Help On How to Plant Strawberry Runners

[cilla]

This has very likely been asked so someone can point me to the right place please. As a new grower I have strawberries growing and I am now getting runners. How do I pot them? Do I have to put the whole runner in the soil and then when do you cut it off the mother plant? I have seen from another thread someone said you only use one runner per plant and cut the rest. I assume you cut the runners so the fruit grow better.

[WendyC]

I put a small plant pot with compost in it under the runner and peg it down. When it has rooted you can cut it from the mother plant. The first plan on each runner is ususually the strongest so that is why is recommended to only take the first one.

[starloc]

I now space my plants so they can just grow the runners themselves, I leave them to it and just tidy up and cut runners when necessary,
every now and then I take an old plant out or if lots of runnersi put pots under them so they grow into the pots

[chefgage]

What i do is dig a small hole under where end of the runner is. It usually will have some leaves forming at the end. I then sink a small plant pot filled with soil/compost untill the top of the plant pot is level with the soil. Then end of the runner is then pegged down onto the top of the plant pot using a small bit of wire bent into a hoop. I make sure it is watered well. The end of the runner should then root itself into the pot. After the new plant is about 3 or 4 inches tall and looking healthy i cut the runnner near to the new plant and then either plant it in a new space in the raised bed or put it in a bigger pot.

Just to add to this i usually cut off any runners that are forming from plants that are fruiting. This is to allow the plant to put its energy into fruiting and not making runners. After the plant has finished fruiting i find it still produces runners so i then use these for new plants.

[Jungle Jane]

Do I have to put the whole runner in the soil and then when do you cut it off the mother plant?

The strawberry plant grows at the end of the long side shoot,you don't bury the whole shoot,you can play with that,so you can position your pot in any direction from the mother plant. I find that strawberry runners are good at finding themselves a spot to grow in,if you want to control the plant into a pot,it's quite handy to peg the runner down using a v shaped piece of twig. Then the plant can root itself in there.

[cilla]

Thank you for you help, will now go out and sort out the strawberries. I will have to pot the runners as the strawberries are in stacking pots.
Do the new plants from the runners produce anything this year or does it all happen next year?

[Nannysally99]

All new ones for next year Cilla. I have got quite a few new strawberries from the 'new girls' this year

[Penellype]

I cut the runners off the mother plant when they have rooted well enough not to move when you give a leaf a sharp tug.