Did you know that cutting strawberry runners not only encourages ideal fruit growth on the main plant? Doing so has another purpose: to produce a new set of strawberries.
Runners are the long stems connected to the mother plant. If you are growing this fruit and notice something like stolons forming, it is essential to know when to cut strawberry runners from mother plant to benefit your garden.
The rule is to trim them once their roots have formed and plant them after 4-6 weeks of pegging to propagate strawberries.
Table of Contents
Best Time to Cut Strawberry Runners From Mother Plant
1. Cut strawberry plant runners from the mother plant once good roots have formed.
Strawberry plants spread runners or so-called stolons when they are in the stage of fruiting. June-bearing and everbearing varieties are the ones to use if you want your plants to produce these long stems.
Usually, people remove them to help the fruits of the main plant develop well. However, one of the common uses of these long stolons is strawberry runner propagation, which can result in continuous yields for years.
These crawling stems will eventually become the new baby strawberry plants once they have set their roots on the ground, which is essential for their growth.
That’s why when the main plant has produced these strawberry shoots, the only and best time to separate them from their mother is after they have launched good roots.
Otherwise, if you remove them at an unideal time, they will be unhealthy because they don’t have the proper support from the mother plant to thrive.
2. Cut and plant them after 4-6 weeks of pegging them into the ground.
Proper rooting usually happens once you let runners develop for 4-6 weeks. After that, it will be the ideal time for cutting them out and replanting strawberry runners.
How Do You Cut Strawberry Runners From Mother Plant?
- Prepare scissors and sanitize them before using them.
- Separate the daughter plant by cutting the stem attached to the mother strawberry.
- For transplanting the young new strawberries to another place, carefully uproot them from the soil and move them.
- For runners grown in containers, you can lay them somewhere with a roof when the temperatures are too low. Once the climate becomes favorable, you can set them out.
You may decide to hook your runners into the soil either in pots or directly to the planting bed. You can follow the simple steps below for growing strawberries from runners.
Rooting strawberry runners in pots.
- Choose only four robust runners from the mother plant, since these are enough to use for propagation.
- Prepare a small container and fill it with soil.
- Make a pit the same size as your pots and embed the container in the ground.
- Position the nodes, or parts of the runner where roots will emerge, in the container’s soil.
- Make your runner touch the soil by hooking a bent wire or hairpin to it.
- Keep the small plant hydrated.
- Once the roots grow, you can cut and transplant strawberry runners.
For attaching them directly to the ground, you can apply the same method and use the same materials as stated above. However, you may also choose to root your runner in water. Follow the steps how:
Rooting strawberry runners in water.
- Fill a pot with small stones and water inside.
- Set the runner into the pot without the upper part getting soaked in water.
- Ensure that there is always adequate water in the container by laying a cover at the top of it.
- Set the runner where it can enjoy a temperature of at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit but not more than 80 degrees.
FAQs
What happens if you cut off strawberry runners?
Cutting the strawberry stolons help the main plant grow, as it will use all of its energy for development without competing with the runners.
Plus, for propagation purposes, removing runners will allow them to duplicate their parents. As we mentioned a while ago, they will transform into new plants once their roots get established in the soil.
During the growing season, the rule of thumb is to remove runners in the strawberry’s early years for better fruit development. Let them grow only in their third year.
Where do you cut strawberry runners?
The spot where to cut strawberry runners is their main stem, or at least a few inches from it.
However, when your purpose for detaching runners is to produce fruit for the main plant, it is best to trim them right at the spot where they sprout.
How long do strawberry runners take to fruit?
You can expect strawberry runners that were stored in cool rooms to bear fruit after two months once you propagate them on the ground.
Conclusion
Knowing when to cut strawberry runners from mother plant is significant in reproducing healthy crops. So, trim them once they have developed roots which are good enough for growing.
Remember that you can help your runners root by putting them into the soil. You may do that by placing them on the ground, in pots, or in the water with bent wires or hairpins.
Whichever method you choose, ensure that you give them at least 4-6 weeks to develop. I hope this post helps you a lot. Feel free to return here whenever you want. Thank you for reading!
Hi, I am William – Floridayards’ digital content creator. My job is to find answers to all your concerns with thorough research and our team’s expert advice. I will also bring you honest reviews on the best products and equipment for raising your beautiful garden. Please look forward to our work!
