This creeper has everything to decorate any garden: decorative, healthy and tasty fruits. Even I.V.Michurin considered it the berry of the future and even brought several varieties. Despite the fact that planting and caring for actinidia are not particularly difficult, this plant is a rare guest in the gardens of the Moscow Region and the middle lane.

Description of plant species

Most often, we meet with actinidia when we buy kiwi in the store. These are the fruits of Chinese actinidia, which loves warmly and does not winter in our latitudes. Some advanced gardeners are conducting experiments to tame this southern sissy. The results achieved are encouraging, but the process of sheltering the plants is quite complex and time-consuming. In this respect, cultivation of other varieties is much simpler: actinidia of colomict, argument and polygamum. Let's take a closer look at these frost-resistant representatives of actinidia.

Actinidia colomictus

It is found in the wild in the Far East, therefore frosts of the middle zone are not afraid of it. She is quite capable of surviving at -45 degrees, but is sensitive to spring frost. Rarely reaches a height of more than 5 m. The thickness of the stem at the base of an adult plant is from 3 to 10 cm. It has a reddish-brown color of shoots dotted with round lentils. A distinctive feature of this species is whitish-raspberry variegation on the eve and during flowering. Small flowers with a strong and pleasant aroma of lemon and lily of the valley.Flowering occurs at the end of May. The ripened fruits crumble, the immature ripen well.

Actinidia argument

Taller than her sister, can grow up to 15 m, but less frost-resistant. The limit for some varieties is 40 degrees below zero, but for most it is significantly lower from -25 to -28. Such frosts in the middle lane and the Moscow Region do not happen every winter, but still, every 10-15 years, extreme cold will make you worry about the safety of plants.

Arguta leaves are large, elliptical, flowers up to 3 cm in diameter, odorless. Productivity can reach 15 kg per plant, the fruits are not prone to shedding.

Actinidia polygamum

Originally from the Far East, this liana reaches a height of 5 m. Light brown shoots are covered with oblong lentils. This type of actinidia is less frost-hardy, the temperature is extremely low for it from -28 to -35 degrees, but not adult plants freeze, but the shoots that have not managed to finish the vegetation freeze. After freezing, actinidia polygamum is well restored. The peculiarity of this species is the color, taste and aroma of the fruit: yellow berries have the aroma and taste of figs and sweet peppers, and in some varieties and hot. The leaves are large, up to 15 cm long, acquire silver variegation during flowering, it holds until the fruit ripens.

If it is not possible to remove plants from the support for shelter, it is better to give preference to winter-hardy varieties of actinidia colomict.

Suitable shrubs

The state register of breeding achievements of Russia includes more than 40 varieties of actinidia, which are zoned for all regions of cultivation. All of them were created by various breeding institutions of our country. The choice of a gardener often depends only on the ability to find suitable seedlings. This is where the trouble begins: most of the plants sold are of foreign origin. But that which grows well in Holland or Poland may not take root here. In the middle lane and the suburbs you need to focus only on domestic varieties.

Varieties of actinidia colomict.

  • Grape. Highly winter-hardy variety of medium growth power and the same yield. It ripens in early August. Small fruits - 2.3 g of olive-green color, sweet and sour taste with apple aroma. The content of vitamin C is 1532 mg%.
  • Graceful. Winter hardiness is good. Ripening period is mid-August. Sweet and sour berry, weighing 4 g with pineapple flavor. Record holder for vitamin C among actinidia. Its in it is 2000 mg%. The variety is resistant to disease.
  • Marmalade. Ripens in the 3rd decade of August. Winter hardiness is average. The berries are olive green, sometimes with a blush weighing up to 3.3 g of a very sweet taste with the scent of strawberries. The content of vitamin C is 1245 mg%.

Varieties of actinidia argument

  • September. It keeps up to date. Dark green berries weigh up to 10 g, sweet or slightly sour taste and aroma of pineapple. Vitamin C content up to 183 mg%.
  • Mikhnevskaya. It ripens in mid-late terms. The berry is large - up to 10 g, has a sour-sweet taste and aroma of pineapple.

Varieties of actinidia polygamum

  • Zlata is a productive variety of medium-late ripening period. Orange berries weigh up to 6.3 g and taste like figs and sweet peppers.
  • Forest. The main indicators are as in the previous variety, only the berries are slightly larger - up to 7.4 g.
  • Spicy. Late ripening actinidia with dark orange berries weighing 3.5 g and the taste of hot pepper.

Hybrid varieties of both domestic and foreign selection are very promising. Their berries are larger, the taste is better, and winter hardiness is good for the middle band. The largest fruits in Hybrid Sausage - up to 16 g, very tasty.

Preparing the place and soil for planting

Actinidia is a long-liver, in one place it can bear fruit for more than 50 years, and some species up to 90, so you need to choose a place for it responsibly so as not to disturb the plants with a transplant. It should be noted that for successful fruiting in the garden there must be both male and female specimens, since actinidia is a dioecious plant and requires cross-pollination. Optimum ratio: 1 male to 5-7 female. For this creeper you will need support, most often it is trellis like vine stands.

Wild species grow in shade from trees, not so much in the middle band of the sun, so actinidia is best placed in calm places under the protection of buildings, on the southeast or southwest side. If the liana is oriented south, you need to monitor the moisture of the soil, and in the heat to spray plants in the morning and evening. It is impossible to plant actinidia near the trees, both crops will grow poorly due to lack of nutrition and moisture.

Soil actinidia requirements:

  • groundwater not higher than 1 m;
  • the reaction is neutral or slightly acidic;
  • loam with a high humus content, on light soils actinidia does not grow well, clay is also categorically not suitable for it;
  • the soil must be well drained;
  • high potassium content, but not in chloride form.

Actinidia: how and when to plant properly?

Actinidia is planted in the spring while the kidneys are sleeping and sap flow has not begun. You can plant it in the fall, but no later than 2 weeks before the frost.

Actinidia reacts extremely badly to the slightest damage to the root system. Staying in the open air of a plant with open roots even for 10 minutes can be fatal for him. For young actinidia to take root well, it is best to transplant a seedling grown in a container. Its age should not be more than 3 years, otherwise the survival rate of the plant will be in question. For container plants, planting dates are not so critical, but in hot weather it should not be done.

The distance between plants should not be less than 2 m, but optimally - about 5 m, so that adult vines have enough nutrition. The roots of actinidia do not grow deep, but horizontally. Plants do not need a deep landing pit, but drainage must be mandatory - this plant does not tolerate stagnation of water. It can be made from fragments of bricks, pebbles, coal slag.

Landing algorithm

  • 2 weeks before planting, they dig a hole with a depth of 50 cm, a diameter of 40 cm; the topsoil is laid to the side;
  • stack drainage with a layer of about 10 cm;
  • the topsoil is mixed with humus - near a bucket, a half-liter can of ash, 200 g of superphosphate and 50 g of ammonium nitrate are added, half of the hole is covered with this mixture;
  • pour a bucket of water into the pit;
  • give the earth good settling;
  • spill a seedling in a container and carefully remove from it without damaging the roots;
  • pour a mound of clean land, on which they plant a seedling;
  • fill it with planting mixture and watered so that the root neck is flush with the ground;
  • mulch the soil around the plant, establish a fence from cats and shade the seedling for a couple of weeks.

Fresh manure and lime should not be added categorically to planting pits.

Care in the Moscow Region and Central Russia

Different species require approximately the same care during the growing season.

Watering

Actinidia does not tolerate drying out of the soil, nor does it like dry air. It can respond to excessive dryness by dropping leaves, which is fraught with freezing out of young unripened shoots in winter.

Actinidia is watered weekly, up to 6 buckets of water are poured under each adult bush. Helps to make watering less often thorough mulching. Actinidia will be grateful if under it to plant ground-cover annual flowers, and even better plants from the legume family.

Spraying plants in the morning and evening is a necessary procedure, especially in hot weather.

Top dressing

For the entire season, 3 dressings will be required:

  • in early spring for every sq. m. 20 g of potash and phosphorus fertilizers and 35 g of nitrogen are applied;
  • after the formation of the ovaries, 10 g of potash and phosphorus fertilizers and 15 g of nitrogen fertilizers will be required for the same area;
  • in mid-September, 20 g of potash and phosphorus fertilizers are applied.

Fertilizers are applied in a dry form, carefully sealed to a depth of about 7 cm - actinidia does not like deep loosening. Fertilized plants need to be watered. Once in a couple of years in the fall, a humus bucket is poured under a bush near a bucket.

Plant propagation

Seed propagation for actinidia is undesirable, since seedlings do not repeat parental traits, this is especially true for hybrid varieties.

Propagation by layering

After the sap flow ends, the selected shoot is pinned to the ground and sprinkled with a 10-15 cm layer of soil so that the tip is outside. Mulch the place of nailing and look after the lay during the season. It usually takes root by fall. You can wait until it is separated from the mother plant until spring.

Propagation by cuttings

Green cuttings suitable for propagation in early summer are taken from strong meter or half meter shoots. The length of the handle is from 10 to 15 cm, the upper cut is 3-4 cm above the kidney, it is straight. The lower section is oblique with an angle of 45 degrees. The lower half of the leaves is removed, and the upper half is shortened. Cuttings are planted in the cuticle at an angle of 60 degrees, deepening to the middle kidney. Cuttings are covered with non-woven material. The distance between the cuttings is 5x10 cm. Spraying is carried out from 5 to 10 times a day, depending on the weather. The use of artificial fog increases the rooting percentage. For the winter, the cuticle is covered with fallen leaves.

Lignified cuttings for rooting are cut in late autumn or late winter, but before the sap flow begins. They are stored vertically, tied in bunches in a box, covered with sand. Storage temperature from 1 to 5 degrees. Planted in the cuticle in early spring and looked after in the same way as in the previous case.

Actinidia Trimming Rules

Form plants begin after 3 years. You can do this in the summer, but not in the spring or early autumn during the period of active sap flow: the plant will run out of juice and die. Usually form a two-armed cordon. Colomictus and polygamum are cut off, taking into account that they bear fruit not only on shortened shoots, but also on long ones. Young shoots are cut in half or a third. The anti-aging pruning at colomicta begins at the age of ten with the annual replacement of one old branch with a young shoot. Argut does not need such a procedure.

Features of care in the fall, preparation for winter

After harvesting, plants are fed phosphorus and potash fertilizers. After leaf fall, water-loading irrigation is carried out.

Adult plants of winter-hardy varieties do not need shelter. It is enough just to mulch the trunk circle well. Young actinidia is better to remove from the support and cover with spruce branches, dry leaves or peat with a layer of 20 cm, poison from rodents is placed under it. Before sheltering the vines are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid 3% concentration.

Diseases and Pests

Actinidia is a disease-resistant culture; in the middle zone, it has few of them.

  • Powdery Mildew Against it, a double treatment is carried out with a solution of soda ash with a concentration of 0.5% with an interval of 10 days.
  • Fungal diseases. Spring three-time treatment with Fitosporin with an interval of 10 days.
  • Leaf spotting. Treatment with Bordeaux liquid at a concentration of 1% on the blossoming leaves.
  • Young plants are very fond of cats. They must be protected from damage by digging in a wire mesh.
  • Actinidia is sprayed from leaf beetle with infusions of tomato tops, hot pepper. If there is no effect, insecticides are used.

Actinidia is a beautiful vine that produces surprisingly tasty and healthy berries. In most varieties of colomict species, there is more vitamin C than in dry rosehips. Actinidia polygam produces carotenoid-rich berries. This vine gives a delicious treat in the fall, when the berry season is already over. Plant care is not complicated, so actinidia needs to be grown in every garden.

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