Kiwi From Seeds

Soil

• Seeds should always be planted in a sterile medium of sand, perlite or potting soil. Fill a 3- or 4-inch planting pot with seed-starting soil mix, available at most nurseries and home improvement stores. Water the mixture until it is drenched. Stirring the soil while watering hastens the process. Allow the water to drain and the soil to dry until it is just moist before planting the kiwi seeds.

Planting

• Kiwi seeds are small and may be hard to handle. Use a toothpick, moistened at the tip, to pick up a seed, and lay it on the surface of the soil in the pot. Kiwi seeds need light to germinate, so do not push the seed into the soil. Cover the seeds with a 1/8-inch layer of sand. Do not press the sand over the soil. Use a spray bottle, set to a fine mist, to mist the sand until it is moist.

Temperature

• Kiwi is native to warm, subtropical climates, and it requires somewhat warm soil to germinate. Enclosing the pot in a plastic bag, or covering it with plastic wrap, helps keep the soil warm and moist. A heat mat, set to 70 degrees Fahrenheit and placed under the pot, is the ideal way to ensure the soil remains consistently warm. If you forgo the plastic wrap, spray the soil with room-temperature water daily to ensure it remains moist.

Light

• Keep the pot in an area that receives bright, but filtered, sunlight. If you use grow lights, keep the kiwi seeds 6 inches from the light, and run the light for at least 12 hours a day. When the seed sprouts, remove the plastic, and turn off the heat mat.. Give the seedling increasing amounts of direct sun, gradually, over two weeks, until it is in full sun all day.