Strawberries are perennial plants that take a year or two to produce fruit after planting. As strawberry plants mature, they develop a vine, which is a long string of stems with small nodes that allow the plant to reproduce itself. These nodes are essentially clones, creating new plants. The following content also has some reference value for raised garden beds.
The small plant nodes that form small strawberry leaves also form what are called adventitious roots, meaning they look for a suitable place to put down roots. The formation of running lines is seen on all June flowering strawberry varieties, as well as on most flowering or sunless strawberries.
You can think of a strawberry plant as a little strawberry plant. They can reproduce themselves under the right conditions, or they can be separated from the plant and grown as new plants. Over time, you may see new young strawberry plants appear next to your original plants: these are clones of strawberry plants. Read on to find out how you can successfully grow more strawberries from strawberry seeds.
What is a Strawberry Runner?
Strawberry stems, also called stolons, are small plant segments attached to the long stem of the original plant. These nodes produce small roots that are easy to propagate and can be planted.
Can Runners grow more strawberries?
Strawberry vines are a way to reproduce themselves, so using those vines to propagate plants can ultimately give you more plants, more berries. If you've set up a perennial strawberry bed with enough room for runners to put down roots, this will be an especially fruitful endeavor.
It's important to remember that producing strawberry flowers takes a lot of energy out of the plant, which can affect the plant's ability to produce fruit over time. Most strawberry plants last up to five years. After that, runners can cause the strawberry bed to become too crowded and can drain the energy of the host plant. But transplanting these plants is a way to keep your strawberry bed stocked with new seedlings.
When to transplant strawberries
The best time to dig strawberry seedlings is in the fall: late September to early October is perfect. This gives them enough time to regrow and produce berries the following spring. Plant them as you would a new plant from a nursery, on good organic loam and mulch with straw if needed.
What do you need
Equipment/Tools Materials
Garden shovel Organic soil
Pruning shears or scissors Mulch straw
Instructions
Collect your strawberries
Starting in early fall, look for small strawberry plants growing next to the main strawberry plant. Gently dig them out with a small garden shovel or whatever tool you would normally use to transplant in the garden. If they are still attached to the walker, gently cut them.
Prepare the strawberry runners
To prepare for planting strawberries, shake weeds or fallen leaves at the roots. Plant them in a new place and add some fresh soil. Strawberries like neutral, rich, organic soil. If you want, you can start a whole new strawberry bed.
Grow strawberry grass
Once you have your new strawberry bed ready, you can plant your strawberries. Gently tamp down the soil around the roots and give them plenty of water. Water them every other day for ten days or so to help them get off to a good start. You can add a layer of straw mulch now or wait until spring. Autumn mulch provides some winter protection.
Take care of your strawberries
Once the strawberry plants you've planted pop up again in the spring, care for them as you would a new strawberry plant in a nursery. Strawberries can be a little fussy about moisture and need a good balance of sunlight and moisture to produce the best fruit. There are a few tips for growing healthy strawberries.
FAQ
What should I do with the strawberry runners?
You can cut the stem off the strawberry if you want. Alternatively, you can encourage them to take root and grow more plants, or plant them separately in other areas.
Should I cut strawberries?
If your plant has a lot of strawberries, then it's a good idea to prune away at least some of them; Otherwise, your strawberry plants may produce fewer and smaller berries.
What happens if you cut off the strawberry fruit?
Cutting off branches and leaves can help channel more energy to the main plant, resulting in larger berries.
