them with brush like pumpkin or just leaving it to own devices?