Need help propagating Strawberry runners

Have already cut off a dozen runners and did not know that you should not cut them. Now, what can I do to make sure they root. So far they are in little pots on a tray with a large plastic bag as a dome, on a heat mat. Will this get me some roots on these runners. Boy am i upset that I cut them off. They had been growing fine in a 15 gallon pot they were sharing with an old Brug. Thanks for any help. Hopefully I can start a strawberry patch soon.

Are you sure they had no roots at all? Mine usually start rooting soon after they develop. Of course it's usually cool and moist here.

Hi Weez,
They had white nubs on the bottom, but they did not look like roots, and they were hanging off out of the pot and not touching any soil. So far, they are still green, so maybe they will root.

Mine will root whether they touch soil or not, but, as I said, it's pretty moist around here. I think you are giving it your best effort. One thing you might check is whether the crown of the runner is above ground. They don't like to be buried. The bottom of the runner should reach the soil, but not the crown. I've used a bent paper clip to form a hoop over the top of runners to hold them in place on the soil.

I bet those things I call nubs, are the crowns. They still look fine, so I'll check in about another week and see if I see roots down there.

A.

put them in some nice moist soil and they should root just fine,
I was doing hydroponics and took one of the plants on the runner
and stuck him over one of the holes in my aeroponics tube and all it
was getting is a fine mist on his bottom and he rooted fast.

heres a few pics of runner babies ..

pic 2

pic 3

pic 2 and 3 are the same plant .. 1 day apart ..

Hey, Sparky! Why not add some root pics to the PF entry. Here's a link to the page for cultivated strawberries: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/31463/index.html

Sparky, those are fantastic photos. Thanks for posting them, it sure helps to get a visual. Your set up is great. I wish I had the brains to do something like that.

I just checked the plants a few moments ago and they are still green, the bag is very humid and one looks like it may have new leaves. I was afraid to check for roots, but now seeing your photos, I'll go back and check them.

Be cautious that you do not rot the crown. If it is warm and humid under the plastic, give it some air.

Thanks Weez,
I will open up the bag for awhile, just checked one plant and there are roots... yippee.. When can they go outside in my zone? Now that I have them, can they go out now, it gets very few frost hours here and mostly in the 40's and 50's.

Boy am I happy.

This message was edited Dec 20, 2005 3:55 PM

I found a great site for planting strawberries in So Cal..

http://www.rootstock.com/com_plant.html#anchor792473

Now if I could figure out what type I have.

Does anyone know if the seeds (on the outside of strawberries) would germinate and produce fruit if planted???
I've been tempted to do this with some from the huge berries from the supermarket.
Louise

Louise,
I found this site that may help.. on germinating seeds from fruit.

http://www.farminfo.org/garden/strawberries-m.htm

hope it helps.

Antoinette

Louise, I've grown alpine strawberries from seed, but never the big cultivars. Keep in mind that, even if germinated, the plants may not be anything like the parent plants. You'd be better served to order the starts or get some rooted runners from a friend.

Antoinette & weezingreens,
Thanks for the help. I'll check it out. I bought some 'Sequoia' plants last year, but alas, the fruit didn't measure up to my expectations. They were in a box of ten plants from WalMart. I don't know if that source is as good a quality as from a nursery. Many of the berries didn't have a perfect strawberry shape.
This is the 'learning curve' I guess.
Louise

The fruit can be affected by garden conditions, as well as breeding. My favorite here in our climate are the Honeoye: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/52983/

if you plant seeds for strawberry , you prolly wont get any fruit the first year.

one of the causes of Deformed Berries is poor pollination.

I think one might get strawberries the first year from the alpine varieties. They bunch rather than throw runners, and the fruit is small, but sweet. There are red ones and yellowish white ones.