Strawberry runners from pots?

elsien

My strawbs are growing in pots and have started throwing out runners. What's the best way to propogate them as there is no soil anywhere near them - peg the runner into another pot and hope it roots?
Also the plants are new this year - how many years am I likely to get from them before they start to run out of steam and need replacing? (They will be permanently containerbound.)

I have to say although I'm generally not a huge fan of strawberries, none of them have made it into the house yet as I keep picking and eating each time I walk past.:o

Linda32

Hi, Yes you can peg the runners into another pot, and it will root, just make sure you peg in the bit where the roots are coming out of.

I suspect your original plant thats fruiting now will last for three years, but remember that those runners that you pot up now will be brand new next year, so you'll always have new plants.

cootambear

elsien wrote: »

My strawbs are growing in pots and have started throwing out runners. What's the best way to propogate them as there is no soil anywhere near them - peg the runner into another pot and hope it roots?
Also the plants are new this year - how many years am I likely to get from them before they start to run out of steam and need replacing? (They will be permanently containerbound.)

I have to say although I'm generally not a huge fan of strawberries, none of them have made it into the house yet as I keep picking and eating each time I walk past.:o

1. about 4 years
2. why bother with that attitude?
Does your strawberry palate come from years of supermarket so called strawbs?

elsien

cootambear wrote: »

2. why bother with that attitude?
Does your strawberry palate come from years of supermarket so called strawbs?

Instant gratification - given my very limited space and need to grow things in pots, I wanted something quick and comparatively easy, and couldn't think of any other fruits I'd have room for that wouldn't take up space I haven't got for large parts of the year.

Plus there's only me and if I buy a punnet it usually starts growing fur before I get half way through it and I object to the waste and find it a bit offputting. So for though, my home grown ones do seem to have a lot more taste.

cootambear

OK, my apologies.

I get very upset when people disparage the worlds greatest fruit, usually on the basis of eating supermarket varieties.

Once again, my apologies.

lizzyb1812

Elsien

I'm not a huge strawberry fan either - but like you, I find the home grown ones irresistible so I grow more every year. Let's just say I'm a big fan of home grown ones. Part of the problem with supermarket strawbs is the taste you (don't) get for the money you pay - hence not previously having been a fan.

The gardening books will tell you that plants last 3 or 4 years but in practice I don't take any notice of this - if a plant fails to produce a decent amount of fruit one year it comes out. I'm not organised enough to keep tabs on how old each individual plant is!

I use clothes pegs on the runners - put the hole in the peg, the bit that grips the line, on the end of the runner and push it into small pots of soil/compost. You'll lose some over winter but each plant produces more than one runner so you'll have more plants next year than this year.

Lizzy

katfishh

Lool! cootambear - you love stawbs too!

My strawberries are yum! I l♥ve my strawbs!

I have gooseberries and raspberries too in my little town garden. I've been picking raspberries every single day - oh joy!

cootambear wrote: »

OK, my apologies.

I get very upset when people disparage the worlds greatest fruit, usually on the basis of eating supermarket varieties.

Once again, my apologies.

lostinrates

alternatively, how long can you leave a runner not pegged in? I notice lots of runners that need dealing with but don't have time atm to get to them (its a couple of hours worth of work).

fwiw, depsite the three-four years always cited some of my strawbs are a little older and fruiting happily and keeping up with their daughters. when they don't I'll replace them with grandaughters or great granddaughters but for now I'm happy with them.

Its been an amazing year for strawbs here, they have come thick and fast. As well as nibbling in the garden we are getting plenty of bowl fulls. I hadn't planned jam from them this year, but I might have to to keep up! I haven't lucked out runners this year at all, so they are fruiting as well as making babies vigourously.

cootambear

katfishh wrote: »

Lool! cootambear - you love stawbs too!

My strawberries are yum! I l♥ve my strawbs!

I have gooseberries and raspberries too in my little town garden. I've been picking raspberries every single day - oh joy!

I want to marry you

Mado

Argh... I also have an issue with what to do with runners as my strawberries are in a hanging basket...
Can I cut them off and place them in a pot?

elsien

I think they need to go in soil to root properly first before you cut them off.

Another question for the experts though.
I noticed this morning that the weight of the strawberries is bending the shoot they're growing from over the rim of the pot and it's starting to break. Any way round this?