The Ornamental Kiwi (Female), otherwise known as the Actinidia Kolomikta (Female) or Variegated Kiwi Vine, Kolomikta, Michurin Actinidia, Actinidia, Kewee, is a rather well known fruit plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its low maintenance and fast growth, this fruit will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its variegated colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, this is exactly what we’ll cover in this Ornamental Kiwi (Female) Care Guide. So let’s dive in.
In order to take proper care of your Ornamental Kiwi (Female) you’ll need to keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Water: The Ornamental Kiwi (Female) needs evenly spread moist soil – try to avoid letting the soil dry out.
- Light: Keep your Actinidia Kolomikta (Female) in an environment where it can receive full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Ornamental Kiwi (Female) in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
And as with many other plants, these are the only three care factors you need to remember to make sure your Ornamental Kiwi (Female) is, for the most part, healthy and well to survive.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Ornamental Kiwi (Female) belongs to the Actinidiaceae family, the genus Actinidia and the species Kolomikta, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Actinidia Kolomikta (Female) (ak-tih-NID-ee-uh koh-loh-MIK-tuh).
As with other Actinidia’s, the Ornamental Kiwi (Female) is a deciduous plant, which means it will shed its leaves annually once autumn comes.
Growing Region
The Ornamental Kiwi (Female) is a plant native to the Asia to Japan and China..
You might be wondering why your Ornamental Kiwi (Female)’s native region is important. Well, if you know where your plant originally came from, you’ll know which environment conditions it prefers, and with it, knowledge on how to replicate it at home.
With this in mind, the Actinidia Kolomikta (Female) will be most used to the heat zones in the 1 – 11 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 4a, 4b, 5b, 5a, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8b, 8a and the ideal climate zone is between 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, A1, A2, A3.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Ornamental Kiwi (Female) is a relatively fast grower, which makes things tricky for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But, what size of Ornamental Kiwi (Female) are we talking about? What can you expect in terms of height, spread and spacing? Let’s dig in…
The Actinidia Kolomikta (Female) can grow up to 15′ – 20′ (4.5m – 6m) in 15′ – 20′ (4.5m – 6m) and 6′ – 10′ (180cm – 3m) in 6′ – 10′ (180cm – 3m).
Water
In terms of watering, the Ornamental Kiwi (Female) is a fairly complicated plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a not so straightforward watering schedule and somewhat irregular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Actinidia Kolomikta (Female) needs evenly spread moist soil – try to avoid letting the soil dry out.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Ornamental Kiwi (Female) in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage, and moist properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
However, in our experience, the best solution to knowing the right amount of water for your Ornamental Kiwi (Female) is with the ‘thumb’ technique. Basically, you insert your finger into the soil, and based if you feel the soil moist or dry, you determine if it needs any water, which is the most appropriate way to go about watering your leafy friend.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Ornamental Kiwi (Female) prefers to have soil with good drainage, and moist properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
This is why most experts agree that the Ornamental Kiwi (Female) requires soil with clay, loam (silt), and sand, which will give you the right conditions it needs.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably alkaline, acid or neutral soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Ornamental Kiwi (Female) requires full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this fruit will do well as long as you keep it in partial to full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Actinidia Kolomikta (Female) in little to partial shade (only 2-6 hours of direct sunlight a day), to full and direct sun (more 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being a deciduous plant, the Ornamental Kiwi (Female) will shed its leaves annually once autumn comes.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (mid, late), the summer (early, mid, late), and during the fall.
Flowers
You can expect your Ornamental Kiwi (Female) to flower around the spring months from April to June (spring).
In particular, this fruit is well known for its showy flowers around the plant enthusiast community.
The Ornamental Kiwi (Female) produces some wonderful green and white flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Ornamental Kiwi (Female) have a beautiful variegated color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a simple arrangement with a alternate organization in its leaves.
You can expect the leaves from your Actinidia Kolomikta (Female) to be around (3-6 inches) in size.
Garden
Does your Ornamental Kiwi (Female) have any garden recommendations? Does it serve any gardening purposes? Here’s how you can get the most out of your new plant.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of informal and cottage styles.
In particular, the Ornamental Kiwi (Female)’s best location within your garden is in pergolas, wall-side borders, arbors, trellises, and in walls and fences,.
Conclusion
Even though we covered a lot of care information for your Ornamental Kiwi (Female), remember the basics: sunlight, soil and water, as these should be enough to grow a healthy plant at home.
