Lidl / Aldi Fruit Bushes - ANY GOOD?

[Ireland-or-bust]

Hi all,

Bit late now as i've bought them but are they any good.

Aldi had single whip ones last week. Rasp, Black,Goose, Tay etc.

Lidl have some today that are 2 years old. But they are 2.99 euro for one.
The aldi ones were 3 for 2.99 euro. I got 27 bushes in total from aldi.

but lidl have blue berry, which i dont have so may try them.

Are they any good?

Are they tissue cultures? a friend says they are and have limited life span.

Mark.

[pskipper]

Even if they are tissue cultures the limited lifespan thing is a myth so I wouldn't worry, just look after them properly and they should last.

[baldowrie]

I have bought blackberry bushes from Lidl and they grow well. No fruit yet but maybe this year

[Ireland-or-bust]

I bought about 30 bushes in total.

Do they require X polination to fruit?
A few i got from Aldi were two years old so i hope to
get fruit this year. They are about 3 feet high.
All including the younger ones have buds tho.


Mark.

[Rohen]

I got a gooseberry plant from Lidl last year I'll see if it produces anything this year

[the.fee.fairy]

I got a loganberry cane from a place called Range near me. Its pretty mich the same setup as the Lidl ones. don't see any reason why they won't grow.

[quercusrobur]

Just wondering, are these bushes as sold in Lidl, Wilkinsons, etc named varieties?

Personally I'd prefer to give my trade to the specialist or independent growers, or better still, take cuttings from establhsed stock :)

[the.fee.fairy]

I can't afford to go to specialist growers.

I can't remember what the loganberry bush's name is, but it is a named variety. I'll have a look if i haven't thrown the thingy away.

These bushes and canes may not be heritage or single varieties, but they are a lot more affordable and readily accessed.

[quercusrobur]

I wasn't criticising you Fee fairy, but am slightly dubious of the quality of the stock in these places - I've seen current bushes being sold in Wilkinsons in Southend high Street and they do look rather sickly. They are being kept ndoors with no natural light, warm conditions which they aren't used to which often seems to cause them to break dormancy too early, coupled with a general lack of care from shop asssitants who are probably better trained in shelf stacking than plant husbandry. I just wonder how these plants are likely to fare later on, and that it may be false economy to buy from these places rather than from people who know their trade. i once bought some currant bushes from a man in the grocers who ahppened to be flogging them, he didn't know the variety or anything, they grew healthily enough but never produced a single bit of fruit as far as I remember!

[Rainy]

Hi
I bought 4 apple trees and a victoria plum last year from aldi last year and all have buds on now. Two of the apple trees even produced a couple of little fruits last year [ but they dropped in the summer]. A couple of weeks ago I bough 7 fruit trees from Morrissons for 4.99 each.
I do feel a bit guilty about not supporting the small producers but they are at leat 15.00 each and I cant afford that - do I just go without!

[Cassiepod]

I also bought some fruit bushes (blackcurrant and gooseberry) from lidl the other week. Potted them up (due to impending move) and they are certainly putting on some lovely growth. I've forgotten the rules about whihc year's growth to prune when on my existing bushes (3 years old also in pots). But they all seem to be at comparitively th same stae which gives me hope.

Over the past couple of years I've had terrible sawfly infestations on the gooseberries but not on my blackcurrants (which have been sitting right beside each other) Is there anything I can do to prevent an infestation happening? Once they arrive I'm happy to squeeze them to death and the bushes still fruuit amazingly well, but it looks so ugly...

[Thomzo]

My neighbour has bought a number of fruit trees and bushes from Aldi and Lidl and been successful with them. I've bought all sorts of plants from places like Asda and Wilkinsons with mixed success. I bought a black current earlier this year from Wilkinsons.

It was certainly too warm and dry for it so I couldn't put it outside. It's in a pot in my conservatory at the moment waiting to be hardened off. It looks fine though with good healthy leaves.

[the.fee.fairy]

I didn't take it as critiscism!!

I just wantd to make the point that whilst it would be great to support small growers, and heritage varieties, cost has to come into it.

Cassiepod: i think the fruit comes on the new growth (i hope so...i pruned my blackcurrant and gooseberry severely on Sunday ready for their move...). you can also train them into shapes with good pruning. I'm hoping to go along the espalier shape (fans) or diagonal growing direction this year.

[the.fee.fairy]

Just an update - i bought a raspberry cane and a redcurrant bush at the Range this weekend, and they were both named varieties. Can't remember what the names were, but they're both named!!

And the loganberry cane is starting to grow. I don't see any reason why they won't be the same as any other canes bought from anywhere else.

Just got to wait a year or so for fruit now!

[Milims]

We have bought several fruit bushes etc from Aldi, Lidl and Wilkinsons this year and so far so good. We even bought figs and olives which so far have grown nicely outside on the patio. My parents have also bought and grown from these places successfully.
We have also taken cuttings from various plants which have grown naturally or have been dumped and then grown, on an area of waste land near us. These have also been very successful.
We even soaked a few of this years Carlins and planted them - and guess what - they've shot away!!
I think maybe Chris has green fingers!!!