[janiejakemum]

Hi all

This is my first lot of strawberrys that were planted as bare root runners around March time i think.  They are planted in one of those strawberry towers.  The plants all look good and have flowers/fruit but some of the plants are throwing out what i am guessing are runners.  I only spotted them today they are basically really long stem with so far nothing at the end, apart from loads of black and greenfly which i will sort tonight when it cools down.

My question is, can i use these runners?, if yes when and how do i do it.  I have looked around and found that most people bury it until it roots then cut it away from parent plant but as mine are in a tower im not sure how to do it, or indeed if i should atall as its the first year?

Thanks for any help, the strawberrys are Albions if that helps.  (Everbearers)

[green fingers]

I am not an expert, but personally I think its too early to allow the runners to grow., they could be taking strength away from main plants/fruit.  I have cut off all my that are sprouting and I shall wait until I have eaten my strawberries, then allow runners to grow ino the ground and repot.   I dont know what you do with runners in a strawberry pot though

[8doubles]

I think it is better to take early runners off but the later ones can be stapled down into a pot of soil with a bent piece of wire and cut from the parent plant when roots have developed.

[korpet]

I simply wait til they've developed a bit more root and cut them off if I can't reach another bit of soil in the strawberry pot and plonk them in their own. They grow slower than if they were attached to the parent plant but mine from last year are fine although small and I probably won't get fruit from them this year either 

I think Strawberry plants are amazingly hardy so don't be scared to experiment

[matt80]

Hi,

I'm really confused by this strawberry runners business. What part of the runner do the roots grow from?

[HLS]

There's a long stem which comes out from the main plant with a small clump of leaves on the end.  The roots grow from under the clump of leaves.

[matt80]

Thanks - so the its the leaves at the end that need to be held down against the soil? The rest of the runner can be left above ground level?

[DD.]

It's not just the end, plantlets appear at intervals along the runner.

Hope this helps...

[matt80]

Thanks DD!

I'll have fun trying to get my pots of compost to "float" around my hanging basket

[Trillium]

Hey DD, that's some pretty firm soil 

[DD.]

Been dry around here.

Bit like my humour.

[Mitsy]

  I thought it was tarmac 

[Yabba]

Been dry around here.

Bit like my humour.

I'd concentrate on your beds, more chance of seeing an improvement within your lifetime

¥

[Penfold]

Hi all

This is my first lot of strawberrys that were planted as bare root runners around March time i think.  They are planted in one of those strawberry towers.  The plants all look good and have flowers/fruit but some of the plants are throwing out what i am guessing are runners.  I only spotted them today they are basically really long stem with so far nothing at the end, apart from loads of black and greenfly which i will sort tonight when it cools down.

My question is, can i use these runners?, if yes when and how do i do it.  I have looked around and found that most people bury it until it roots then cut it away from parent plant but as mine are in a tower im not sure how to do it, or indeed if i should atall as its the first year?

Thanks for any help, the strawberrys are Albions if that helps.  (Everbearers)

Ah I wondered what they were, I noticed them from the plants in our tower at the weekend... My plants still have allot of flowers as well as fruit forming (quite large but still green).  As I haven't got anywhere to plant them (the allotment is far from ready for planting) I'll take them off.

Should I cut them off close to the "parent" plant?

[janiejakemum]

Ditto to the above question, how close to the parent plant do i need to cut, obviously dont want to harm the parent.