[peabody]

hello, can i ask a silly question? o.k i will, when propagating  is it the end of the runner what gets bunged in the little pot of compost or the middle?.

[peterjf]

hi its the end of the runner , you can cut it off and place in a pot to grow another patch for strawberries

[peabody]

confused again peter , when do i cut it off?

[DD.]

Far be it for me to disagree there, but you won't find much at the end of the runner.

It's the small plantlets along it's length that you should be looking at. Hope this piccie helps.

[DD.]

Peg them into a pot. Cut off the runner when rooted.

[peabody]

thanks for that , but still no wiser, yes the little plantlets along the runners length, does one peg  that in and wait until it takes root? and if so how does one know that it has (taken root) ?

[DD.]

Yes.

Give it a week or so & then give it a gentle tug. If it comes out, just put it back in again. It won't harm as it's still connected to the parent, like an umbilical cord.

(Or do as I do, let them run rampant over the soil, dig them out when you have to tidy the strawberry bed, throw them in a bin liner & then pot up when you get them home. But you won't see that method in the books! )

[peabody]

i was just thinking that the little plantlet would send up a shoot to let me know.

[DD.]

They will grow irrespective of whether they've rooted or not as it's feeding off the parent plant.

[peabody]

thank you all, the penny has dropped at last, but you must admit, some of the advice available can be confusing unless you know the subject.