1 Gal Kiwi Issai

Grow your own delicious kiwi at home with 'Issai', a compact, self-fertile hardy kiwi vine that produces an abundance of smooth, grape-sized fruit with sweet, tropical flavour. Unlike traditional fuzzy kiwis, the thin skin is edible, making the fruit perfect for snacking straight from the vine.

Growth Habit: Climbing Vine – A vigorous twining vine that grows best when trained on a trellis, arbor, pergola, or fence, creating lush foliage and producing abundant fruit.

Features: Self-fertile variety • Sweet, smooth-skinned hardy kiwi • Edible skin • Heavy fruit producer • Fragrant spring blooms • Attracts pollinators • Vigorous climbing vine • Ideal for trellises & pergolas • Excellent for fresh eating • Cold hardy and easy to grow

Color

Wholesale: Please refer to the Hilltop Greenhouses Ltd. Policies PDF for full details.

Retail: No returns on plants, exchanges only.

Plant details

Scientific Name

Actinidia arguta 'Issai'

Light

Full Sun

Water

'Issai' Hardy Kiwi requires deep, consistent watering, especially during the first few years after planting and while flowering and fruiting. Keep the soil evenly moist but not waterlogged, allowing the top few inches to dry slightly between waterings. Once established, it is moderately drought tolerant but produces the best growth and fruit with regular watering during dry periods.

Care Level

'Issai' Hardy Kiwi benefits from annual pruning, regular watering while establishing, seasonal fertilizing, and a sturdy support structure for climbing. Routine pruning helps control vigorous growth, improves air circulation, and encourages abundant fruit production.

Optimal Temperature

'Issai' Hardy Kiwi grows best in warm temperatures between 20–30°C (68–86°F) during the growing season. It thrives in full sun with consistent moisture and benefits from warm summers to ripen its fruit. Although the vine is highly cold hardy during winter dormancy, young spring growth should be protected from late frosts.

Frost Tolerant

Yes

Mature Height

10–15 ft (3–4.6 m)

Mature Spread

6–10 ft (1.8–3 m)

Deer Resistant

No

Edible

Yes

Pet Friendly

Yes