Aggressive runners...

[Persephone]

...strrawberry, that is.

I have 3 varieties planted in maybe too-small area this year.

They are aggressively sending out runners.

In the past (another area) I used to cut off the runners and plant the rooted end elsewhere.

Should I now:

a. throw away the runners?

b. plant them between rosebushes there is sufficient room)

c. enlarge the area (involves a LOT of work digging up & amending horrible lawn).

d. plant them between veggies. In that case, which ones to AVOID?

Tx for your thoughts.

Persephone

[Persephone]

Please, folks- somebody decide for me what I should do with these aggressive runners, before a tendril comes through the open window while I'm asleep...

P.

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

I've read that the mother plants often decrease fruit production after a few years and the 'runners'/daughter plants should be encoraged to bear fruit. Dunno if that means digging up the mother, shifting the runners over or replanting or ????

Carl

[Persephone]

Carl, these plants are brand new! I just put them in about 3 months ago. They just started to bear this month, and already the runners are going nuts!

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

I 6think that's the nature of them. Indeed, the very name seems to come from 'strewn about' - not 'straw' as many people think (grown in/on top of straw, etc.).

I suggest either more searching ( try

) or do an experiment and pinch the runners back on a plant to compare to the others. Also, Sow Teat/Alpine strawberries have a more upright habit I think, maybe switch to that variety? Honestly I;m just guessing as thois is our first year with strawberries, there seems to be a lot of misinformation and 'old wives tales' associated with them. One person told us they wouldn't bear fruit until they were root bound!

Carl