Propagating strawberries without runners

[WendyC]

I have a few plants of strawberry "Chelsea Pensioner" which are no longer productive. It was a Ken Muir variety but is no longer available as it produces so few runners stocks can't be maintained. I was told this by a nice lady from Ken Muir who rang me to explain when I queried why it wasn't available. I thought it was something I was doing!
I would like to keep the few I have got going but they need to earn their keep. I did notice today that I probably could divide them like a herbaceous perennial but would this rejuvenate them sufficiently to keep them fruiting? I intend to replant elsewhere but want to make it worth the effort. I'm assuming they wouldn't come true from seed, even if I had some!
Thoughts please.

[roitelet]

You could split them to increase the number of plants and the potential for more runners next year. Don't know how well they will fruit though as they will essentially be old plants.

[KairdiffKid]

You could have a go at growing them from seed. It's not easy as it involves picking the individual seeds off the strawberry, drying them (then freezing according to some people) and finally trying to propagate them.

[sparrow100]

I've split some of my inherited strawberry crowns in the past - it seemed to rejuvenate them for a year or so with amazing crops and then the next (this) they are a bit pants. That might be down to my watering though.

[vixylix]

I've left a couple of fruits to rot down into the soil - I'm hoping the seeds then sit in the soil and possibly do something next year?! I figured it works in the wild so was worth a shot!

[WendyC]

You could have a go at growing them from seed. It's not easy as it involves picking the individual seeds off the strawberry, drying them (then freezing according to some people) and finally trying to propagate them.

But I don't have any seeds! They didn't fruit well this year so I don't really want to hold out for next year in hope I can save some seed.
I think splitting is the way to go and hope they throw a few runners in the future. This is the suggested method for perpetual varieties which also produce few runners.

[skeggijon]

I find that splitting does tend to give a brief rejuvenation. You could then try stressing some of the plants next year to see if it pushes them into producing runners.

[WendyC]

Well I dug up four plants this morning and split them into quite small pieces, keeping only the youngest pieces and discarding the woody centre. I now have 22 offsets to plant up. I shall see what happens.

[lottie dolly]

Saw mine and thought of this thread,3 years ago i put what i had purchased as climbing strawberries into the end of a raised bed,not one sign of that going to happen,these to have never grown runners,today i had a really good look at them,what they are doing is spreading very slowly,like they have little risomes ?,i eased a few up and repoted 21 individuals,they have produced the odd few fruits,but nothing to earn their keep,in this pic of a larger one,one clump has several flower spickes just coming into fruit,they seem to be a much latter type,the leaves are very small compared with my elsanta,i was just wondering if they gone like yours have,so odd

[WendyC]

Yes mine were similar, but I cut off most of the old rhizome and left the newest section with a few roots to pot on.

[WendyC]

Thought I'd update this thread after a year after splitting the plants. I eventually planted out 8 plants, keeping 2 in pots as spares. I got a little fruit from them but what I did get from them is loads of runners. I'm a bit behind this year and probably should have restricted how many runners each plant produced. Anyway I got round to sorting out the strawberry bed this weekend and cut off all the runners I could find. Some have rooted well so I left them. I potted up 30 of the best and composted at least as many. Will see how the two generations of plant go in Summer 2017.

[nellie-m]

Thanks for the update, that was really interesting to read. Something to keep in the back of my mind just in case. I'm really glad it worked out so well, and that you were able to save this variety!