[sandygreen]

I read in John Harrisons book that you don't use the runners from strawberries in the first year.  Does anybody know why this is?

[mumofstig]

To give the plants a chance to bulk up and make good roots, rather than use all their energy making runners.

[sandygreen]

Thanks, I bought the strawberries in a little growbag, 6 plants, and they say they will last for 2/3 years in this.  does the runner rule still apply on the basis that they are not likely to be a permanent fixture?

[Ropster]

most strawberry plants only last 3 years so the rule applies, although i always cut the runners off and pot them up anyways, most usualy take

[mumofstig]

Advice is to renew strawberries (by rooted runners) in their third/4th year any way.
So your strawberries are no different in first year runners advice........It's up to you whether you follow it or not  

I'm curious now..............2/3 years in growbag compost is pushing it a bit IMO.......do the instructions give advice for further feeding?

[sclarke624]

I read in John Harrisons book that you don't use the runners from strawberries in the first year.  Does anybody know why this is?

Do you actually mean you cut the runners off in the first year.  Which yes you are supposed to do, but you can still use those runners.  Although they are a bit more difficult to get to root when not attched to the mother plant,  but not impossible.

[mumofstig]

The idea is to not let the new plant waste energy on growing runners by keep cutting them off.
If the runners have grown that big that you can root them then you may as well leave them on, cos the mother plant has already spent the energy

[sandygreen]

The leaflet that came with them just said feed with tomato feed every time watering.  So far have had loads of strawberries, even if I don't get anything next year it will have been worth it for what we have had this year. 

I've never grown strawberries before so these questions are going to sound really daft.  I've got 2 runners which are quite long now, do I just lay them in pots with some compost in?  Also, if I cut any others off, do I just stick the cut end in some compost, do you need rooting powder or anything?

Thanks for all the advice

[mumofstig]

just put the bottoms of the new little plants into small pots. If you are going to let them grow runners, just put the bottoms of the new little plants into small pots and then leave them attached until they have rooted. They won't need rooting powder

[Paul Plots]

It might help to peg the runner down into the pot with a bit of wire whilst leaving it attached to the mother plant - once the new plant has developed its own roots cut through the runner (long stem) and leave the new plant to grow on.

I wonder if this makes sense?? 

[DD.]

It may well be that sandygreen's runners have not yet developed plantlets. So just to clarify, when the plantlets grow, the runners will look something like this:



The plantlets are what should be pegged into pots.

[mobilekat]

Blimey your soil looks a bit hard, dry and baked there 

I have about 30 wild strawberry plants thanks to their love of self spreading via runners- this is fine by me as their fruits are so small (but very tasty!)

I love nature at that point!

[purplebean]

Blimey your soil looks a bit hard, dry and baked there 

I have about 30 wild strawberry plants thanks to their love of self spreading via runners- this is fine by me as their fruits are so small (but very tasty!)

I love nature at that point!

we have a 6ft by 4ft wild strawberry bed that sounds just like yours, they put ot so many runners that every two years I let it move along the bed and pull up the old plants, they are covered in ripe fruits right now

[mark0912]

when should the strawberries be producing runners?

i didnt get any last year and and not seen any so far this year...

[digalotty]

mine are producing them now , some of them hide quite well in the straw though   i have already potted up around ten