Large, smooth, delicious red-skinned fruit with red flesh. Ken's Red ripens just after Ananasnaya and Chico Female Hardy Kiwis. Needs pollination by a Male Hardy Kiwi (Actinidia arguta).
ZONE: 4-9
POLLINATION/BLOOM TIME: Male will provide hundreds of showy white blooms with fluffy yellow stamens over 2-3 weeks in April/May; female produces 1/5 the number of blooms; flowers have thin white stamens (no pollen on them) by comparison.
RECOMMENDED GROWING AND CARE:
Full to 1/3 sun (in hottest areas), balanced regular moisture A MUST, and soils with high organic matter. Reduce grass competition in root zone. Top dress with compost yearly, and suppliment with timed-release organic fertilizer with high nitrogen. Needs very sharp drainage. Dormant prune in February for airflow and ease of harvest. Spur bearer. Prune like grapes. Provide very sturdy trellis especially for female vines - males can be kept tightly pruned or allowed to ramble up tall trees.
CHILL HOURS: Medium: 800 hours below 45F
DISEASE RESISTANCE: Very good. If cold kills the vines, they can re-sprout from their own roots the following year.
SIZE AT MATURITY: 40' x 15' unpruned
