How to Remove Strawberry Runners and Plant Them

When planting strawberry plants, there are several things that are important to produce a great crop. One of the most important tasks is managing runners and removing them from your strawberry plant.

Managing Strawberry Runners

• Most strawberries produce runners, which are simply a type of stem that run across the top of the soil and forms roots at certain points called nodes, forming a new plant.
• Strawberry plants generally take a year to produce a good volume of fruit, so removing runners is a way to encourage the plant to put its energy into growing fruit earlier, rather than producing new plants.
• However, if you want to see the number of strawberry plants grow, you can allow some of the runners to form roots and transplant them to increase the number of plants you have.
• The initial (mother) plants begin losing their vitality after a few years, allowing several runners to grow (daughter plants) each year keeps your beds fresh for longer.
• Removing runners is as simple as cutting them off the at the base of the plant with sharp snips or scissors when they appear. Ensure it is a clean cut and not ripped out, as this may do damage to the plant.

If you take a look at the end of the runner, you may be able to see little roots already beginning to grow. To get these to root, simply peg down the plantlet into the ground using a U-shaped clip or piece of garden wire bent into shape will work perfectly. The plantlet should be in firm contact with the soil.

Helpful Hints

For best results, grow each new collective of strawberries in acompletely fresh bed, enriched with Intelligro Organic Compost.

Fact

Strawberries will become less productive over a period of time, so youneed to grow more plants from runners every three to four years to ensure continual great harvests.

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