[Robert_S]

I noticed yesterday that my plot neighbor had cut his strawberry plants back to the earth more or less. Is that what you're supposed to do after they finish fruiting? Mine are sending out runners left right and centre...should I limit these? I would like some to transport to plot 2 so am letting them run rampant at the moment.

[m1ckz]

yes  i cut mine down   and yes keep only 1 runner per plant,,,the first i believe,,but the experts will be in soon   gl

[Kleftiwallah]

I cannot remember where I saw it, but the idea of a supermarket plastic trifle bowl with a large hole in the bottom to keep the stawbs off the ground is a winner.  Next year I'm going to try the 'BIG CRISP' containers as trifles are out.

Cheers,     Tony.

[Trillium]

After fruiting is the time to cut off all the OLD leaves so the new ones can start growing without competition for food.  You can let the runners grow but the more you have the smaller they are and the smaller the plant you'll have. Best to limit them to maybe 2 per plant and snip the tips before they sprout into mini plants. It'll require twice a week checking, maybe three times a week, but your reward will come next year. It's also time to feed the plants which determines the size of next year's berries.

[azubah]

I cannot remember where I saw it, but the idea of a supermarket plastic trifle bowl with a large hole in the bottom to keep the stawbs off the ground is a winner.  Next year I'm going to try the 'BIG CRISP' containers as trifles are out.

Cheers,     Tony.

How do you mean?
Do you put the bowl over the plant and tease the leaves through the hole?
upside down or right way up?

[Ian_A]

The last 2 years about this time of year - or once the fruiting has ended - I just cut them all back to ground level, didnt bother about surplus runners at all: some had runners, others had none, and again this year we had a wonderful crop ie) to the point of strawberries coming out of our ears.

[lizziesdad]

A similar question was posted a few weeks ago and someone recommended cutting off all the old leaves. I did this and I also cut off the runners and planted them. All the plants now look lovely and healthy with green leaves and all the runners have rooted and are growing well. Worked for me.