Strawberries new for old

[Florence Fennel]

My strawberry bed must be about 5 years old and the harvest hasn't been as good as usual. I considered new plants last year, but hedged my bets! Would you recommend propagating new plants from runners, or would I be best buying new replacement plants?

[Capsid]

I'm replacing my plants with runners.

[Flummery]

If you are an oganised person (I'm starting like that to explain that this is a good idea but I never get around to it!) you can replace a third of your old plants each year with runners. Then eventually no plant is more than 3 years old (which is meant to be their optimum age).
Counsel of perfection though. I'd go with runners too if you are satisfied with your variety. I replaced all mine a couple of years back because I wanted Marshmello. I'm now letting runners root to add to my stock.

[FB.]

Strawberries are very hungry plants.
The soil is depleted and needs a rest.
Take some runners and put them into a new bed.
Grow something else in the strawberry bed for a couple of seasons while building up the soil again (but don't let strawberries, potatoes or tomatoes follow each other).

[Flummery]

The ideal would be to put the runners in the next row so that in time your strawberry bed creeps down the allotment. You can't with raised beds though.

[rustylady]

If you're happy with the variety, then replace by rooting your own runners.

[Alison]

I set up a year 1 strawberry bed last year and then took a runner off each plant which became the second bed this year. I will be taking another set of runners this year for a third bed with the first bed being replaced the year after. I have to be pretty regemented about it or I'd leave them for years. Unless you want to try a different variety then I'd definitely go for your own runners, they're free after all and just as good as any other new plants you might buy.

[Shadylane]

Are you leaving them in the same three beds permanantely Alison? I thought you had to move them to fresh soil after 3 years ie soil that hasn't had strawbs in it for 3 years. I wonder if you could just replace the soil (?) My strawb bed is narrower than all the rest as I was advised to plant in rows not beds. I have two rows with a path to walk down in between, and if/when I move em it's really going to cock things up.

[Alison]

I've not got to the point where I have to replace yet so it's not been a problem. I think I'm going to rotate them with some seed saving beds so that there are 6 beds in total and in any given year, 3 will have strawberries and the other 3 will have things I'm just growing for saving seeds, have one with second year onions flowering in one at the moment.

[Shadylane]

Good idea that, sounds very organasized