[davejg]

My strawberry barrels have thrown lots of runners this year, so i thought i would take some now i have a lottie. I have pushed/pegged the runners into pots of compost, is there anything i could do to help the plants with these runners fertilisers etc or just keep them watered & let them get on with it?

[AlaninCarlisle]

I did the same about a month ago with 80 pots. They've all rooted and are growing away. I'm going to put 20 into the polytunnel and over-winter the rest in a quiet sheltered part of the plot to start a new bed as soon as the ground is cleared. I just used cheap potting compost, no additional fertilizer and they seem fine

[sunshineband]

Bearing in mind that I have runners that rooted straight into the bark path on my plot, I guess they'll be fine 

[gavinjconway]

They need a winter out and then plant out in the lottie in Spring... they will grow well.

[lazza]

I've been a bit behind in getting my runners pegged into pots, only managing it last week.... but they all seem to have rooted very quickly, and are looking quite sturdy, so will cut the runners this weekend, I think (that's not too soon, is it?)

One other bizarre thing.... I also cut back a lot of the foliage on the plants, and now several of my strawberries plants are producing flowers!!  Very odd, as they are early fruiting

[gavinjconway]

some of mine that I was given to harvest runners are also are doing this but as they are tired from putting out runners they have been snipped off..   I have just potted up more runners and taken very quickly as well.. Runners just want to grow!!

[davejg]

interesting Gavin, I was planning to plant them out  next month. only ever used bought runners so i thought they had to go in in octoberish. would suit me better as icould put a green manure crop on the bed til spring.