KiwiFruit Plants and Vines for Sale

Insights

May 18, 2019

Looking to buy kiwifruit plants or vines? Click here to order kiwifruit plants and vines. Our KVH accredited nurseries specialise in the production and supply of high quality grafted plants for orchards. We have all major varieties of kiwifruit plants available for customers in New Zealand.

Quality plants that are healthy and strong will provide the best results, every time. That’s why at Southern Cross Horticulture we’ve spent decades fine-tuning our nursery operations to produce high quality grafted kiwifruit plants for our own kiwifruit orchard developments as well as for other orchards.

Our plants are exceptionally strong and healthy. They are at least one metre high, or higher, when you buy them and will be delivered in big PB 12 pots with a large healthy root system – ready to be planted and established in your orchard. Our team of experts can design and plan a planting solution that will help you maximise plant growth.

Kiwifruit rootstock options

Choosing the right rootstock for your kiwifruit orchard will help you get the best results from your orchard. The best choice usually depends on a variety of factors including soil type and other specifics of the property to be developed. The team at Southern Cross Horticulture has planted orchards for decades and will be able to recommend the ideal rootstock for your kiwifruit orchard. For a closer look at which kiwifruit rootstock to choose click here.

Bruno

Bruno is a classic rootstock that grows fast and is an ideal base for most kiwifruit varieties, including G3, M33, M91, Hayward, and Chieftain. The popular G3 Gold variety requires a grower licence from Zespri.

In most settings Bruno will perform well and can be expected to grow faster than Bounty, but it doesn’t tolerate heavy soils. Bruno plants from Southern Cross Horticulture are at least 1 metre high with a minimum stem diameter of 8mm. For the best planting times read our article on ‘Kiwifruit orchard management’.

Bounty

In comparison to Bruno, Bounty is a newer rootstock that was designed to increase yield and fruit dry matter. It’s also referred to as Bounty 71. Much like with Bruno, most kiwifruit varieties can be grafted onto it easily, including G3, M33, M91, Hayward, and Chieftain. In order to grow the G3 Gold variety, a licence must be obtained from Zespri.

The main differentiating factor is an increase in flowering and higher dry matter, especially in the early years. However, pruning systems and planting density need to be carefully monitored and adjusted to ensure long-term productivity. Bounty often tends to be a good choice in heavy, poorly drained soils. Our Bounty plants are grown to the same specification as the Bruno plants, but with a slightly smaller diameter (6mm versus 8mm at 20cm above the graft).

Grafted kiwifruit plants options

Graft options encompass female and male plants. A good healthy selection, planted in the optimal way, is required to ensure big and fast crops. To achieve the best field planting results for your orchard, we recommend planting during winter unless you have significant quantities of irrigation available and good shelter in place. The team at Southern Cross Horticulture can recommend the best planting and grafting strategies – from selecting the most suitable plants and establishment techniques all the way through to optimising your orchard’s infrastructure and managing your orchard long-term.

G3 SunGold

Zespri’s G3 Golden kiwifruit – also called SunGold – is currently one of the most popular varieties on the market. Global demand for Golden kiwifruit is forecast to increase dramatically over the next few years, and G3 SunGold is expected to play a major role. G3 was originally commercialised due to the problems with PSA as it’s PSA-tolerant. Zespri holds a large international market share and you can tap into this market and Zespri’s marketing expertise by growing SunGold. This requires buying a license from Zespri and entering a license agreement.

Hayward

Hayward is New Zealand’s dominant ‘green’ kiwifruit variety, and the most recognisable ‘kiwifruit’ around the world with its oval shape and fuzzy skin. Zespri Green Kiwifruit was first developed in New Zealand by Hayward Wright in the 1920’s. It appears to be reasonably resistant to PSA and continues to be a widespread choice. Demand for the green variety appears to be steady, but also the recent growth in demand has been for SunGold G3.

Chieftain (male)

The male cultivar Chieftain is generally used for pollination of the Hayward kiwifruit variety, offering excellent seed set and good synchronisation of flowering. It’s a heavy-flowering male with high pollen quality, ideal for establishing a solid kiwifruit orchard.

M33 (male)

M33 is a male cultivar for golden kiwifruit plants. While not resistant to Psa-V, M33 is generally accepted to be a good male cultivar suited to the SunGold G3 variety. Flowering usually begins in the middle of October and finishes in the middle of November. M33 performs well when grafted on mature rootstocks, in a good growing environment. In terms of water levels and drainage, a low water table and short bursts of wetness are required for this option.

M91 (male)

As an alternative to M33, M91 is also a male cultivar suitable for SunGold G3 pollination. It has flat flowers with few leaves and tends to prefer well-drained soil. It usually has fewer flowers than M33 but grows more vigorously than M33. Here is more information on where to buy kiwifruit plants or rootstock.

Ready to get started?

To find out more about our plants and plant availability please use the following form, and one of our team will get back to you as soon as possible.

If you’d like to know more about establishing your own kiwifruit orchard, the first step is for us to meet. We’d welcome the opportunity to visit your land, to listen to your vision, and discuss the potential to create a world-class orchard with you.

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