Runners

I remember the girl in the garden centre telling me about runners on strawberry plants - but that's about all. So could someone talk me through it please.

All my strawberries are in containers. Some fruit just starting to turn red. I noticed today that I have a couple of runners.

Now I know you 'pin them down' and they should form a new plant, but do I pin them down now or after the fruit has been harvested from the mother plant? Do I pin it into the same containers or try and set up a new containers next to it?


Really not sure - any tips would be most welcome. Thanks.

 

Last year was the first time I had strawberries plants, and they were in containers... I had a couple of decent runners, so pinned these down into a separate pot..

The actually pinning down was successful, but alas I was foiled by the dreaded hounds again, they managed to knock the pot off the brick it placed on, and squeshed the poor little plant..

 

Don't usually bother pinning them down, they'll root into the first thing they come across.

 

Zigs, that wont happen in this instance as they are in containers.

Ellie - talk me through it step by step. Do I just place a small 8-9 cm pot on top of the straw and pin it down. When do I know to cut it free. Pin it down with what? Do I do it now or after the original plant has finished with the fruit? A lot of questions I know!!!

 

Zigs is right as in the babies will root themselves without pinning, just with pinning you get to chose where they will root rather than letting go freelance...

You can almost pin it down with anything, bent twig, a stone or hair grip that's been bent, all you're doing is keeping the baby plant stable and sitting on top of the soil and not flapping around in the breeze...

You find as the baby starts to root and becomes established the runner stem will start to dry and become brittle, so give the baby plant a little tug to ensure it's rooted, then just snap the stem, if it's ready to go the stem will snap very easily.

I actually had my pots sat on bricks next to the container, as the runners weren't quite long enough to reach the pot on the ground comfortably...

Haven't seen any runners on my strawberries yet this year, but if I do I will doggy proof the babies.. As last year it was a swap of the tail that sent them flying, which wasn't too bad as they were ready to be snapped off so would have survived, it's the thudding great paws trampling them that did them in...

My two dogs have a lot to answer for, when it comes to plant damage in the garden....

 

GYO ,just place a small pot filled with compost by the side of the runner,them place the small plant that is on the end of your runner on top.I then place a small stone onto the runner to hold the new plant down until it has rooted.I then leave until I'm ready to plant out into my new beds.
or you could make a small loop ( like a large staple) which will also hold your plant down

 

When i had the work done to my patio and path i moved all the pots up to the veg patch and the strawberries in the raised bed sent out runners and fixed themselves into the pots. I now have pots of strawberries and thyme and i didnt have to do a thing

Apart from cut the runner so i could move the pot lol

 

My runners are hanging off the side of the container so nothing to root onto. Ok - got a new job for tomorrow. Quite excited about it. Once the new shoot I cut away, how do I treat it with regards the weather. Will they ultimately be hardy enough to stand out over winter? Are they likely to fruit this year? Exciting!!!!!!

 

I think your meant to nip off the runners and bin them if your plants are only a year old as it keeps their strength up producing stronger plants long term. ?

 

Oooooh. My plants are not a year old yet. Errrrrrm what to do??????

Also if I do pin down, where on the runner do I want to do it. Closer to the mother plant, closer to the tip or does it not matter.


Thanks everyone for you input. As always, you have been great. X

 

Mine werent a year old last year

What i did was cut the runners off over summer while they were fruiting and then my patio wasnt done until the oct/november so the pots werent out next to the strawberries till then and thats when i left the runners doing whatever they wanted.

 

Each year I plant 2 new rows on my plot,18 plants in total,Then at the end of the season I dig up 2 rows of 4 year old plants.I look for a good runners on my 1 year old rows and take about 10 runners all the rest are cut back to the mother plant,the rest of the runners that I want come from my 2 year old plants.You will find that the first plant on your runner will be the strongest so just use this one clip of any others after the first one.I have never noticed any difference in my plants by doing this,you will find that you get your best crop and best fruit of 2nd year plants,smaller fruit on 3rd year plants.