I'm the one who mentioned clay soil. I wasn't necessarily recommending it
for kiwi, just stating that it's what I've got, so I work with it.

I've had to amend it as best I could, so that air and water and plant roots
can move through it, and it's backbreaking work. Fortunately, I like
digging. Once it's amended, clay soil is good to work with, for the most
part. It tends to have a lot of mineral nutrients, and it holds water well
in the hot dry summer. Plants that need really sharp drainage get extra
grit in the planting hole, or go in containers, but for the most part, I can
grow a wide variety of things without much trouble.

Whereas if you are growing things in sandy soil, you're going to need to
supply more food and water. You just learn to work with what you've got.

BTW, for improving drainage, I prefer fine gravel, sometimes called stone
dust, over sand. Sand, unless I add a LOT of it, just tends to disappear
into the texture of the clay. The gravel chips (the kind sold to install
under flagstones) has more texture and is much more effective in my
experience.

Cheers,
Sue
--
Zone 6, Southcentral PA


"Brian Watson" wrote in message
...


from the home of kiwifruit.......yes the vines can grow very big, but
remember kiwifruit
grow on the current seasons wood.....ie the shoots which grow during the
current spring.
this means you can prune the vines back very hard indeed. Female vines
MUST have a male
vine present.

OK, thanks.

I'm hearing clay soil or sandy soil. Suppose I'll add some sand to my
clay!

:-)

Is the NZ experience that they need a lot of feeding and watering?

It seems to me that variations in behaviour between species/varieties may
account for the differences reported here.

--
Brian
"Stuck down a hole, in the fog, in the middle of the night, with an owl."