Agronomic Techniques

The cultivation system used by our farmers is purely water, fertilizer and visiting bees and bumblebees who transport the pollen from male plants to the female ones to fertilise these when they are in flower, this way a larger fruit and a higher production yield per hectare is attained. An environmentally friendly plantation management system is always followed.

The optimal ripening point of the fruit is not expected until the first ten days of November, this is when the fruit naturally reaches a Brix sugar value of between 7° and 9°.

1. Prunning

Branches that produced fruit the previous season are pruned between December and February.

2. Tying up process

The remaining branches are tied up between December and February in order to achieve a good thinning out of the fruit which favours the quality and size of the kiwis.

3. Budding

The shoots appear and budding starts at the beginning of spring. The number of flower buds allows us to make a first estimate of the amount of fruit for harvesting.

4. Natural Pollination

This stage is very important in order to achieve fruits of a good size and shape. Our farmers use a natural pollination process by placing 7 to 8 bee hives per hectare for this purpose.

5. Thinning out process

Fruit with defects or those that are overloading the fruit bearing branch, are removed by hand. This favours the growth of healthy fruit and is part of the “less is best” policy.

6. Fruit development

The plantation is ventilated to avoid risk of diseases. A suitable irrigation plan is also an important factor for the fruit’s correct growth and development.

7. Harvesting

This takes place in November when the fruit reaches its ideal sugar value and a high dry matter content, which will guarantee a long-lasting, sweet and sour, fruity and refreshing flavour. The fruit is picked by hand in order to preserve its appearance.