strawberry runners

[finebean]

Hi
I have grown some strawberry plants from seed they are about 5 ins tall and have runners do i leave the runners or remove them as they are new plants i wont be letting them flower till next year

thanks margaret

[Zenithtb]

Personally (1st year grower) I'm 'collecting' them in little pots to store for next year. Bought about 30 plants, now got about 50 'freebies'!!

Some people say cut off the runners to conserve energy. I say 'free strawberry plants'!

So, I think, do as you wish. I am not cutting them off and the parents seem fine, and next year I'll have about 130 strawberry plants!

[Alison]

I assume you mean that they were only sown from seed this year. In that case I'd not take runners off them as they're so young. Personally I don't take more than 2 runners from any established plant (except by accident when I miss them ) and then not until after the fruit as I want decent air circulation before that. I started off with 12 plants at the lottie, uped it to 24 last year and 36 this year (with some more at home) and am currently picking about 3lb a day off them with loads more to come so you do need to think about how many plants you actually need.

[Zenithtb]

When it comes to strawberries, I think 'moar!' is usually the most accurate answer! ;-)

[Germinater]

I'm the same try to only take two runners from each plant each year .

[Chitfaced]

Quick question, when you say 'take' runners do you mean chop em off or plant them? I have got loads coming off my plants (only one of the plants is bearing fruit). They were new plants that I purchased at seedling stage so didn't expect much fruit this year. What I've done is put a couple of runners into small pots while they are still attached to the main plant to see if they will root. I was then going to free them from the main plant once they have established a little bit. Is that the right thing to do?

As for the others, does it help the main plant if I chop off the runners?

Thanks

p.s. there's a photo on my most recent blog post if that helps

[Maccabee]

Chitfaced, that's exactly the right thing to do. I pin them down into a pot of compost with a clothes peg. Though some i've missed and have rooted themselves all over the place, so i've put a peg on their link to the mother plant (not so tight as to cut off the supply of nutrients/water etc) and will cut them off from mum, dig them up and pot them on when they're dormant.

[The Large One]

our strawb plants in hanging units are last years planted runners, we've had loads of runners coming off them this week so have taken then off and discarded as plants are still ftuiting so fruit will suffer from the extra work by the plant
will take a few runners when they reappear after fruiting though

[Florence Fennel]

I'll be taking 2 per plant this year as it's a new bed and I'm trying to build back up to the bed I have had for the last few years IYKWIM!