Content
Actinidia belongs to the category of heat-loving fruit vines. But thanks to selection, varieties have been obtained that are capable of fully developing not only in the southern and central regions of the country, but also in areas with difficult climatic conditions. However, actinidia in Siberia will produce a good harvest every year only with proper care. Therefore, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the basic rules of agricultural technology in order to avoid serious problems later.
Actinidia is a close relative of kiwi
Winter-hardy species and varieties of actinidia for Siberia
Successful cultivation of lianas in Siberia directly depends on the correctly selected species that can adapt to the climate of the region. Actinidia kolomikta is ideal for this. It is characterized by increased endurance and frost resistance. About 30 varieties are included in the State Register, bred on the basis of the kolomikta species, which can be grown in the northern regions of the country.It is worth studying the most popular of them, which are capable of producing a good harvest even with a short summer in Siberia.
Pineapple Michurina
Actinidia Michurina is distinguished by widely spreading bushes, the height of which in Siberia reaches 4-6.5 m. The shoots are smooth, brown in color with brown spots. The leaves are dark green, oval-pointed, double-serrate.
The fruits are elongated, flattened on both sides, weighing 2-3 g. They have a dark green color. The pulp is juicy, sweet with a slight sourness, without soreness. Ripe fruits have a pineapple aroma, which is why the variety got its name.
This actinidia begins to bear fruit in the seventh year after planting. The yield in Siberian conditions is 4-5 kg. The frost resistance of the variety is high. Fruit ripening is not simultaneous. The first ripe specimens appear on the vine at the end of August or early September. The duration of fruiting is 2-3 weeks; fresh harvest can be stored for no more than four days.
Actinidia Pineapple Michurina is characterized by slow growth for the first 3-4 years
Clara Zetkin
A low-growing type of crop, the length of its shoots does not exceed 4 m. The variety was bred by V. Michurin. This actinidia is characterized by large fruits weighing up to 3.8 g. They have an ellipsoidal shape, light green color with whitish longitudinal stripes. The leaves are heart-shaped with a pointed tip. The plates retain their rich green color throughout the season. The variety begins to bear fruit 4-5 years after planting.
The fruits of actinidia Clara Zetkin are sweet and sour with a specific pleasant aroma and sensation. The content of ascorbic acid in them reaches 15.2 mg per 100 g of fresh product. The yield of the variety is 2.6 kg per bush.
The flowering period of the liana begins in May, and the fruits ripen in Siberian conditions in late August or early September at the same time. The harvest is suitable for fresh consumption and processing.
Fruit shedding of the Clara Zetkin variety is insignificant
Sakhalinskaya-23
A low-growing variety of actinidia, the height of which does not exceed 5 m. It is highly resistant to temperature changes and can withstand frosts down to -40 ° C. The Sakhalinskaya-23 variety belongs to the early category; in Siberia its fruits ripen in mid-August. At the same time, they stay on the shoots for a long time, do not fall off, and subsequently become raisinized.
The fruits of Actinidia Sakhalinskaya-23 are elongated, weighing up to 2 g. They are greenish in color with longitudinal light stripes. The berries are juicy, with a delicate texture, sweet and sour with tartness and a pleasant honey aroma. The flowering period of the variety starts in early June. Fruiting is extended, so harvesting in several stages is recommended. Its volume is about 2.5 kg. The variety begins to bear fruit in 4-5 years and is resistant to diseases.
Actinidia Sakhalinskaya-23 has numerous seeds
Important! This crop is dioecious, therefore, for successful fruit pollination, for every five female vines it is necessary to plant a male specimen of the plant nearby.
University
This is a variety of fast-growing vine, the height of which reaches 6 m. It has a powerful trunk and strong climbing shoots without thorns. The leaves are medium-sized with a heart-shaped base, dark olive in color. The plates are soft to the touch, smooth, not pubescent. The buds are small, white in color. The fruits of Actinidia Universitetskaya are elongated and cylindrical in shape, green in color with light stripes. The berries are slightly ribbed and slightly compressed laterally.Their skin is of medium thickness. The pulp is juicy, delicate consistency, sweet with a strawberry aftertaste. When eating the berries, the seeds are not felt.
This variety of actinidia is demanding on soil composition. Its frost resistance is at -34 °C. Actinidia Universitetskaya is only slightly affected by diseases. The harvest in Siberia can be harvested at the end of August. Its maximum volume is 0.7 kg. The berries ripen at the same time.
The taste of Actinidia Universitetskaya is rated at 5 points
Homestead
The variety belongs to the early category. Actinidia Priusadubnaya is characterized by medium-sized bushes. The variety was included in the State Register in 1999 and is recommended for cultivation in all regions of the country, including Siberia. The shoots of this actinidia are medium thick, strong, curly, and green. The leaves are round, small, olive with a smooth surface, soft. By autumn they acquire a reddish tint.
The fruits of Actinidia are conical in shape, weighing 3-3.5 g. They have a dark olive color, sweet and sour taste and a pleasant apple aroma. A variety for universal use. The sugar content in the fruit reaches 11.4%, and the acid content is about 1.4%. The harvest in Siberia ripens in the first ten days of August. Its volume per plant is 1-2.1 kg.
Actinidia homestead reaches a height of 5 m
Snowball
This variety is a pollinator because it has strictly male flowers. The first buds on the plant bloom in Siberian conditions in early May. Flowering is abundant and continues for a month. Actinidia's bush is medium-sized, up to 6 m high. The density of the crown is moderate. A feature of the variety is its variegation, which reaches a level of 50-80%.Actinidia Snowball is highly decorative, therefore it is used not only for pollinating female specimens of the crop, but also as an element of landscape design.
The variety is highly frost-resistant and has high immunity to diseases and pests.
Actinidia Snowball remains decorative throughout the season
Borisovskaya
One of the largest-fruited varieties of actinidia kolomikta that can be grown in Siberia. The plant is compact, low-growing, its height varies between 3-4 m. The shoots are of medium thickness, strong, curly, dark green. The leaves are oval-elongated, large, olive with a smooth surface. There is no pubescence on the plates and shoots of Actinidia Borisovskaya. By autumn, the leaves of Borisovskaya turn red.
The berries of this variety of actinidia are ellipsoidal, olive in color with a tan. Borisovskaya has an early ripening period, so the harvest ripens in Siberia by mid-August. The fruits are smooth, weighing 6-7 g. The pulp is juicy, tender, the skin is of medium thickness. The taste of the berries is sweet and sour, with a faint fruity aroma. The yield level of the Borisovskaya variety is 2-4 kg. Ripe fruits fall off, so timely collection is recommended. The variety can withstand temperatures down to -35 °C.
Actinidia Borisovskaya begins to bear fruit in the fourth year
Novosibirsk early
This variety belongs to the elite, selected category and takes root well in Siberia. Actinidia is characterized by powerful bushes, with numerous shoots and a well-leafed crown. When frozen, the variety quickly recovers, maintaining productivity.The flowers on the plant are bisexual, but for good fruit set it is necessary to plant a male specimen of the crop nearby. The leaves of actinidia variety Novosibirskaya early are large, dark green with a pointed tip.
The berries can be cylindrical or pear-shaped, flattened on the sides. They are green in color, weighing up to 2.5 g. The taste of the fruit is rated as excellent at 4.8 points, sweet and sour, practically without aroma. The variety is valued for its high yield, which can reach 7.3 kg per bush in Siberia.
Harvest Novosibirsk early universal purpose
Planting actinidia in Siberia
When growing lianas in the northern region, planting should be done in the spring, namely in May, when the soil warms up to a depth of 20 cm. For actinidia, you need to choose a sunny, open place, protected from cold gusts of wind. It is recommended to purchase planting material from nurseries, which guarantees that the plant is adapted to the climate of Siberia.
When purchasing seedlings, you should give preference to biennial actinidia with a closed root system. In this case, the plants quickly adapt to the new location and grow.
For planting, you need to prepare a hole 15 days in advance. It should be 60 cm deep and wide. A layer of drainage 10 cm thick must be poured onto the bottom. This will prevent constant contact of the roots with water. And the rest of the space must be filled with a nutritious soil mixture consisting of turf, peat, humus and sand in a ratio of 2:1:1:1. You also need to additionally add 40 g of superphosphate and 25 g of potassium sulfide into the hole, mix the fertilizer thoroughly with the soil.
The recommended planting scheme for kolomikta varieties in Siberia is one bush per 2 m.And it is necessary to plant male specimens at a distance of at least 5 m. When planting, it is recommended to make a mound in the hole, place a seedling on it, carefully straighten the roots, and then sprinkle them with earth and fill all the voids. At the end of the procedure, the root collar of the actinidia should be at soil level. Water the plant generously, at the rate of 20 liters per seedling, and the next day mulch the root circle with humus so that the roots do not dry out.
It is possible to distinguish female and male seedlings only during actinidia flowering
Actinidia care in Siberia
To successfully grow actinidia in Siberia, you need to follow simple care rules. Particular attention should be paid to watering the plant. Moistening should be carried out regularly, since the soil in the root circle should always be slightly moist. You can reduce the amount of watering by using mulch, placing it at the base of the actinidia. This also allows for constant air access to the roots.
Actinidia reacts poorly to dry air. Therefore, on hot days in the evening it needs to be washed with a hose. Otherwise, premature leaf fall is possible, significantly weakening the vine.
Trimming
Actinidia requires formative pruning of bushes. In the second year after planting, you need to install a trellis next to the plant to support the vine. After this, it is necessary to select two main shoots and remove the rest.As they grow, they need to be tied vertically, and when the shoots reach the lower tier of the support, they should be directed horizontally, but in different directions, so that they do not interfere with each other’s development. As soon as the length of the shoots reaches 2 m, it is recommended to pinch them.
The next season, young branches will appear from the buds along the entire length, which need to be fixed vertically on the trellis and the top removed at a height of 20-25 cm. Also in the second year, you need to select two more strong actinidia shoots and place them according to the same principle on the second tier of the trellis . For the third season, repeat all manipulations. This completes the formation of the bushes.
Actinidia also needs sanitary pruning. It should be carried out in early spring before the sap begins to flow. In this case, it is necessary to clear the crown of broken, damaged and thickening branches, since for good fruiting of actinidia, its shoots need good illumination.
Every ten years the plant needs to be renewed to maintain productivity. In this case, the vine must be completely cut off at a height of 40 cm, and after the young shoots grow back, the crown must be correctly formed.
For actinidia, a fan-shaped formation of bushes is also acceptable.
Top dressing
When growing vines in Siberia, it is recommended to fertilize it three times per season. The first feeding should be done in mid-May. To do this, you can use urea at the rate of 30 g per plant.
It is recommended to fertilize actinidia for the second time in Siberia during the formation of the ovary. During this period, it is recommended to use nitroammophoska 30-50 g.And the third time to fertilize actinidia in Siberia is necessary in the middle or at the end of September after harvesting. At this time, it is important to use superphosphate 30-80 g and potassium sulphide 25-40 g for each bush.
When fertilizing, fertilizer should be scattered in the root circle, and then embedded in the top layer of soil.
Preparing for winter
When growing lianas in Siberia, it is recommended that they be completely covered for the winter. Preparation should begin after leaf fall and when the daytime temperature drops to +5 °C. To do this, you need to remove the vine from the support and lay its branches on a layer of spruce branches previously laid on the ground. After this, it is recommended to pour a layer of humus up to 10 cm thick into the root circle. And at the end, the plant must be completely covered with agrofibre in several layers, and again covered with spruce branches on top to secure the shelter.
If the plant has grown too much and it is problematic to remove it from the support, then it is necessary to wrap the crown directly on the trellis in several layers of covering material, and also lay a thick layer of mulch at the base of the bush.
The lifespan of actinidia in Siberia is about 30 years
Diseases and pests
Actinidia has high natural immunity. But sometimes errors in care and difficult climatic conditions in Siberia can lead to weakening of the vine. This helps to increase the plant’s susceptibility to pathogenic microflora.
In this case, the plant may suffer from powdery mildew, rust, and gray rot. For treatment it is necessary to use Skor, Topaz, colloidal sulfur or Bordeaux mixture.
The vine needs to be sprayed with fungicides every five days until the signs of the disease disappear.
When Actinidia is grown in Siberia, it is affected by spider mites and aphids. To combat them, it is necessary to spray the vine with Fitoverm, Actellik or Fufanon.
Harvest and storage
Harvesting actinidia must be done in a timely manner, since in many species the ripe fruits quickly fall off the branches. You need to collect it on a canvas, lightly shaking the shoots. It is recommended to store fruits in a cool place. They remain fresh for 3-4 days.
For longer storage of the crop, it is recommended to use freezing, drying and drying. Also, based on actinidia berries, you can prepare jam, jam, and confiture.
Conclusion
If you follow the rules of planting and care, actinidia in Siberia takes root well and bears fruit consistently, starting from the age of seven. However, when growing vines in this region, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to choosing varieties and purchasing them from trusted sellers. Otherwise, you can waste your time, since not every species will be able to survive in the northern regions, or the seedling will end up being a male specimen of the plant, so it will not bear fruit.
Reviews about growing actinidia in Siberia
