A few stawberry questions

[Kassaundra]

This is my first year to grow strawberries and I have a few questions for anyone w/ experience in them.

1) Is it really bad to grow new strawberries from your runners? All the sites say it is, but is that just to get you to buy more plants? (if it really is how do stawberries survive in the wild)

2) Can you start new berries from the seeds off the berries? (is it they won't start at all or just won't come true?)

3) If I do use my runners, can they be cut off the mother plant prior to starting roots, placed in moist sand and allowed to root there, or do they need to stay attatched until they root?

Thanks

 

[lesa]

I can't imagine what would be wrong with starting new plants from runners. Are any reasons given?? I think it is easier to transplant them, when they have set roots. I just cut off the mother plant, dig, and move. Many people have good luck just moving the runners, without roots- but you've really got to keep on top of the watering...Very difficult to start from seed- a bunch of people on here tried- I don't think anyone succeeded (correct me if I am wrong).
I went to a few nurseries this weekend and was shocked at the prices on strawberries. The first store had them for 5.00 a piece and I almost fainted- the next, had sick looking individual plants for 9.99!!! What the heck!

 

[4grandbabies]

I plan to double my strawberry bed by transplanting runner plants this fall!

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Kassaundra, I have added to my strawberry patch in the past from the runners and plan to do so from my newly planted fruit garden in the fall as well. I agree with lesa. I would normally wait until they establish themselves and then dig and move. Best wishes for a bountiful strawberry harvest for you!

 

[Reinbeau]

I put in 24 plants myself last month - they were huge, vigorous, healthy Ozark Beauties, everbearers, they say. They have runners, they have strawberries - I have always heard you should remove the fruit, and I am - by eating them when they're ripe I'm redirecting the runners, too. If you started with nice, healthy plants that were potted and growing I see no reason to not use the runners.

 

[Ridgerunner]

1) Is it really bad to grow new strawberries from your runners? All the sites say it is, but is that just to get you to buy more plants? (if it really is how do stawberries survive in the wild)

These strawberry plants are domesticated. They are different to the wild strawberries, although they are derived from them.

Many commercial growers treat them as annuals. They plant them in the fall and let them get established, take care of them over winter, usually with a lot of mulch, then plow them under and start again after harvest. If you plant them in the spring, you are not going to get a real good crop because the plants are not estabished, but I let mine produce what they will and try to get them to live through our hot dry summer. If I can get them to survive the summer, the next year's production does not seem to be hurt any by my letting them produce. Mine sure get established in the summer and fall.

2) Can you start new berries from the seeds off the berries? (is it they won't start at all or just won't come true?)

I tend to agree with Lesa, but I truly don't know for sure.

3) If I do use my runners, can they be cut off the mother plant prior to starting roots, placed in moist sand and allowed to root there, or do they need to stay attatched until they root?

You can do it both ways, but why not bury those joints in just a little dirt and speed up root development? They are easier to transplant if they have roots.

 

[wsmoak]

Many commercial growers treat them as annuals. They plant them in the fall and let them get established, take care of them over winter, usually with a lot of mulch, then plow them under and start again after harvest.

Then where do the new plants come from?

-Wendy

 

[Ridgerunner]

Many commercial growers treat them as annuals. They plant them in the fall and let them get established, take care of them over winter, usually with a lot of mulch, then plow them under and start again after harvest.

Then where do the new plants come from?

-Wendy

Either from the runners they harvested themselves or from nurseries that sell them.

The point is that that many commercial growers do not go through a season of picking off the first year's blossoms. They harvest the berries.

 

[Kassaundra]

Thanks for the answers everyone.

Lesa they say something about a aphid born disease, if you use your runners (especially the runners of the runners) you will infect your strawberries w/ it.

 

[lesa]

I am sure I am jinxing myself for even typing it- but I have never seen an aphid on a strawberry...