Actinidia in the photo - Kolomikta variety

Actinidia in the photo (Kolomikta) among berry vines, of course, is the first. Many have not even heard this name, so I must say that actinidia is a relative of kiwi, but its fruits are much softer, sweeter and healthier.

The fruits, of course, are much smaller than kiwi fruits, but wild strawberries are also much smaller than garden strawberries, but how fragrant and sweet they are!

Actinidia is believed to have more vitamin C than lemon and blackcurrant combined. The average weight of the fruits is 10-25 grams, their taste resembles a cross between strawberries, sweet pears and kiwi. The cut view of actinidia exactly copies the kiwi fruit, only smaller and without fibers.

It is worth noting that actinidia is a dioecious plant, therefore, for fruiting, you need to plant one male plant for 4-5 female ones.

Actinidia is also highly valued for its decorative effect. Flowering, starting at the age of five, begins annually in June. Five-petalled white flowers with a delicate jasmine scent produce dark green berries by September. The most abundant harvest of actinidia in the photo gives in the shade.

Actinidia is planted from the second half of April in a wide pit, where the drainage is poured, adding organic fertilizers. Then it is watered abundantly, mulching the surface around the trunk with a layer of peat. In the absence of a natural or stationary support, a vertical cordon, for example, must be immediately installed nearby.

During the first years, it does not require special attention, you just need to regularly weed the weeds and loosen the soil, trying not to hurt the superficial root system. For the winter, the ground is covered with leaves. Pruning begins at the end of the fall of the first year of cultivation, when the sap flow ends.