Strawberries already have runners. How should you deal with them?

Radek Štěpán 26. 06. 2023 1 views

Do your strawberries still produce enough fruit? Well, it largely depends on the variety you planted but despite the quite rainy weather, you should still have plenty of fruits. Whatever the case may be, strawberries are “mandatory” on any garden and not only because they contain plenty of vitamin C and other substances beneficial to the human body. Strawberries taste great and that is why. Best is to plant several types of strawberries so they ripen gradually and you can have continuous supply all summer long. You can also plant perennial varieties that produce fruits continuously… whatever you prefer. But the taste of varieties that give fruit continuously may not be the best. And what about propagation? Strawberries are propagated easily and indeed, they should putting out first stolons or “runners” right about now.

When you should use runners?

Only if you have a beautiful plant that is not attacked by any diseases. If you use an unhealthy plant you will most likely get a plant that will inherit the disease. It is simply better to remove all infected plants and buy new seedlings. Prepare the flower bed for new plants and your harvest should be great again. In any case, strawberry plants should be renewed every two years.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

Runners are usually clipped off

Runners are more of a nuisance than good. They make your flower bed too thick and weaken mother plants and you do not want that. Due to massive propagation also weeds get a change to spread. It is recommended to remove runners before they take root. You can also remove them when they have already taken roots but it is pointless to wait. Waiting will weaken the mother plant. Remove runners – the sooner the better.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

When should you plant strawberries?

Today, there are so many varieties that it actually does not matter much, but do not do it during flowering and fruiting. Autumn is better than spring. Plants planted in September take root and grow even better later and the following year you can expect better yield.