Should new, first year strawberry plants be mulched?

[GOBulldogs]

I have a new strawberry patch of Junebearing "Alstar"in a raised bed. After setting out the plants I laid down about 2-3 inches of straw mulch. All are doing well but the runners are running on top of the mulch. Will the daughter plants take root through all that mulch or do I need to pull back the mulch around each and every runner so they will lay flat against the soil?

[farmerlon]

When the runner gets to a spot where you would like the plant to be, it is fine to clear away some of the mulch to help it establish a "toe-hold". It usually works well to "pin" down the runner to, just to keep it in the desired spot; I often use a small stone (placed on top of the runner "vine") for that.