Rogue strawberries

I put these berries in a square bed and they sent out runners, latched in the cracks, and the plants in the bed died. So since they seem to like it here, and survive from year to year, i think i might just leave them. I have pretty much ignored them and let nature take the berries, but I think I’d like some this year, so I covered them with some mesh.
If I Did want to keep the runner babies and put them elsewhere, when do I cut the runner?

I usually wait until the babies are large enough to start having roots of their own. Then I cur them and put them in water for a bit until I see lotsa roots. Then I replant.

mollyhespra wrote:I usually wait until the babies are large enough to start having roots of their own. Then I cur them and put them in water for a bit until I see lotsa roots. Then I replant.

Happening in my bed now...thanks, Molly!

You're welcome!

Have you noticed with the runners of strawberries that each runner  has two or three plantlets on them ?    Chose the plantlet nearest the mother plant for your stock , sink a 3 inch plant pot 2 inches deep  under it, fil it with MM or loam  and snip off the other plantlets. peg this stock plantlet to the soil in the pot with a bit of soft wire then water it & leave it alone for the next month or so . Don't allow it to dry out . The new plant will be able to be severed from the mother plant in two months. 

If the new plantlet produces runners of its own snip them off for they weakens the new pant . 

 Strawberry plants  are best replaced every three years , once you see a lot of top growth on the plant in the pot or a lot of new roots poking out the bottom of the plant pot when you lift it up it's time to plant them out & water them in .  Tub grown strawberries can be difficult  for it's not always obvious where the runners are  & getting a sunken plant pot in the tub  can be nigh on impossible .. I've simply put a tub the same size along side a runners and let them reach over into the new tub . If you plan it right you can have three or sometimes four such tubbed strawberries  growing a runner in a central tub .  Plant the new strawberry plants out several weeks  before fall

This is very helpful, I have a 3 year old strawberry bed right now, and yes, there are runners everywhere.  Honestly, it is really hard to tell what is what (mother vs. runner) except for the obvious out of line plants.  

plantoid wrote:Have you noticed with the runners of strawberries that each runner  has two or three plantlets on them ?    Chose the plantlet nearest the mother plant for your stock , sink a 3 inch plant pot 2 inches deep  under it, fil it with MM or loam  and snip off the other plantlets. peg this stock plantlet to the soil in the pot with a bit of soft wire then water it & leave it alone for the next month or so . Don't allow it to dry out . The new plant will be able to be severed from the mother plant in two months. 

If the new plantlet produces runners of its own snip them off for they weakens the new pant . 

 Strawberry plants  are best replaced every three years , once you see a lot of top growth on the plant in the pot or a lot of new roots poking out the bottom of the plant pot when you lift it up it's time to plant them out & water them in .  Tub grown strawberries can be difficult  for it's not always obvious where the runners are  & getting a sunken plant pot in the tub  can be nigh on impossible .. I've simply put a tub the same size along side a runners and let them reach over into the new tub . If you plan it right you can have three or sometimes four such tubbed strawberries  growing a runner in a central tub .  Plant the new strawberry plants out several weeks  before fall

"Chose the plantlet nearest the mother plant for your stock"  Why can't you separate them all and root them all?

Emily, I think some of the “down the pike” runners are not productive...

Emily, take a look at where the roots should be on the babies' babies. You'll see what SR means. By cutting them off you're allowing the first-in-line baby a chance to get on it's legs before becoming a teen mom.