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PunkRotten
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SHould I pinch the runners?

Hi,


I have a few strawberry plants that are the ever-bearing type. Since I got them in Spring I was pinching back the flowers so they'd establish a better root system. Now in late Summer they are putting out some flowers and fruits but one plant has been sending out runners. If I want fruit should I be pinching these runners?

SOB
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My notes say that for everbearing to remove flowers for the first 6 weeks and remove runners the first year. After that let the runners grow but the follow spring renovate by removing runners.

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PunkRotten
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So the following Spring pinch the runners too?

SOB
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The way I interpret it is the second year let the runners grow throughout the year then the third (and following) years remove runners each spring. You can transplant the runners if you like or just get rid of them.

I am in no way an expert and have ZERO experience but in planning to grow strawberries next year I have been doing some research.

JONA878
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It depends so much as to what system you want to grow your fruit in.
If you are growing in single rows with pathways between then you would de-runner all the time, just building up the crowns of the mother plant for steady heavy cropping.
This will give you big crops of fruit and make picking easier as the fruit is in a more open position.
The down side is that the mother plant will need replacing every 4-5 years as she is worn out.
This is the main way that commercial growers would grow the fruit.

The other way is to let the runners grow until an area has been filled in....the matted bed system.
This takes longer for the plants to produce heavily as they sacrifice fruit to produce the additional runners.
However once the bed is full of plants you can then control the density of the plants by thinning out old or sickly ones so that you get a continuation of plants ready for fruiting.
At least with this way it saves continualy having to replace the mother plants. Although the fruit may not be quite so perfect in size or quantity as the single row method.

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PunkRotten
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I am growing them on one of those terra cotta strawberry towers. Do these even work good?

JONA878
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If they are in a tower I would not let them produce runners at all.
You just need the mother plants to produce good fruit for three or four years at most and then re-plant with fresh plants.
Remember too that the root space available in these towers is usually fairly limited so make sure that you feed your plants well.
A good liquid Tomato feed is ideal as it is high in the Potash that the straws need.



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