Issai Hardy Kiwi

Issai Hardy Kiwi (Actinidia arguta 'Issai')

Issai Hardy Kiwi is a compact, self-fertile hardy kiwi that bears smooth, grape-size fruit with sweet, aromatic flesh; vigorous yet smaller than most kiwis, it cloaks trellises and arbors with glossy foliage and delivers reliable late-summer to fall harvests.

Distinctive Features

Self-Fertile Convenience: Sets fruit without a male pollinizer, though yields can increase with one nearby; Early Bearing: Often fruits in the second season, producing clusters of bite-size, hairless kiwis you eat skin and all.

Growing Conditions

• Sun Exposure: Full sun for best flowering and sweetness; light afternoon shade in hot-summer regions.
• Soil: Fertile, well-drained loam enriched with organic matter; avoid waterlogged sites.
• Water: Keep evenly moist during establishment and fruit swell; do not allow prolonged drought.
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 6 to 9.
• Mature Size: Typically 8 to 12 ft with support, longer in ideal conditions.
• Bloom Time: Late spring; fruit ripens late summer to fall depending on climate.
• Soil pH: Slightly acidic, about 5.0 to 6.5.

Ideal Uses

• Trellis or Fence: Trains into a productive, compact screen.
• Arbor or Pergola: Creates edible shade with manageable vigor.
• Large Containers: Grows in 18 to 24 in pots with a sturdy obelisk or panel.
• Edible Landscape: Ornamental leaves and flavorful fruit suit backyard orchards.

Low Maintenance Care

• Watering: Deeply soak when the top 1 to 2 in are dry; increase during flowering and fruit swell.
• Pruning: Winter prune to renew fruiting spurs on 1-year wood; summer tip and thin vigorous shoots for light and airflow.
• Fertilizing: Feed in early spring with a balanced fertilizer; avoid excess nitrogen that favors rank growth over fruiting.
• Mulching: Apply 2 to 3 in organic mulch to conserve moisture and moderate soil temperature, keeping it off the crown.
• Notes: Though self-fertile, a male A. arguta can boost yields; protect young vines from cats that may chew tender shoots and provide stout, long-term support.

Why Choose Issai Hardy Kiwi?

• Self-Fertile: Reliable crops from a single vine.
• Compact Growth: Easier to manage than standard hardy kiwis.
• Quick Rewards: Tends to fruit earlier than many varieties.
• No Peeling: Smooth, edible skins for simple snacking.

Plant in full sun with fertile, well-drained soil, train on a sturdy support, and maintain steady moisture for abundant, sweet, bite-size kiwifruit.