Keeping kiwis protected paramount to success

Question: I recently purchased male and female hardy kiwi starts form Parks Seed Company. I was wondering if you might be able to give me any tips for growing them here in the Las Vegas Valley. I have done some reading on pruning and training them into a trunk and building a T-trellis. In what I have read, they need full sunlight, but I am of the mind that afternoon shade might be a bit better.

Good thinking. I would be of a similar mind that if you could protect them from late afternoon sun and strong winds you will be better off. Even though they are hardy kiwis and more tolerant of winter temperatures than standard kiwis, they can still suffer from some cold damage if the temperatures get low enough. And they do get low enough in parts of the Valley .

So a good location in the right microclimate is going to be paramount. They should still get a minimum of six hours of full sun each day. They must be planted in amended soil with good quality compost mixed in.

I would highly recommend mulching them with wood mulch rather than bare soil or rock mulch. Keep the mulch away from the trunk at least 6 inches the first few years. If you can keep them in a warmer microclimate in the yard and out of strong cold winter winds, you will have success.

Bob Morris is a professor emeritus in horticulture with the University of Nevada and can be reached at extremehort@aol.com. Visit his blog at xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com.