Kitchen Garden Forum

The strawberries seem to have finished fruiting, I have potted up runners the question now is do I cut all the top leaves off and tidy the plants and bed or leave them alone.
Bren

Usually once the strawberries have fruited I cut off the old leaves being careful not to cut off the shoots of new leaves growing in the centre so I don't use the shear methods.

Hi Bren, I usually just remove the dead leaves, then mulch with compost or really well rotted manure around the plants in autumn, that builds the soil and plants up for the next years fruit. If there is room put your runners in the ground and give them a good soak first. Strawberries usually run out of steam after 3 years,so its a good plan to put in some new and take out the spent ones each year that way I always have some in full flush. Straw between the rows makes good protection if it's a harsh winter.

I wouldn't root runners if the plants are new this year. I have new strawberry plants and I am cutting runners off as soon as they appear so it doesn't take strength from the growing plant

Hi Sue,
With new plants they are generally guaranteed certified plants which are free of viruses and if the plants have shown no outward sign of disease I would take root the runners on the first year.
Have you read anything to the contrary as to why you would not take cuttings of year old plants?
When I want to restock my Strawberries I buy the minimum of plants two years in advance and take the runners to baulk-up and then when these are mature enough I grub the old lot out.
As for care of my Strawberry beds when the season is over I set my rotary mower on the highest setting and run the mower down the lines.
This sucks up all the old rubbish and pests that seems to collect around the plants during the season. You can then see the wheat from the chaff and it is amazing how clean the lines of plants look.
Later on when the plants have died down I lower the mower just one notch and mow down the lines again. Call my crazy or lazy if you wish but I do not seem to harbour most of the pests that lurk unhidden and always have some superb Strawberries.
JB.

Confused on how many runners to take from each plant.In one article I read it stated to take only the first one as this would make the strongest plant,but, another article stated that it was O.K.to take up to five runners per plant.Help!!
Furthermore I have grown Wild strawberries from seed and they are now of a size to be planted out in open ground.Is it too late for this and would I be better potting on,overwintering and planting out next Spring?

Morning Snooky, i think when they say, "only take the first one", they are referring to the amount of plants on each runner, and not the amount of new plants off the Mother plant.

As for your plants grown from seed, i would get them planted now, they will then have a good root system ready for next year, meaning better plants.

The fruiting is earlier this year, so there is plenty of time to build up strong plants before winter, I agree with Johnboy and OH, runners root quite quickly if kept in moist conditions, I then I cut the runner from the parent plant which carries on growing.,

I haven't read anything to the contrary JB just seemed that if the plant is using energy making runners then that energy isn't going into fruit production.

When making new stock from runners you are suppose to take the first plantlet to develop on each runner i.e. the one nearest to the mother plant.

As for alpine strawberries - plant them out as they are hardy. If it's dry fill the planting hole with water before filling back in with soil. We grow new ones from seed each year so have a three year cycle. The plants planted this year will fruit better next year and the plants that are three years old are dug up. So our main fruiters are plants that were planted out last year

Hi Sue,
I perhaps didn't make myself clear which is quite usual. Like OH I only ever take the first plantlet from an individual runner and if a mother plants puts out several then I would take the first of each runner and as soon as that has rooted I sever it from the mother plant. Should more runners then be produced they are cut off. Normally I would take no more than four if they are available and any later runners are also cut off.
Strange thing is that there are years when there are so many runners they are a problem and in other years very few.
I do not grow Alpine Strawberries so not familiar with their growing.
JB.

Our new plants have been producing runners by the bucketful although the everbearing varieties seem less prone to sending out runners.

I get it now JB that's not likely to harm the plant.