Should you buy seeds on Aliexpress?
The tempting prices for seeds in the Chinese Internet giant AliExpress, on the eve of the summer season, attract gardeners and gardeners in Russia, the Near and Far Abroad, in a word, the whole world.
If we compare only prices, then the answer to the main question is: "Worth it!" But, let's take a closer look at the situation.
Here, for example, is the southern ornamental plant Pampas grass or Cortaderia. Colored varieties of this plant from one of the sellers on Aliexpress have been ordered over 13,500 times!
You can see that 100 pcs. seeds of one of 4 colors are offered for "funny" - 8.11 rubles. Of course, almost any gardener is willing to risk such an amount.
For the same price, the pink variety of this ornamental herb.
Delivery of seeds from a Chinese store to Russia takes on average a month and a half. The grass rises, even on the second day, judging by this video:
Now let's look at the prices of the Russian online store SemenaPost, which offers a pink version of the cortaderia. This is the cheapest price for a plant with inflorescences of a given color range. The number of seeds, by the way, is indicated in fractions of a gram, and not in pieces, so it is more difficult to navigate a lot or a little. In addition, there is no lilac variety on the Russian site.
So what's the catch? The point is that things are not so rosy. There are a few things to keep in mind when buying seeds:
- Before buying exotic varieties of plants, it is not superfluous to inquire in reference books and on specialized sites about the agricultural technology of the upcoming purchase. Having no idea about the peculiarities of planting and caring for a plant, it is easy to ruin the most elite seeds.
- When buying vegetable seeds in China, you should remember where this country is located on the globe, and do not wait for early ripening varieties with Aliexpress. It is unlikely that the Chinese exotic will be zoned under Central Russia, let alone Siberia!
- "The third class sowed a poppy, and some kind of cereal is growing!" (A. Barto).
Unfortunately, there are a lot of cases of fraud, when nothing emerges from the sent "elite" seeds or something unknown grows. And if the lack of germination of seeds in some cases can be explained by the lack of proper skills among gardeners, then the seedlings of another plant do not fall under this reason.
For clarity, you can watch this video:
Of course, it's up to you to decide whether to buy or not. But if you decide to buy, then remember that you can always insure against the first two points, but there is no 100 percent protection against the third. But this does not negate vigilance: before buying, at least, it is worth studying the reviews of other buyers, not only about the seeds themselves, but also about the store as a whole.
Successful shopping!