Strawberry runners are long horizontal shoots extending from the mother plant. At the tips of these shoots, miniature strawberry plants form with root nodules and small leaves, creating genetic clones of the mother plant.

Proper Timing

Wait until root nodules form at the base of plantlets before cutting. Cutting too early reduces survival chances. Runners typically appear in late spring or early summer.

Cutting Technique

Cut the runner from the base of the mother plant, leaving a 2.5–4-inch tip with a 0.5-inch “tail” for anchoring during planting.

Flower Head Removal

Remove flower heads from runners to redirect energy to leaf and root development, as they consume energy and hinder growth.

Multiple Runners

Treat multiple young plants on a single stolon as separate plants for rooting.

Temporary Storage

Store cut runners on wet paper towels or newspaper in a cool place, away from direct sunlight, if not planting immediately.

Soil Preparation

• Ideal Soil Mix: Use a light, aerated, nutrient-rich, compost-containing soilless mix like Pro-Mix BK25 or a 2:1 peat:perlite mixture to prevent compaction.
• Soilless Preference: Avoid natural soil to prevent diseases like Verticillium wilt, anthracnose, and red stele rot.

Potting and Planting

• Pot Selection: Use 4-inch seedling pots or 50-cell plastic trays.
• Pot Filling: Fill with soilless mix, lightly compact 25%, and pre-water with two liters of lukewarm water for two hours.
• Planting Technique: Plant at a 45-degree angle, ensuring root nodules and “tail” are buried, but keep the crown above soil to prevent rot.

Rooting Environment

• Humidity and Temperature: Use a misting system or humidity domes, maintaining 22°C and 12-hour photoperiod with 280 μE m−2 s−1 light (6-8 hours direct sunlight for Sahara strawberries).
• Fertilization: Avoid fertilizing for the first week after rooting. Use 10-10-10 fertilizer biweekly thereafter, or 20-10-20 with 100ppm N for mother plants.
• Growth Process: Grow runners for about one month until they reach 3-5 mature leaves and a 6-inch crown diameter.

Energy Direction

Remove runners from mother plants to focus energy on fruit production, or retain them for propagation.

Flower Head Removal

Remove flower heads from runner seedlings to promote internal growth for better yields next season.

Planting Time

Plant runners at least eight weeks before the first fall frost in cold climates to ensure establishment.

Variety-Specific Management

• Everbearing Varieties: Remove flowers for 2-3 weeks after planting to ensure establishment. Avoid fertilizing after September.
• June-bearing Varieties: Expose to cool temperatures and short days for flower bud formation. Overwinter in controlled cold storage (29-32°F). Stop fertilization by mid-August and reduce light to 9 hours in November.

Hygiene and Sanitation

• Tool Cleaning: Clean cutting tools with rubbing alcohol or Lysol before and after each row.
• Mother Plant Inspection: Ensure crowns are white and roots are pale with a slightly dark tunnel. Discard plants with red tunnels or dark spots.
• Drip Irrigation: Use drip irrigation to prevent water splashing and disease spread.

Soil and Environment

• Soilless Medium: Use sterile soilless potting mix to avoid soil-borne diseases.
• Ventilation: Increase greenhouse ventilation to reduce disease risk.
• Plastic Mulch: Use plastic mulch to block arthropod pests like fungus gnats, mites, and aphids.
• Fungal Issues: Reduce watering and fertilization if mold appears. Use humidity domes for leaf tip burn.