[Spudman]

What should be done with strawberry plants once they stop producing fruit? I have a bed full of the plants, so should I cut off all the leaves and runners, etc, and throw it all on the compost heap, or should I leave them where they are to die off over winter?

cheers

[Yorkie]

Don't dig them up / put them on the compost heap!

Not sure what else to do with them though, growing them for the first time this year 

[Spudman]

Thanks Yorkie, I didnt mean dig up the whole plant, I was just wondering about the leaves and runners as they completely cover the whole bed at the moment. Should they be cut back to the crowns or just left as they are through winter. (my first year too!)

[Terry]

hi spudman
you should get some 3"pots filled with compost and where the runner turns into a small plant sink it into the pot with hair pins and in a few weeks cut the lead from the main plant and you now have a new plant for next year clean the old plant up remember you get good fruit for 3 years from any plant, good luck.

[SUTTY1]

I agree with Terry, just tidy them before winter, then when they kick into life again next year cut out the old and dying stuff, and give them a good feed

[digalotty]

my neighbour has fantastic strawberry's and she takes runners and then cuts the foilige down to the ground ,   they are growing back new leaves very fast

[Spudman]

Thanks very much, I'll do as advised and plant a few runners in pots and cut the foliage down.

Thanks

spudman

[chimaera]

My stawberries (Cambridge Favourite) were very overgrown this year and most of the fruit rotted as they formed. I am trying to revitalise them by replanting some of the presumed 1 year old plants and potted a load of runners. If I replant the runners (they have rooted already) will they fruit well next year?

Charlie

[SUTTY1]

They will fruit OK next year but should be much better the year after

[digalotty]

and if they are looked after they will have a equaly good crop the 4th year 

[SUTTY1]

and possibly in the 5th

Got a bee in my bonnet,lol, but if i only get, for example, 9lb of straws and could av got 10lb is it worth the effort. A big difference for a commercial grower i know but i only want pleasure

[johnfh]

I have three strawberry planter pots with several plants in each and now have about thirty new plants from runners.
What is the best way to treat each for success next year (the crop was very poor this year as all were in their first year).
 Do I leave the planters outside all winter or would they be better in an unheated greenhouse? Do i need to water them or should i leave it to the rain.
What do I do with the newly rooted runners which are currently in individual pots.  My gut feeling is to start an outdoor bed as I find that pot grown plants usually give disappointing results as they usually get too wet or too dry.
What is the ideal food for strawberries. e.g. growmore, Blood & Bone, horse manure etc?
Incidentally when I asked about horse manure at the local stables I was told to help myself to as much as I wanted as "I usually have to pay someone to spread it on the fields" - try it!

[tontom]

johnfh I started my strawberry patch 6ft x 6ft bed 18 months ago with 9 plants and they produced  little the first year but the second year after they sent out runners and i just put stones on their runners to keep them touching the earth i finished up this year with three times the amount of plants and three times the amount of fruit of which i gave most of it away. But it was the 9 original plants that produced all that fruit this year , what will it be like next year with 3 times the amount of plants , can't wait for my cheap strawberries and ice cream and watch Wimbledon from my armchair

[johnfh]

Thanks tontom, will definetely plant the runners out in an outdoor bed and hope to join you in the celebrations when murray wins wimbledon!

[evie2]

I planted a strawberry plant by the pond, every year it has fruit which I just leave for the insects, it also sends out runner, again I just leave them however this year some of the runners have gone into the pond and have roots so I was wondering if I could cut those and plant them up