[maverick]

I've got a number of strawberry plants which were planted a month or so ago. I bought them new from the garden centre as I've not grown them before. They are doing really well and there is a good crop of fruit, none of which have ripened as yet.

I have a number of 'runners' and having read John's book and seen the video on here, I'm keen to plan ahead and plant a number of runners in the hope that I won't need to spend so much on new plants from the garden centre in the years to come.

My questions are:-
1. Is now the right time to clip them into pots?
2. should I limit it to a proportion of the plants (i.e, I've got 18 plants, should I try and propogate only a % of them?)

sorry if I've rambled! grateful for any advice, thanks in advance.

[mumofstig]

I just leave the runners to root where and when they want to. I lift them and put them in the 'right' place in late autumn......but then I'm lazy 

[maverick]

sorry, should have mentioned that mine are in a strawberry barrel on a path between my raised beds in the garden. I'd need to pot them on or they will try and root into a raised bed or through the bark on my paths 

[Goosegirl]

If they are new plants, then they're probably this year's (or back end of last year's). To keep these in good heart for next year, I would only let one runner per plant develop and snip off the rest as more runners takes it out of the parent plant. When the runner has developed its first healthy plant, peg it down into a pot, and then snip off the rest of the stem that has developed after the runner.

[ravenzero1]

i may sound syupid but which ones are the runners. iv got som shoots with big leaves on the end are they they runners ?

[mumofstig]

have a look at this one

[maverick]

Thanks mumofsig and Goosegirl.

I've clipped down a few runners into pots, but only one runner per plant as suggested.

Am I correct in thinking that I should cut off any other runners from a single plant right now?

Nature is wonderful but I haven't got a clue what I'm doing at times 

Hope my daughter doesn't notice I've pinched some of her hair clips 

[mumofstig]

yes one runner per plant, snip any others off as they grow from beyond the bit you've pegged down, or from the parent plant.

[maverick]

Thanks mumofstig - I'm going to go and snip them now!

[Belvoir]

I use the old fashioned 'dolly pegs'  ;)to peg my runners down     When I was helping my good friend to empty the house of her deceased father she thought I was daft when I said can I have the pegs!!

[Zippy]

A fellow plot holder gave me some runners in a bag today - of course detached from the mother plant.

What chance of success if I pot them up (first year runners) or do I just sling them on the compsot?

If I do pot them on do I keep them in the cold greenhouse over winter?

[DD.]

Pot them up, leave them outside. No need for a greenhouse!

[mumofstig]

Assuming they have some roots on them..then plant them or pot them up, they'll be fine outside
Mine are potted up and are outside untill I finish digging the new bed for them

beat me to it as usual 

[sarah1983jane]

I can now see where I went wrong earlier in the year, I have about 20 strawberry plants on my allotment (1st year) and they did get neglected and every plant must have sent out at least 6 runners - possibly more.
2 weeks ago I decided to tidy the strawberry plot and brought 2 buckets of runners home that had grown good roots, gave a sack full to the allotment owners and thats only 1/2 the plot tidied!
No wonder I didnt get much fruit, all the energy went into making more plants!

Next year I will just allow 1 good runner per plant!
Thanks