Fruit tree's on dwarf rootstock from Parker's

[Amazin]

Wilkinsons are doing dwarf apples and pears for £4.99 each. I got a pear the other week - dormant but very healthy, with a good root system. I planted it up straight away (in a Morrisons bucket) and put it in a sheltered spot - looking fine so far. Will report back.

[Amazin]

[kitten]

Could i ask a quick question - what should a good root system look like?  Sorry if this sounds daft, I've never grown fruit before  :-[

[jennym]

Kitten - this picture is an example of trees bought last year from Wilkos. Of the 4 trees shown on the right are the root systems of 2 peach trees. The one on the far right has survived, the other died.

[kitten]

Thanks jennym, that's just what I needed to know, pictures are so great for learning aren't they? I'll know what to look out for now, ta!  :-*

[Melbourne12]

Still not impressed by the rotten Rhubarb crowns I got from T&M last year, they gave the money back but the postage wasn't refunded so it was £4-99 for nothing.

Interesting, I had a similar experience with T&M rhubarb last year, got gift vouchers when I complained that the 'crowns' sent were the tiniest sideshoots imaginable and soft to boot (I managed to get one to grow on out of three) ::)

Same for us!  I ordered 3 crowns of two varieties.  One lot of three (I can't remember which)  grew fine, the other three crowns simply rotted and disappeared.  I'm afraid that I couldn't be bothered to complain, assuming they'd simply blame the growing conditions.

I haven't had many problems with mail order plants, but there must have been a duff batch of rhubarb via T&M last year.

[Kea]

Mine arrived the day after T&M posted them I unpacked them immediately but they didn't look good,,in fact they looked rotten. I tried planting them giving T&M the benefit of the doubt but they just rotted away. i emailed T&M and they gave my money back but of course not the postage.
The reason i bought them from T&M in the first place was that i wanted the Champagne variety and couldn't find it anywhere but A couple of days after putting my order in i found some at my local garden centre but as I'd just ordered it i didn't get any from the garden centre. When the T&M ones died the GC had sold out! ???