strawberry runners

[weedgrower]

i have three strawberry beds. one bed has first year strawberry's, one has second and one has third year which will be finished this year. my question is to start a new bed which plants do i take my runners from. 1st, 2nd or 3rd. secondly. i started these strawberry's 3 years ago. can i keep taking runners of the plants indefinately or do i start again with new plants eventually as the strain might get weaker. thanks

[weedgrower]

[lauraladybird]

Hi weedgrower,  I am new to this site and to computers, I wouln't have got the far without a teenager in the house!

I am year two of my allotment, a student of horticulture, with over 80 books on the subject.  I've consulted the RHS -propogating plants and as long as you propogate from healthy plants your good to go for another three years. Plants can also be divided in spring or you keep some aside for propogation only by removing the flowers and pegging down runners.

I'm glad you brought this up cos I needed to know myself, I bought some perpetual strawberries from J. Parkers had then in the greenhouse all winter now in coldframe. Will be interesting to compare with other varieties.

[weedgrower]

thanks for that

[jennym]

I tend to take runners from mostly second year plants, they tend to be more vigorous, but some of the first year plants seem to do well too. Seems to me that runners from older plants seem to be thinner and less strong looking, but that might be imagination.

[Tee Gee]

I take my runners from selected plants!

When harvesting the fruit I stick a plant label or some such marker along side the plant that gives me the best return.

When it comes to taking runners I only take them from marked plants.

Rarely do I find I get a good return from first year plants so no runners from these as a rule.

I don't mind if I take runner from 2nd or 3rd year plants if they performed well, that is good enough for me!


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