Kiwi is a delicious fruit that offers both sweetness and tartness, making it a delightful treat.
It’s also worth noting that kiwi belongs to the Actinidiaceae family, and it’s a lesser-known fact that cats enjoy it, as it’s related to the silver vine plant.
Now, most of you are probably aware that kiwi fruits contain numerous small, black seeds. Did you know that you can germinate and grow kiwi plants from these seeds? This process is called seed propagation.
In this guide, I’ll introduce a method for germinating kiwi seeds and growing kiwi plants from them that even beginners can easily follow.
Gathering Kiwi Seeds
First, gather the seeds.
Cut the kiwi and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
You can collect enough kiwi seeds from just one fruit.
Rinse away the flesh around the kiwi seeds
I rinse away as much of the remaining kiwi flesh around the collected seeds as possible.
Although I’ve researched extensively, I haven’t found a definitive source. However, it seems that fruit juices contain germination-inhibiting substances.
Since leftover flesh would mean leftover juice, I remove as much flesh as possible.
I tried gently rubbing them between my fingertips.
I soaked them in a small amount of water and repeated the process of “washing” -> “rinsing” -> “washing” … several times. By doing this, the kiwi flesh gradually comes off, so don’t be discouraged by the process and give it a try.
Sow the kiwi seeds onto a damp paper towel
Once you’ve finished rinsing away the kiwi flesh, it’s time to sow the seeds.
While sowing them directly into soil is an option, I believe using a damp paper towel is preferable because:
- It makes it easier to monitor germination
- Transplanting can be cumbersome once they start growing
- It’s unclear whether the seeds prefer light or darkness
I’ve chosen to sow the seeds onto a damp paper towel. As you can see, I’ve used a cut-up milk carton for convenience.
Kiwi seeds require breaking dormancy
To germinate kiwi seeds, you can immediately sow seeds from consumed fruits, but in this case, dormancy is required, resulting in a situation where germination does not occur no matter how long you wait. Of course, they will eventually germinate after the dormancy period, but it requires considerable patience. Therefore, store the collected kiwi seeds in the refrigerator for three months.
The procedure is relatively simple if you follow these steps:
- Wrap the collected seeds in kitchen paper and soak them in water.
- Place the seeds wrapped in kitchen paper into a plastic bag and seal it tightly. Then, place the bag in a container such as an empty coffee jar.
- Store the container in the refrigerator for three months.
The important point is to wrap the seeds in kitchen paper and soak them in water as indicated in step 1. By doing this, there is a higher chance that germination will occur while the seeds are undergoing dormancy in the refrigerator.
The kiwi seeds are small and have just germinated, so it might be difficult to see, but can you see the kiwi sprouts at the tip of the arrow?
By soaking the seeds wrapped in kitchen paper in water to break dormancy, the seeds that have completed dormancy will begin to prepare for germination.
Since the dormancy period of kiwi is about 3 months, let’s let them rest patiently.
After kiwi seeds dormancy has been broken, wrap them in aluminum foil and wait for germination
After letting the kiwi seeds rest in the refrigerator for 3 months to break dormancy, considering they sprouted even in the dark environment of the refrigerator, it’s highly likely that kiwi seeds are photophobic.
Once dormancy is broken, you can wrap the kiwi seeds in kitchen paper soaked in water and then in aluminum foil for storage. This method allows them to grow from germination to the stage where they develop their first leaves.
Since you now have mostly germinated or about-to-germinate kiwi seeds, as long as you make sure they don’t run out of water, you should have no problem germinating them.
Kiwi can be grown from seeds
In this article, we introduced how to grow kiwi from seeds.
The benefits of growing fruits and vegetables from seeds include being able to start with seeds from high-quality fruits and vegetables found in stores. Additionally, there’s a greater sense of accomplishment compared to growing from seedlings.
For kiwi grown from seeds, it’s generally expected to take about 4 to 6 years before they bear fruit, so if you’re interested, it’s best to start early and patiently nurture them once they germinate.
Growing from seeds may take a considerable amount of time before you can actually harvest, but the joy of finally harvesting will be incredible. It’s easy to imagine.
If you’re interested, give it a try.
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